On September 28, 2016, no-one knew the entire state of South Australia would be pushed into darkness, but everyone knew a large storm was on the way.
Heading north, the ABC's Tom Fedorowytsch hit the road with camera operator Stephen Opie.
After a few GPS mishaps, the pair landed in the Mid North town of Blyth.
The tornadoes had twisted large power pylons like pipe-cleaners, setting in motion a sequence of events that would eventually turn the lights off across the state.
The statewide blackout would have consequences that reverberated through the national energy market and had serious ramifications locally.
Businesses had to throw away refrigerated stock, slag solidified in the Port Pirie smelter's blast furnace, and backup generators failed at Flinders Medical Centre.
The Flinders failure meant intensive care patients had to be urgently relocated, while families going through IVF lost embryos that were stored there.
Their only refuge was the local ABC bureau, where there was still power thanks to a generator.
Then ABC local manager the late Sarah Tomlinson came to the rescue with tinned soup and toast for a makeshift dinner cooked in the office kitchen.
After dinner, Tom and Steve made it to their motel rooms and spent a sleepless night as the storm raged outside.
The next day, power was back on in Adelaide and some regional areas, but many parts of the state remained in the dark, and the crisis was far from over.
Like many South Australians, Tom and Steve couldn't get fuel; they had to swap their car for one of the Port Pirie ABC bureau's cars.