By Chris Barrett
A family has been rescued from a car that was struck by a tree during a thunderstorm that left one of Sydney’s most exclusive suburbs submerged in water on Sunday.
The State Emergency Service was called out to about 200 incidents in the greater Sydney region by Sunday night, including to help several people whose cars had become trapped while they drove through floodwaters in Bondi Junction and Double Bay.
An SES spokesman said a tree also fell on multiple vehicles in Woollahra, leaving a family trapped. They were rescued and escaped unharmed.
The storm resulted in flash flooding in Double Bay, where footage captured vehicles ploughing through an overwhelmed New South Head Road, the main thoroughfare, and other parts of the suburb and rainfall inundating the exterior of businesses.
“Swimming in Double Bay,” chef Neil Perry posted on Instagram alongside vision of the overflowing footpath outside his restaurant Margaret.
Channel Nine Today program host Karl Stefanovic also shared a video of the effects of the downpour, which engulfed the street outside Woollahra Library and left water lapping at the entrance of shops.
The SES attend to storm damage at Queen Street, Woollahra.Credit: Jessica Hromas
Marie Linker, a fashion designer whose business L’Elegante is located on New South Head Road, said the rain was heavier than she had ever seen.
“Luckily my shop is a little bit higher and so it’s not getting water inside it. I’ve never seen anything like it,” she said on Facebook.
The storm caused delays on several Sydney rail lines while trains between Central and Strathfield were paused because of flooding on the tracks at Strathfield. Services between the stations resumed just after 6.30pm, but delays were expected for the rest of Sunday night.
There were also some delays to flights in and out of Sydney Airport.
Industrial cleaners in shops in Knox St, Double Bay where shops were hit with flash floods. Credit: Jessica Hromas
The Bureau of Meteorology said there had been 23.8mm of rain in Sydney since 9am.
Sunday’s storm in Sydney caused trees to come down and roof damage to homes. The greatest impact was in the eastern suburbs.
The SES had responded to more than 900 incidents in the state in the past week due to storms before Sunday.
These had mostly been as a result of fallen trees and branches, leaking roofs and requests for sandbagging. Nine flood rescues were carried out on Saturday night including in Sydney, the Northern Rivers, the Illawarra and in western NSW.
Guilfoyle Avenue, in Double Bay, is blocked by fallen tree branches. Credit: Jessica Hromas
Acting Assistant Commissioner Paul McQueen, the NSW SES State Duty Commander, urged people to keep on top of the latest warnings and not to drive through floodwater.
“While all people were safely rescued overnight, it’s a reminder of the dangers posed by taking the risk of driving through floodwater,” he said.
“The message is simple: please never drive, ride, or play in floodwaters. I also want to thank those who do the right thing and turn around to find another way. By doing this, you are saving our volunteers from being put into harm’s way.”
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