Thousands still without power from wild Sydney storm with fridges full of food binned

Freak storms that lashed Sydney and killed a beloved grandmother have dealt another cruel blow to thousands of families.

More than 17,000 customers are still without power two days after a freak “mini-tornado” ripped through Sydney’s Northern Beaches, with some residents warned they may need to wait days for it to be restored.

Outages spanning Wingala, Mona Vale and Mount Kuring-Gai are dubbed “complex” by Ausgrid, meaning they will take longer than 12 hours to restore.

Locals remain without power for a second day with some customers being told they could remain in the dark over Christmas, forcing hundreds of families to throw out full fridges and freezers worth of food.

After already 40 hours with no power, thousands of dollars worth of food has been ruined in the fridge.

Some people have fled to stay with extended family while they wait for the power to be turned on.

Locals remain without power for a second day with some customers being told they could remain in the dark over Christmas, forcing hundreds of families to throw out full fridges and freezers worth of food.

Northern Beaches locals have taken to social media, saying they have had to throw out hundreds of dollars in meats and fresh goods.

“Most of Northern Beaches STILL without power post Sunday storm,” Annabelle Bronstein wrote on Twitter.

“Ausgrid not updating, no signs of power before Christmas in some areas. Family stuck in heat, not hot water, fridges of Christmas prep destroyed.”

Others are saying they went all-out this year after suffering in a strict lockdown over Christmas in 2020.

“Still no power, 40 hours now, so with absolutely no idea when the power will be back we’ll be emptying fridge and freezer today and throwing it all away,” another local wrote.

Hundreds of people are having to bin their Christmas feasts.

Another wrote: “Tuesday still no power, there’s no ice to purchase. Everything in mine & others fridge and freezers will be lost.”

Ausgrid said in a statement it expected the majority of customers to have their power restored within the next few days.

But, the extensive damage caused in Dee Why, Collaroy, Naraweena and Wheeler Heights meant those residents may not have power until later in the week.

“It’s a very difficult time of year to be without power, and we apologise for the delays. We are doing everything we can to turn the lights back on as soon as possible,” Ausgrid’s statement read.

“Where we can, we are progressively turning power back on, and as always the safety of our customers and staff remains our number one priority.

After already 40 hours with no power, thousands of dollars worth of food has been ruined in the fridge.

“Given the extensive damage from the storm, some parts of the network are being rebuilt.”

So far, Ausgrid has restored power to 26,800 customers after Sunday‘s storms that caused over 500 hazards.

The company has also brought in contractors and crews from neighbouring network Endeavour Energy to help restore the power for the remaining 17,500 customers.

Beloved grandmother and former AstraZeneca scientist Susan Cobham was fatally struck by a fallen tree which was hit by lightning as the wild “micro-burst” smashed the suburb of Narrabeen.

The 68-year-old had been celebrating at her neighbourhood Christmas gathering at Narrabeen Surf Life Saving Club when the freak five-minute storm erupted.

Thousands of people are still without power from the wild storms that lashed Sydney's north coast on Sunday, with some people warned they may not have power for days. Picture: Ausgrid

Ms Cobham was walking to her car when lightning struck the large pine tree which fell on her.

Two other women including Ms Cobham’s 71-year-old friend and a 19-year-old were also struck by the tree and are both in hospital in serious but stable conditions with spinal injuries.

Ms Cobham’s heartbroken son described his mother as a “beautiful soul”.

“It is with a very heavy heart that I write to advise of my mother Susan’s passing,” Ben Porter said.

“It was an unlucky freak accident and she has left us far too early and will be sorely missed.”

Susan Cobham was fatally struck by a fallen tree which was hit by lightning as a wild “micro-burst” smashed the suburb of Narrabeen. Picture: Facebook

Friends and family of Ms Cobham have flooded social media with tributes, calling her “present and warm”.

One Facebook user described her as “such a wonderful person”.

According to her social media profiles Ms Cobham had previously worked for AstraZeneca Pharmaceuticals.

