NSW storms: wild weather wreaks havoc across state
Searches for missing men off Bondi and Tasmania suspended as coast braces for more giant swells | PICTURES, UPDATES
The deadly winter storm that has hammered eastern Australia has claimed three lives and thousands of homes are under severe threat from flash flooding and freak tides as bad weather wreaks further havoc across NSW and down to Tasmania.
7.45pm:Tasmania search suspended
A search for an elderly man who was swept away by floodwater in Tasmania has been suspended as dangerous conditions also prevent rescuers from looking for a missing woman. Authorities on Monday night suspended the search for a man in his 80s, who was swept away by floodwaters from his Ouse property about 8am.
“Significant resources were used today in an attempt to locate the missing man, but our efforts have been hampered by the conditions and the flood waters,” Tasmania Police Inspector Matthew McCreadie said.
The search will resume at first light on Tuesday.
Flood waters in Latrobe have also prevented emergency services from looking for a woman in her 70s, whose home was inundated by water earlier on Monday morning.
Her husband was rescued from the roof of their property by helicopter.
Police say 107 people have been rescued by helicopter from flood-affected areas.
About 500 volunteers are working with SES and police across Tasmania to help evacuate buildings, rescue people from vehicles stuck in floodwaters and respond to 270 requests for assistance. Several people have been rescued from flooded properties in Latrobe, Ouse, Newstead and the Meander Valley, with more than 100 properties inundated across the state.
A flood watch is current for all Tasmanian river basins after parts of the state were drenched in more than 200 millimetres of rain over the weekend.
There is a major flood warning for seven rivers - Mersey, Forth, Meander, Derwent, North and South Esk rivers, and Macquarie. The Bureau of Meteorology says the heavy rains inundating Tasmania will not ease until Tuesday, and wet weather is forecast for the rest of the week.
The SES is urging residents to be prepared for further rain, stay out of flood waters, and stay away from beaches as swells of up to eight metres are expected along the northeastern coast. Evacuation centres have been set up in Launceston, East Davenport, Deloraine and New Norfolk for affected residents
In light of the floods, Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull has postponed a scheduled campaign stop in Launceston on Tuesday. Premier Will Hodgman says his government will announce flood support measures as soon as possible.
7.30pm:Residents brace for another king tide and big swell
Coastal residents in NSW whose properties were battered by the weekend storms are bracing for more king tides and a large swell which is expected to hit the east coast tonight.
The Bureau of Meteorology says the east coast low was losing strength as it moves off the coast, but a big swell and king tides will raise the risk of flooding and beach erosion in all coastal areas south of Port MacQuarie.
The high tides is expected a 9.20pm and the main threats are expected either side of it. Of particular concern are the suburbs of Collaroy and Narrabeen which were devastated by huge waves over the weekend.
An evacuation order remains in place for residents who were ordered to leave their homes in Collaroy.
6.30pm:Red Bull Cape Fear competition suspended
The Red Bull Cape Fear surf competition has been postponed until tomorrow because of surf conditions, but not before some impressive displays of skill at Cape Solander, on Sydney’s Botany Bay.
The competition format was changed to ensure safety in the current surf conditions. As such, surfers were towed-in and heats ran for 60munites with 4 competitors in each heat. Currently leading the pack is Justen Allport with a score of 15.25, ahead of Russell Bierke and Evan Faulks in second and third places respectively.
You can see video of the competition below.
6.11pm:Bondi search suspended
The search for a swimmer missing in dangerous swells at Sydney’s Bondi Beach has been suspended. Fading light has forced emergency services to call off until first light on Tuesday the search for the man who disappeared into white water.
A witness told AAP the man was standing on rocks close to the swell at south Bondi on Monday.
“He just jumped in when the waves were going out and when the waves came in again he went under and couldn’t keep up,” he said. “Then he just disappeared.” The Westpac rescue helicopter was called in, two surf lifesavers searched the area on a jet ski while a police helicopter, rescue crews and ambulance were also at the scene.
3.51pm: Search continues at Bondi
Westpac and police search and rescue helicopters are scouring the ocean looking for a man believed to have been swept from south Bondi as a huge swell pounds the rocks. Life guards on jet skis are also patrolling the stretch of coastline near Tamarama with police and ambulance vehicles on standby. The famous Icebergs pool has been reduced to a foaming brown mess and the ever busy coastal walkway has been sealed off.
Witnesses said they saw a man “wearing board shorts” sitting in an off-limits area that had been roped off owing to danger from the heavy surf.
He reportedly jumped in to the swirling sea and was carried away and hasn’t been seen since.
3.40pm:Tasmania inundated
An elderly woman missing after her home in Latrobe, near Devonport, was flooded. Her husband was rescued by helicopter through the roof.
* A man in his 80s reportedly swept away by floodwaters near Ouse in the central highlands.
RESCUED: More than a dozen people in Latrobe and surrounds evacuated by boat, including a family of three rescued from the roof of their car
HOMES AND BUSINESSES: Newstead, an inner suburb in Launceston, evacuated.
Evacuation centres open in Devonport, Launceston, Wynyard and Deloraine.
3500 homes without power * Significant livestock losses at dairy farms along the Mersey river
3.27pm:Damage claims near $40m
The Insurance Council of Australia estimates more than 11,150 claims have been received across NSW and Queensland. Read the full story here.
