Sydney storms: 5000 homes left without power as residents come to terms with aftermath
5000 Sydney homes and businesses are still without power as crews struggle to repair the damage caused by Thursday’s deadly storms.
It is estimated more than 10,000 lightning strikes lit up the sky as the freak storm hit parts of Sydney and the Central Coast.
One of the bolts even struck a plane that was parked at Sydney airport.
Many Western Sydney roads were closed as emergency workers rushed with their chainsaws to clear fallen trees and clear dangerous debris.
SES volunteers managed to tackle more than 2000 call outs and electricity crews rushed to unravel tangled power lines that had fallen.
‘The winds were just horrendous, the worst I’ve ever seen,” witness Chris Panayiotou told 7 News.
In the aftermath 70,000 homes were left without power across Sydney.
Locals claimed two storms hit one after the other.
“Then all of a sudden the second storm hit, and that was just a massive belt of power,” John Wegrzyn said.
"So in 30 seconds it just transformed this thing into absolute bedlam.”
Another resident David Bell ran outside to rescue a pot plant when a tree came crashing down on top of him.
Fortunately it missed and hit their verandah first.
Sadly others weren’t as lucky, a tree at Emu Plains tragically crushed a man during the wild weather.
The 60-year-old driver of the car is recovering in hospital with pelvic pain and leg injuries.
Also at Emu Plains a factory wall collapsed due to the strong force of the winds.
The eight workers inside were lucky to escape.
“Just heard a noise, watched the front of the factory go and the wall just let go,” one witness said.
The storm also saw Sydney’s usually overcrowded beaches closed due to risk of wild surf and pollution from stormwater run-off.
The clean up continues.
IMPORTANT LINKS
For guidelines of what to do during a flood, visit: http://www.floodsafe.com.au/simple-things-you-can-do/during-a-flood.
• Members of the public seeking emergency assistance during a flood or storm should call the NSW State Emergency Service on 132 500, or visit their website: www.ses.nsw.gov.au.
• For the latest on road closures, members of the community can visit: www.livetraffic.com or call 132 701 or contact their local councils.
• For weather, wind and marine warnings check the Bureau of Meteorology website: www.bom.gov.au.
