Latest news with #coastalstorm
The Guardian
2 days ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
‘Gives everyone a bit more hope': NSW grateful for wild weather reprieve but many face damage worth thousands
After days of torrential rain and damaging winds, a break in the wild weather has provided a much-needed reprieve for residents of New South Wales. A 'vigorous coastal low' wreaked havoc on Australia's east coast this week, drenching catchments, leaving thousands without power, causing flight cancellations and fuelling dangerous ocean swells with waves as high as 13 metres. As the weather eased, State Emergency Service crews – which had responded to more than 4,000 incidents by Thursday – were assessing the damage and helping people recover. 'Our SES volunteers, who are doing a remarkable job, are out actually helping to repair and make safe roofs and windows and also cutting down trees to make properties and roads accessible to everybody,' said the deputy commissioner Debbie Platz. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email About 3,900 customers remained without power at 2pm on Thursday, according to network operators Ausgrid, Endeavour Energy and Essential Energy, down from a peak of 37,000 on Wednesday. In Burrill Lake on the NSW south coast, Rian Gough was still waiting for the lights to come back on at her cafe, Rosie Oats, after most of the village lost electricity on Tuesday night. 'There is blue sky and the sun is shining, so it kind of gives everyone a bit more hope,' said Gough, who estimated the outage had cost her thousands of dollars in lost income and produce. 'I'm just literally throwing everything into the bin and taking it up to the tip, and hoping that the power comes on today so I can maybe open tomorrow and sell some coffees,' she said. On Thursday afternoon, Long Jetty Family Takeaway on the Central Coast was also waiting for the power to come back on. At the peak of the storm on Tuesday, strong winds tore off part of the roof and the business lost power. 'We can't do anything until the power is back,' said the co-owner Pauline Ureta. As the cleanup continued, the Environment Protection Authority advised people to avoid contact with waterways affected by heavy rain or flooding, particularly where there were signs of pollution such as discoloured water, unusual smells or debris on the surface. 'These events can wash pollutants such as litter, animal waste, green waste and oils into stormwater drains and then into rivers and beaches,' an EPA spokesperson said. 'Community members are encouraged to follow advice from local councils and the Beachwatch website, particularly during the upcoming school holiday period. These updates may include closures of specific waterways due to health and safety concerns.' Sign up to Breaking News Australia Get the most important news as it breaks after newsletter promotion Insurers have received fewer than 1,400 claims, according to a spokesperson for the Insurance Council of Australia, who said the weather event was 'thankfully not as severe as it could have been'. For affected residents and businesses starting the cleanup, the council encouraged people to prioritise safety, document any damage and speak to their insurer. 'Where water damage is evident, a qualified electrician should inspect the property before the electricity can be turned back on. It's also important not to drive cars that have received water damage,' the spokesperson said. Dry and mostly sunny conditions were expected for NSW on Friday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology, although hazardous surf and the potential for riverine flooding would continue. Boaters were urged to keep off the water over coming days, as dangerous swells, strong winds and debris continued to create hazardous conditions. People travelling on the roads or public transport were still advised to check conditions and allow extra travel time, according to Transport for NSW. Wamberal resident Mark Lamont, from the Save Our Sand community group, said the beach was in remarkably good shape – except for the very south end – after the storm dumped massive amounts of sand. 'It's sunny here this morning at Wamberal, people are walking their dogs, and the beach is buff – just full of sand.'
The Independent
3 days ago
- Climate
- The Independent
‘Bomb cyclone' causes flooding, power outages in Australia's east
A powerful coastal storm has caused widespread disruption across eastern Australia, leading to significant flooding, power outages, and transport chaos in NSW. The 'bomb cyclone', described as a vigorous coastal low by the Bureau of Meteorology, intensified with over 150mm of rain and winds up to 125kmph, with warnings for damaging winds and dangerous surf continuing. Key concerns include rising rivers, advice-level flood warnings for areas like Camden and Penrith, and the Warragamba Dam nearing capacity, threatening downstream flooding. Around 30,000 homes and businesses experienced power outages, with nearly 9,000 still without electricity, while Sydney Airport saw 140 flight cancellations and major disruptions to rail and ferry services. Emergency services have responded to nearly 3,400 incidents, including flood rescues, as experts note the increasing frequency of such severe weather events, linked to unusually warm ocean waters.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Climate
- The Guardian
Heavy rain lashes the east coast as vigorous coastal low intensifies off NSW
Destructive winds and heavy rainfall are hitting large swathes of the New South Wales coastline, with some areas already reaching more than 100mm, as a vigorous coastal low continues to intensify offshore. The complex and rapidly deepening system was expected to slowly track southwards, approaching the central NSW coast later on Tuesday before turning and moving offshore into the Tasman Sea on Wednesday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. The NSW State Emergency Service had already deployed vehicles, helicopters and personnel to areas likely to be heavily impacted. Sign up for Guardian Australia's breaking news email A severe weather warning was in place for people in the Mid North Coast, Metropolitan, Northern Tablelands and parts of Northern Rivers, Hunter, Illawarra, South Coast, Central Tablelands and North West Slopes and Plains districts. Weather warnings were issued for Taree, Newcastle, Gosford, Sydney, Wollongong and Port Macquarie The mid north coast region is an area of concern for emergency services because of the soil is still saturated from the May floods. Bureau meteorologist Helen Reid said the wind and rain was likely to increase into the afternoon and overnight. With the rain continuing, some places along the coast could reach over 100mm of rainfall, and 'even a couple that might get up to the 200mm mark', Reid said. By 7.30am on Tuesday, Jervis Bay had recorded 109mm, Currarong 85mm and Williamtown 70mm. Several places in the Northern Rivers had already seen 40mm of rainfall, she said. The bureau was also warning of destructive winds averaging 60 – 70km/h, with peak gusts of up to 125km/h possible. 'Winds could bring down trees or tree limbs, lead to dangerous driving conditions due to crosswinds or debris being thrown across the roads, and lead to power outages and possible damage to cars and property,' Reid said. Conditions were expected to be treacherous on the water from Seal Rocks to Batemans Bay, with the potential for waves up to seven metres, and could cause coastal erosion and possible inundation of low-lying areas along the eastern foreshore. Damaging surf was also forecast for an area of coastline from Forster to Moruya Heads, including parts of Hunter, Metropolitan, Illawarra, South Coast and Mid North Coast Forecast Districts. Conditions could lead to coastal erosion and damage to coastal infrastructure. Widespread heavy rainfall could cause flooding. Although there was some uncertainty over the exact location and timing of the heaviest falls. Catchments likely to be affected included: Wallis Lake, Myall River, Wollombi Brook and Lower Hunter River, Upper Nepean River, Hawkesbury and Lower Nepean Rivers, Upper Coxs River, Colo River, Macdonald River, Northern Sydney, Southern Sydney, Parramatta River, Cooks River, Georges and Woronora Rivers, Illawarra Coast, St Georges Basin and the Snowy River. The SES urged people to be vigilant, and to prepare by tying down any loose items, to avoid them becoming projectiles. 'We are encouraging communities to start preparing their homes,' SES deputy commissioner, Debbie Platz said on Monday. 'It's really critical that you clean your gutters, that you move items that are loose … such as trampolines and outdoor furniture, tie them down or move them to a secure location.' 'Please move any vehicles that you have away from any large trees,' she said. 'On Wednesday, the focus for the rain will shift further south, scattered showers and rain areas will still impact the east coast, between the mid north coast to the Victorian border, but the heavier falls will be focused through the Illawarra and the northern parts of the southern coastal district,' Reid said. – with Australian Associated Press
