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A severe storm that began on 7 June brought heavy rains and strong gale forced winds that caused widespread flooding and damage to the Central Coast (Wyong and Gosford), Hunter (Newcastle) and Sydney metropolitan areas. A natural disaster was declared on 8 June for the local government areas of Liverpool Plains, Upper Hunter, Gloucester, Dungog, Singleton, Muswellbrook, Maitland, Lake Macquarie, Wyong, Port Stephens, Newcastle, Gosford and Cessnock. On 14 June, the declaration was extended to include the local government areas of Great Lakes, Greater Taree, Hawkesbury, Mid-Western Regional, Warrumbungle and Gilgandra. The region was struck by two more severe weather events in the following two weeks causing further flooding and damage. The NSW SES undertook 19951 tasks over an 18 day period, including responding to fallen trees, structural damage, leaking roofs and flood related requests for assistance. More than 3000 NSW SES volunteers responded to the event. Interstate assistance was provided by SES volunteers from Victoria, Queensland, South Australia and the Australian Capital Territory. Additional support was provided by the Rural Fire Service, NSW Fire Brigades, Volunteer Rescue Association, National Park teams and other agencies. There were numerous complex jobs that required specialist equipment, including cranes and cherry pickers, and coordination with multiple resources and energy utilities. Flood waters resulted in thousands of residents being evacuated, including residents in Lorn and approximately 6000 in Maitland. Some evacuations required the use of helicopters or SES floodboats. SES crews undertook resupply operations, including livestock fodder, for flood isolated areas. Evacuation centres were established in many locations including Maitland, Singleton, Waratah West, Lake Macquarie, North Wyong, Morisset, and The Entrance. The Department of Community Services’ coordinated the immediate welfare assistance with support from volunteers and non-government agencies such as the Salvation Army, St Vincent de Paul, Anglicare, Red Cross and Adventist Disaster Relief Agency. SES volunteers door knocked residences to distribute around 3,000 recovery information leaflets. A State Disaster Recovery Hotline and a Public Information Enquiry Line were established to facilitate information flow. A number of people died as a result of the storms. On 8 June, a 45 year old man died when he fell into a stormwater drain after stepping out of a car at Lambton. A family of four and their nephew died when a section of the Old Pacific Highway at Somersby collapsed under their car. The car fell 40m down the chasm and was swept away in flood waters.
A couple from Clarence Town died when their car was swept off a bridge. On 9 June a 29 year old man died when a tree fell on his vehicle at Brunkerville west of Newcastle. A 29 man from Avalon died in a house fire, possibly caused by a candle lit after power cuts in the area. Infrastructure was severely impacted in the storm event. Roads were closed, power and gas supplies disrupted and rail lines were damaged. Eighty two public schools and three TAFE campuses were closed. The Cremorne Wharf collapsed into Sydney Harbour and ferry services were cancelled due to rough seas. A bulk coal carrier ran aground at Nobby’s Beach in Newcastle as a result of gale force winds and rough seas. The 22 crew members were airlifted to safety. The Newcastle Port Corporation established an incident response centre and activated emergency management plans including environmental protection and salvage operations. The Prime Minister and NSW Premier agreed to establish additional financial assistance measures to assist communities, businesses and primary producers affected by the floods. The NSW SES officially ended the June 2007 Storm Response Operation on the evening of 24 June 2007. |
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