NSW SES continues to plan for predicted Severe Thunderstorms

17/12/2018 05:58 AM

Communities of NSW have been impacted by severe thunderstorms since Thursday 13 December.

Afternoon and evening severe thunderstorms have impacted the east coast of NSW, bringing heavy rainfall and impacting communities in the Greater Sydney Area and parts of southern NSW.

The majority of storm damage across these areas relates to trees down and roof damage. NSW SES continues to plan for predicted Severe Thunderstorms over the next 24 – 48 hours.

Since the start of this weather event (Thurs 13) the NSW SES received over 3955 jobs, this morning we still have over 1300 outstanding jobs. We have 124 storm damage teams currently active across the state, with an additional 450 personnel deployed (including RFS and FRNSW).

In the Parramatta area there are still a number of power lines down with areas still without power. Some major roads are still closed and primary focus is to restore access to major roads and access to property by clearing trees and restoring power lines.

The locations with the greatest impacts include:

The Hills 779
Hornsby 570
Parramatta 394
Campbelltown 315
Heathcote 205 jobs
Blacktown 100

Significant issues

Approximately 20,000 homes across Greater Sydney remain without power and electricity providers advise that some home could be without power for 3 to 4 days.

Mangrove Mountain pumping station is currently offline.

In the Greater Sydney area some main roads are closed due to live powerlines down. This is impacting NSW SES response to access affected areas.

Weather forecast

Storms are expected to continue into the evening in the Eastern part of NSW and South Coast. There is risk of flash flooding in the Grafton and Coffs Harbour area due to heavy rainfall.

A Minor Flood Warning has been issued for the Bellinger River and is expected to peak this evening, residents of low lying areas near the river should keep an active watch on the flood waters as evacuation routes from Darkwood may become impassable.

Also a Minor Flood Warning has been issued for the Orara River at Glenreagh and Coutts Crossing Monday morning.

NSW SES continues to receive calls from the community requesting assistance, these calls are expected to continue for the next 24 hours. We thank you for your patience as our crews work hard to clear the backlog of requests as soon as possible.

View all current weather warnings and river heights at the Bureau website: http://bom.gov.au/nsw/warnings/

For your safety

If you come across fallen powerlines, please ensure you stay 8 meters away. Local energy companies are still working on restoring power and making areas safe again.

For information on power outages in specific areas see:

Information you need before you call the NSW SES

If you require emergency flood and storm assistance call the NSW SES on 132 500 or 000 if it is a life-threatening emergency.

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