Wild weather in NSW damages buildings, isolates residents and cuts power

Australia Broadcast Center

a day ago

A home north of Port Macquarie has been destroyed in this weekend's violent weather across north-east New South Wales.
Tenant Suzanne Siossian is among thousands of people who are counting costs after snow, wind and rain lashed the region.
The 81-year-old said the outside facia board on the Crescent Head house came loose, the roof lifted and the walls collapsed during the storm.
Ms Siossian, who only moved into the rental this week, was lucky to get out in time.
Her neighbour, Amelia Coy, saw the destruction unfold.
"The house is completely ruined," Ms Coy said.
"I've lived here my whole life and I've never seen weather like this before. We've seen some wild storms over the years, but nothing ever like this."
Wild winds ripped the roof off Kempsey High School on Saturday.
Kempsey Shire Mayor Kinnie Ring said scores of students due to sit their HSC trials at the school on Monday would most likely be relocated to other schools in the area.
"All across the shire it's been a really devastating event, and right in the middle of recovery from the May floods," Cr Ring said.
West Kempsey resident Michael Chapman was lying in bed when the roof peeled off his house around midday.
He took refuge at his parents' house, worrying mostly about the impact on his dog.
"The intensity of it was ridiculous," he said.
"Everything is wet, beds, television, everything.
"I'm lost. I really don't know where to go from here, but I suppose we will take it step-by-step."
Armidale's Goldfish Bakery owner Trent Rush said he struggled on Sunday with staff because they were unable to make their way to work through the snow.
He said several businesses in the town were closed today due to power outages and staffing issues.
He said the talk of the town was the amount of chaos caused by the snowy conditions, with the airport shut down and heavy vehicles losing traction on the New England Highway.
Armidale resident Tess Dasey, 68, said it was the most snow she had ever seen in the university town.
"We had a big fall in 1984, but this weekend was bigger," Ms Dasey said.
"We thought it was very pretty on Saturday afternoon, but now we're without electricity like much of New England … our solar panels are covered by 10 centimetres of snow and our battery is dead.
"Our driveway is covered in tree branches and snow, so we can't get out to deal with that."
Member for Parkes Jamie Chaffey, who is based in Gunnedah, was preparing his farm for flooding on Sunday morning.
He said farmers were keeping a close eye on how high the water would go.
"Sometimes a moderate flood can be OK on agricultural land," he said.
"But this time of year, there are a lot of crops, canola and oats and grain crops, so the potential is for significant loss here if it turns into a major flood."
He said his major focus would be ensuring communities in the region were prepared and informed, and supported to recover from any damage.
Member for New England Barnaby Joyce said he was concerned for livestock and local infrastructure.
The Tamworth-based MP said he was not yet in a position to comment on what type of grant assistance could become available.
"Let's just see what happens to pastures, obviously, if there's a complete wipe-out of pastures, then people will need help," he said.
"I think a lot of buildings were not built to bear the weight of snow that was on them, so it will be interesting to see what happens with that."
He said he expected a significant damage bill to repair roads affected by the rain and snow.
"Let's just wait until the snow goes to see what happens next."