South coast storm: SES response delayed because of Covid restraints

The SES has been stretched thin following a major storm that lashed the South Coast, with the Covid risk preventing volunteers from helping out across the region.

South coast residents’ calls for help have gone unanswered after a storm ripped through the region, bringing roofs off homes and trees down.

Unable to call in help from outside the region, Shoalhaven and Illawarra SES units are working overtime to get through more than 570 calls for assistance.

Flinders residents Greg McKinniery phoned the volunteer service for help on Tuesday night after a neighbours roof blew off, and onto three other properties, including his own.

At 10am on Wednesday, he was still waiting for assistance.

Flinders was badly damaged by a storm on Tuesday night, with some residents waiting hours for help from the SES. Photo: Greg McKinnirey

“I called and went in the queue and they didn’t get back to me,” he said.

“The SES still hasn’t come so I tarped it up the best I can. I’ve never seen anything like this in Flinders.

“We heard ridiculously strong winds - I didn’t think our house would blow away, but the windows were certainly shaking.”

A home in Flinders lost its roof in strong winds, damaging at least three neighbouring properties, as a storm battered the region on Tuesday night. Photo: Sam McKinnirey

However, SES southeast zone commander Matthew Price said the agency was doing the best they could without pulling in resources from Sydney.

“We are working with partner agencies to clear the damage as quickly as possible, being mindful we are not pulling in crews from far outside the area to help because of Covid restrictions,” he said.

“Normally we would pull a huge strike team to pull these jobs over in one day, but we are trying to use people from the same suburbs to manage the Covid risk.”

If lives were in danger, the situation would be different.

“If there was major flooding or a threat to life, I would bring people in from Sydney in a heartbeat to help,” Mr Price said.

Flinders and Albion Park bore the brunt of last night’s storm, with SES crews responding to more than 214 requests for assistance in the area.

At least three homes were severely damaged when a 10 metre section of a Colorbond roof in Flinders blew off in strong winds.

The SES has received more than 500 calls across the Illawarra and South Coast. Photo: Sam McKinnirey

Covid has impacted the number of SES workers available to help with the clean-up. Photo: Greg McKinnirey

“We were inside and we heard this almighty bang, and I thought something blew off my roof or onto the roof, so I went outside and found the neighbours roof across three yard,” Mr McKinniery said.

“It was in my neighbour‘s yard and on top of the roof of my other neighbour.

“I thought I was unscathed and couldn’t see any damage but because I heard the sound I climbed up and climbed underneath the roof and found three basketball size holes in the roof. It was leaking pretty badly.”

In Sanctuary Point, 29 calls for help were recorded and 42 tasks were called in for Kiama Downs.

Mr Price said when SES volunteers were responding to calls for help, they had strict Covid rules to follow.

“Our members won’t be talking to the residents directly because of Covid. We’re minimising contact with all residents to support the public health messages and ongoing pandemic response,” he said.