Residents from Bateau Bay to The Entrance are banding together in a massive clean-up effort following a devastating storm cell which ravaged the area on Saturday afternoon, December 9.
Long Jetty took the brunt of the violent tempest, which also tore through Bateau Bay, Toowoon Bay and The Entrance, wreaking havoc as it uprooted trees, dismantled power lines and ripped roofs off numerous buildings.
The State Emergency Service at Wyong reported receiving an overwhelming 150 calls for assistance as the storm unleashed its fury.
SES Wyong Unit Commander Matt le Clercq described the storm’s impact as severe and unexpected, leaving the community in a state of shock.
“We’ve seen some significant damage – a whole roof from a factory was blown off and went two doors down the street before it hit a house,” he said.
“Fortunately, the resident was not injured, but his home is uninhabitable.
“A number of properties have seen impacts, with 10 persons displaced due to the storms; however, all are being supported with one resident requiring emergency accommodation.”
In just a few of the other instances, the roof of another building went flying through the air to land wrapped around a power pole and trees and roof shearing impacted two units at an aged care home at Long Jetty.
Among the affected is Steven Malliaros, whose terrifying experience epitomises the storm’s sudden and fierce nature.
In what he termed the “scariest moment of my life,” Malliaros recounted how a roof from a nearby mechanic’s shop was hurled onto his house.
The storm’s intensity didn’t end with strong winds and rain.
Hail, swirling in a cyclonic motion, added to the chaos, further damaging properties.
Malliaros, now facing significant damage to his home, expressed gratitude for having insurance but acknowledged the daunting reality of temporary homelessness.
Another resident, Noel Plummer, said that when the storm initially hit for about 10 minutes the rain and wind was torrential and blew open some of the doors at the Bateau Bay Shopping Centre.
“Very quickly there was flooding in the carpark – that was at 3.40pm but the rain and lightning continued all night in that area until at least 11pm with the lightning and thunder being almost continuous,” he said.
Ausgrid, the area’s power supplier, estimated that about 7,000 customers across Long Jetty, Toowoon Bay, Killarney Vale, Berkeley Vale, The Entrance and Bateau Bay were left without power due to the storm with high winds blowing the roofs off buildings and fallen trees bringing down power lines.
Efforts to restore electricity to roughly 800 homes occurred over the weekend and into Monday, but the removal of debris and repair of the damaged power infrastructure could take weeks.
Traffic lights in the area were also blacked out and multiple roads were closed while Ausgrid workers removed debris or repaired damaged power lines.
The path of destruction was intense and indiscriminate, and the severity of the damage varied – however, people in surrounding nearby suburbs reported nothing more than a little bit of thunder, a slight temperature drop or in some areas nothing at all.
Emergency services including the Central Coast VRA Rescue Squad and Ausgrid crews worked tirelessly to ensure safety and initiate repairs.
Their efforts were bolstered by more than a dozen SES teams from surrounding areas, including Gosford, Newcastle, Lake Macquarie, and the Hunter Valley, coming together in a remarkable display of community resilience and support.
Central Coast Council is continuing to support the SES as the lead emergency response agency with Council work crews continuing to assist with traffic management, public infrastructure management, tree assessments and debris and waste removal from public lands.
“Council has also been in contact with relevant support services to assist in housing accommodation for some affected residents and has reached out to our disaster support networks to determine what other support services may be required,” a spokesperson said.
Further details are being circulated via Council’s social media networks.
Affected people should monitor relevant social media such as the Bureau of Meteorology, SES and Council for an relevant updates or warnings and contact the SES on 132 500 for assistance with storm impacts/storm damage.
Contact Council on 02 4306 7900 to report any issues affecting Council infrastructure or assets, including public land.
Sue Murray and David Abrahams
What a time for it too hit most of us lost power for 16 hours and anything I had for my kids ready for Xmas as in food is gone