Volunteers from NSW SES Warringah / Pittwater Unit and the NSW SES Manly Unit have been kept busy during recent days. Members have attended roof leaks, tree falls and flooding of homes across the peninsula from Thursday January 16 on, with an average of well over 100 calls for help to each unit every 24 hours.
All day Friday and all day Saturday, January 18, 6 crews from the NSW SES Warringah / Pittwater Unit were again out attending requests for assistance. The bulk of these were due to fallen trees blocking access from the strong winds.
The NSW SES received more than 2,250 calls for assistance on Thursday and responded to more than 1,800 incidents as severe weather battered the state overnight.
Severe thunderstorm cells hit across Sydney and parts of the state's north-east, north-west and central west Thursday morning, including Newcastle and Wollongong and persisted well into the middle of Saturday.
Further up the coast the storm caused more damage.
Widespread power outages occurred across the peninsula from Thursday on, with more than 140,000 homes across the state without power at some point in the first 24 hours. This recurred on Friday.
Thursday January 16. Photo: NSW SES Warringah / Pittwater Unit
Thursday January 16. Photo: NSW SES Warringah / Pittwater Unit
Residents in Northern NSW were being advised to prepare for further heavy rain, as NSW State Emergency Service (SES) crews continue cleaning up across much of the state following severe storms.
Heavy rain impacted coastal communities north of Sydney to Seal Rocks, with rain totals of 70-100 millimetres possible over the next six hours. Severe storms were also expected later that afternoon around Tweed Heads and the Northern Rivers.
Later Friday evening, minor flooding was expected at Dungog along the Williams River. The NSW SES was advising residents in the area to monitor conditions and be prepared to act.
Incident numbers were continuing to climb following the severe storms, with the NSW SES receiving more than 4,400 incidents in the last 48 hours. The majority were for fallen trees, downed powerlines and damaged properties.
As of 2pm Friday, more than 1,400 incidents were still to be completed. More than 1,000 volunteers had been working to clear the incidents since the onset of severe weather on Wednesday.
NSW SES State Duty Commander, Assistant Commissioner Nicole Hogan said all emergency service partners were working to restore normality for impacted areas.
“We’re aware there’s a number of power outages in the Hunter, Nelson Bay and Central Coast regions,” Assistant Commissioner Hogan said.
“NSW SES is working with partner emergency service organisations, Hunter Water and local government to ensure the continuation of water supply while power is restored.”
The NSW SES has been advised residents in the area have access to food and water, and that the local supermarkets were open in the area.
Assistant Commissioner Hogan said the risk of flash flooding increases with heavy rain continuing to intensify later today and this evening.
“While we are not expecting significant riverine flooding from this rain, we could see quite heavy localised falls, which may lead to flash flooding,” she said.
“Flash flooding can occur very quickly and without warning – if you come across a flooded road you should turn around, find an alternative route or delay your travel. Never drive through flood waters, and if you find yourself trapped call Triple Zero (000).”
Saturday saw teams still attending call outs.
On Saturday morning NSW SES had been responding to severe weather across much of NSW. Overnight the state experienced heavy rain in the Hunter and Mid North Coast regions as well as damaging winds from Nowra to Seal Rocks.
The Metro zone was kept extremely busy with a high volume of incidents all day. The majority of incidents were for fallen trees and damaged properties due to strong winds.
Minor Flooding was expected to impact Orara River, Coffs Coast, Bellinger and Kalang Rivers, Hastings River, Manning and Gloucester Rivers, Myall River, Karuah River, Wollombi Brook, Lower Hunter River, and the Paterson and Williams Rivers.
The Chichester Dam went to Amber Alert overnight, leading to an Emergency Warning for the Ferndale Caravan Park, advising them to evacuate immediately. Residents downstream of Chichester Dam are advised to prepare to evacuate. Meanwhile there remains a watch and act warning in place at Bulahdelah advising people not to enter floodwater.
By 4pm Saturday afternoon, January 18, the NSW SES stated Metropolitan Sydney has been the hardest hit area in NSW, with 4110 incidents since Wednesday evening. The majority of incidents have been for fallen trees, damaged properties and vehicles.
NSW SES Metro Zone Acting Commander Stu Fisher said crews had been working well to clear the incidents.
“During the peak we were recording about six incidents a minute,” he said.
“Our volunteers, along with emergency partners have been working tirelessly to clear those incidents, however they keep piling up.
“We have around 1000 incidents left to get to which we hope to finalise over the weekend.
“Some are taking longer than we’d like as we need wait for fallen powerlines to be isolated before our crews are able to get in and remove the fallen trees.”
Incident totals:
Statewide: 7592
Metro: 4110
North Eastern: 101
North Western: 78
Northern Zone: 2285
South Eastern: 327
Southern Zone: 330
Western Zone: 341
State HQ: 20
Flood rescues: 2 (Bulahdelah)
PLEASE REMEMBER:
- Flash flooding can occur very quickly and without warning – if you come across a flooded road you should turn around, find an alternative route or delay your travel. Never drive, walk or play in flood waters.
- Holiday makers in caravan parks and campsites near rivers, creeks and low lying areas are advised to monitor conditions and be prepared to follow the advice of emergency services.
- Avoid camping near water and under trees as rivers and creeks could rise quickly and without much warning.
- Stay away from fallen trees and powerlines.
- Flash flooding can occur suddenly and without an official warning. Monitor rainfall in your area and avoid travelling during heavy rain.
- Download the Hazards Near Me App or visit ses.nsw.gov.au to stay across the latest warnings and information during storms.
The NSW SES is available to assist communities during bad weather.
For assistance from the NSW SES during floods or storms, call 132 500. For life threatening situations call Triple 000.
NSW SES Warringah / Pittwater Unit volunteers working with NBPAC Officer on Friday January 17. Photo: NSW SES Warringah / Pittwater Unit
NSW SES Warringah / Pittwater Unit volunteers helping others on Saturday January 18, 2025. Photo: NSW SES Warringah / Pittwater Unit
Avalon Beach Storm Swell
Saturday afternoon: 3pm, January 18 2025
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