Thunderstorms caused major damage in Yenda, The Rock and Coleambally. Photos: Murrumbidgee NSW SES.
Severe thunderstorms hit the Riverina over the weekend, with the NSW SES receiving more than 400 requests for assistance.
The thunderstorms, which brought damaging winds, heavy rainfall and small hail, battered the communities of The Rock and Yenda on Saturday (7 December) around 3 pm.
The towns of The Rock, Coleambally and Yenda were left with widespread power outages after suffering significant damage including uprooted trees and torn roofs.
Moderate damage was reported in Griffith and Wagga Wagga.
NSW SES Southern Zone Commander, Chief Superintendent Ben Pickup, said that despite the widespread destruction, there had been no major infrastructure damage or reports of injuries.
“In that line of thunderstorms, we saw some really significant weather events, and across the communities, we saw substantial impacts,” Chief Supt Pickup said on Monday.
“At The Rock, we received 114 requests for assistance, and at Yenda, we received 125 from the community.
“There was extensive tree damage, with trees down on properties. Falling trees also impacted power lines and road networks in those communities.”
SES volunteers assess the thunderstorm aftermath.
Chief Supt Pickup said Griffith had experienced wind gusts of 120 kilometres an hour, while Uranquity recorded gusts of about 91 km/h.
The busiest SES unit in the state was Griffith’s, which responded to more than 70 incidents in the 24 hours to 7 am on Sunday (8 December).
At Yenda, Chief Supt Pickup said 50 SES volunteers were on the ground daily, supported by the RFS, Fire and Rescue, and local councils such as Griffith, Murrumbidgee and Lockhart.
One of the many properties damaged in the weekend storms that wreaked havoc across the Riverina and resulted in more than 400 SES callouts.
He said The Rock had 25 SES volunteers daily, with reinforcements arriving from Wagga, Coolamon and Albury.
“We have crews in the area today from Sutton Forest and Wollongong, and Metro Sydney volunteers are on their way,” he said.
“We’ve also deployed damage assessment teams from the metro area to support the ongoing assessments in these communities.”
Visit your council’s website for cleanup support.
Chief Supt Pickup added that local SES teams aimed to attend to most of the outstanding incidents and complete damage assessments within the next 48 hours.
“The ongoing cleanup will take a bit longer as residents continue to clear debris and address the impacts on their properties,” he said.
“Local governments have information on their websites about tree debris disposal and the options available to their communities.
“Longer-term recovery for damaged properties will take more time, as insurance companies begin their processes.”
The ominous sky that carried the violent storms.
The long-range forecast is for average to drier-than-average conditions through January.
“We’ve seen weather impacts over the last three weeks in particular, and hopefully those continue to ease off,” Chief Supt Pickup said.
“However, with thunderstorms, you can experience them anytime during this peak season, especially when heat and moisture build up in the atmosphere.”
While many community members have stepped in to help their neighbours, Chief Supt Pickup urged locals not to undertake tasks they were not trained to perform.
“It is locals helping locals and we’ve experienced that both at Yenda and The Rock with people doing what they can,” he said.
“Do not undertake any activities that you’re not trained for or you don’t have experience in.
“We definitely value the assistance communities provide to their other community members. I want to make sure it’s done in a safe manner.”
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