NSW Police Acting Assistant Commissioner Andrew Holland said the two remaining people were “lucky to be alive” and it “could have been a lot worse”.

“It was a terrible accident … a freak weather event has happened while people were on the beach enjoying themselves as they would on a Sunday afternoon,” Mr Holland told Sunrise.

“A gust of wind hit and unfortunately, it topped one of the large pines and it snapped about a metre above the base.”

Out of nowhere, an insane storm that I dub the Collaroy Tornado. 🤣 Super intense, lasted all of 5 minutes and now the power is out in our street. #northernbeaches#sydneystorm#collaroy#bompic.twitter.com/FvjAJhfpHE

— Emily Clulow (@emilyclue) December 19, 2021

During - note the ‘truncated’ palm #sydneystormpic.twitter.com/4Dsd6yoBaQ

— Damien Smith💉💉 (@DamoSmithMedia) December 19, 2021

The tree collapsed on top of the three victims.

Mr Holland said the strong winds of up to 80km/h had a tragic effect on old trees and would not confirm whether the tree had been hit by lightning.

Clean-up efforts are underway after homes were ripped apart, vehicles smashed and trees were lifted from the ground in the freak weather event.

Footage has emerged of the freak mini-tornado, which lasted just minutes causing trees and powerlines to fall and hundreds of calls to be made to emergency services from 3.30pm Sunday.

Footage shows rain falling sideways and large trees being torn to shreds in the freak five-minute storm.

Videos show the moment the wind and rain smashed Dee Why while scrap metal blows onto parked cars in the street.

Trees can be seen snapping and breaking, with some even ripped from their roots entirely and lifted from the ground.

There has been much devastation in Narrabeen. Picture: Supplied

One family had their car flattened by a falling tree.

An apartment building has been left without a roof after it was ripped off and carried away by the winds, which reached up to 130km/h.

Power lines were ripped from their structures and a trampoline was even blown into the ocean.

A tree fell down at Narrabeen on Sydney’s northern beaches during this afternoon’s storm. My family lives across the road and heard screams. They said at least one person is dead and multiple people were injured. @[e-mail]/HJGVXEu6Vf

— David Lewis (@dlewis89) December 19, 2021

One woman is dead and two are seriously injured after a freak storm swept through Sydney's Northern Beaches. Picture: ABC

NSW Ambulance Inspector Christie Marks on Sunday said the fatal incident was “tragic”.

“These women were simply in the wrong place at the wrong time when this storm hit,” she said.

“As you can imagine the patients had multiple injuries after being hit by falling branches and other debris.”

“We worked to treat them at the scene and get them to hospital for further care.”

She said the strength of the storm is evident in the destruction it caused.

“Given the size of this tree it’s remarkable that there weren’t more people injured.”

I know I’m meant to be off twitter but that’s impossible when we get hit by a mini cyclone #sydneystormpic.twitter.com/sGB8EluZY3

— Helen Davidson (@heldavidson) December 19, 2021

Carolyn Smith shared this photo of the shocking damage near the Narrabeen Sands Hotel. Photo taken from Facebook.

A tree fell onto a car during the wild storm. Picture: Nicole Naunton

Sydney woman Carolyn Smith snapped a photo of trees littering the road outside the Narrabeen Sands Hotel as cars attempt to navigate the hazards.

“This storm hit just as we pulled up at the hotel. No power, heading out for a walk to look for our car mirror,” she wrote on Facebook.

A block of units had its roof torn off during the violent storms.

Lifesavers recover the trampoline from the surf.

The local said there were powerlines across their street and “the house across the road is pretty much destroyed”.

Another house had their balcony rip off. It went back over the house and blocked the street.

In another nearby house, all of the windows were blown in.

An airconditioning unit has blowed off an apartment building on Pittwater road in Narrabeen after a storm ripped through the Northern Beaches. Picture: Damian Shaw

Emergency services crews are at multiple sites across the area from Dee Why to Forestville where trees, roofs and power poles have been ripped out. Picture: ABC

What’s left of the aircon unit on the roof after it was blown onto Pittwater road. Picture: Damian Shaw