Insurance catastrophe declared after NSW, ACT, Victoria storms
The Insurance Council of Australia has declared Monday’s severe thunderstorms which thundered across three states a “catastrophe” after hail, strong winds and rain caused $320 million worth of damage.
NSW
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A severe hailstorm that ravaged Canberra before sweeping across Wollongong, Sydney and Newcastle has been declared a catastrophe, meaning thousands of insurance claims will be processed quickly.
In the ACT, 1900 residents rang the territory’s emergency services agency after the 15-minute storm pelted the capital on Monday while the NSW SES responded to more than 800 calls.
Hundreds of cars and buildings were badly damaged by golf ball sized hail and fallen trees.
The Insurance Council of Australia declared the catastrophe on Tuesday and said 29,000 claims across NSW, the ACT and Victoria had been lodged to insurers.
Losses are estimated at $320 million according to the ICA and two-thirds of damage claims are relating to motor vehicles.
Some 14,000 Ausgrid customers lost power in Sydney after strong winds, lightning and hail struck the Sutherland Shire and northern beaches areas, although fewer than 4000 customers remained without power on Tuesday morning.
The Bureau of Meteorology recorded widespread storm activity last night, with wind gusts reaching 116km/h in Canberra, 90km/h in Bathurst Airport, and 31.2mm of rain fell in 30 minutes at Bendethera on the south coast.
At 3pm on Monday, 4.5-cm hail hit Campbelltown, with the SES attending 23 call-outs for property damage.
“There were leaking and damaged roofs, trees down and power lines down as well,” Ms Pender-Rose said.
“We’ll continue through the day to help as many people as we can.”
A 16-year-old boy was struck by lightning in the Blue Mountains just before 2pm on Monday while a nearby 24-year-old man was also treated. Both were taken to Nepean Hospital in a stable condition.
The pair were hit during a major storm over Echo Point. It is understood they were near a passage known as the Giant Stairway.
The 16-year-old boy received entry and exit wounds from the electrical strike on his arms and feet as well as burns to his torso.
A 24-year-old man was being treated on the mountain for injuries also believed to be from a lightning strike.
A 65-year-old man was also treated for multiple injuries and flown to John Hunter Hospital in a stable condition after a large tree crashed through a glass door at a house in Harrington on the mid-north coast.
Bureau of Meteorology forecaster Gabrielle Woodhouse said fire-affected areas could experience run-off, flash flooding and roadways covered by debris.
“Due to the fire and drought conditions, quite a lot of the vegetation is weakened and this means that trees and trees’ branches are going to be much more likely to come down due to wind gust or a bit of heavy hail,” Ms Woodhouse said.
Downpours have provided relief for parts of drought-stricken NSW in recent days and helped firefighters slow the spread of bushfires and build containment lines ahead of increased fire danger midweek.
A spike in heat is expected for Thursday and Friday.
Wind warnings are in place for the Byron, Coffs, Macquarie and Eden coasts.