3.07pm:Bondi rescue
#RESCUE: A person has just been swept off rocks at Bondi, near the Icebergs. Lifesaver 21 and @bondilifeguards enroute. More to come
— Westpac Life Saver (@Lifesaverhelo) June 6, 2016
A swimmer has gone missing in dangerous swells at Sydney’s Bondi Beach.
A witness told AAP on Monday afternoon the man was standing on rocks at the southern end of the beach.
“He just jumped in when the waves were going out and when the waves came in again he went under and couldn’t keep up,” he said. “Then he just disappeared.” The Westpac Rescue Helicopter is at the scene and two surf lifesavers are searching on a jet ski.
A large number of people who witnessed the man’s disappearance are also gathered.
2.30pm:Three bodies recovered
Police divers uncovered men who died in their cars in Bowral and Leppington, in Sydney’s southwest, and a man was swept away by floodwaters in Canberra as carnage from record rainfalls, which topped more than 500mm in 24 hours in some parts of the state.
Police have confirmed the body of a 65-year-old man was found on Monday in a vehicle in Mittagong Creek near Bowral after he was reported missing on Sunday.
The body of a 37-year-old man has been found in Canberra’s Cotter Dam after a vehicle was discovered near the river crossing yesterday afternoon.
ACT Policing said it is investigating the circumstances surrounding the incident.
“A joint rescue effort was conducted involving Water Police, ACT State Emergency Services Agency, ACT Ambulance Service and ACT Fire & Rescue,” the authorities say in a statement.
“Due to the severe weather conditions, fast-rising and moving water, the man was unable to be rescued. Police are urging the public to avoid flood prone roads and areas. Motorists are also strongly urged to obey all road safety warnings.”
In Tasmania, police hold grave concerns for two elderly people missing as heavy rain drenches the island state. Search and rescue specialists are searching in Ouse after reports a man in his 80s may have been swept away by flood waters. Another elderly man was rescued from his Latrobe home earlier on Monday morning by helicopter as water inundated his home but his wife is missing.
Meteorologists have warned of another night of devastation along the east coast of NSW from peak tides that are feeding rain-swollen rivers.
Some of Sydney’s most famous beaches have been swamped by the record swells. Manly beach was swallowed by last night’s peak tide before it receded this morning. At Coogee, the surf lifesaving club house was battered by seven metre waves leaving its foundations badly damaged.
Severe weather warnings have also been issued for Victoria, including parts of Gippsland and in Adelaide as the storm cell heads for Tasmania.
Heavy rain continues to fall along the south coast after travelling from Sydney, leaving beaches blanketed in debris and clifftop homes on the brink of sliding into the ocean.
A 69-year-old man’s body was found trapped in a car at 8.30am near the Mittagong Creek at Bowral and another recovered from a car in Leppington after emergency services workers rescued dozens more people from stranded cars.
Power is out for more than 15000 people, Ausgrid and Endeveour said after police
In Narrabeen, 700 people were evacuated overnight as river waters peaked and emergency workers and engineers were this morning assessing damage to clifftop homes at Collaroy which are at threat from further high tides tonight.
Up to 15 metres of land was lost from the land in front of multi-million dollar homes at Collaroy, sending a swimming pool toppling and opening sink holes that swallowed the back gardens.
Weather forecasters warned coastal towns to brace for worse between 6pm and midnight.
Katarina Kovacevic, a forecaster at the Bureau of Meteorology said: “Heavy surf which may lead to localised damage and coastal erosion particularly on southern parts of the coast.”
“Abnormally high tides are likely to enhance the risk of flooding, beach erosion and coastal inundation in areas south of port Macquarie tonight.”
As the low-pressure system moves south, another 100mm of rain is expected to hit southern parts of the coast throughout Monday before moving down towards Tasmania.
The Bureau of Meteorology cancelled yesterday’s severe weather warning early this morning, saying the immediate threat of damaging winds and heavy rain had passed but the situation will continue to be monitored as the clean-up continues.
Residents in Sydney and northern NSW woke this morning to find extensive damage throughout metropolitan and coastal areas. The northern beaches were particularly hammered by wind and rain yesterday, causing erosion and damage to waterfront properties.
Properties sitting on beachfront at Collaroy copped the brunt of the high tide last night, with incoming waves completely dislodging a swimming pool and creating sink holes that swallowed the back gardens of some houses.
Zaza Silk watched on in horror yesterday as her pool and garden collapsed into the ocean
“There’s no garden now, where do we go? I have a dog, where is it going to go?” Ms Silk told Sunrise this morning.
Collaroy’s Beach Club has been gutted, with strong swells battering the front of the building and flooding the interior. Dee Why Surf Life Saving Club was also heavily damaged.
Collaroy Beach 7.30am #@702sydney @abcnews @abcnewsSydney #EastCoastLow pic.twitter.com/0zsM1XaqjX
— Amanda Hoh (@amandahoh) June 5, 2016
Some beachside Collaroy residents watched as power poles, bins and furniture were sucked into the ocean by unrelenting surf.
Thanks to all the volunteers that helped tidy up the surf club last night. #EastCoastLow #slsnsw #deewhybeach pic.twitter.com/gIHveunpqZ
— Dee Why SLSC (@dyslsc) June 5, 2016
The Bureau of Meteorology said water levels exceeded the highest tide of the year last night at 8.30pm, after 70 to 90mm of rain fell across Sydney on Sunday, and winds reached over 100km/h.
Many residents were left without power well into last night, forcing Ausgrid to send extra crews from Newcastle down to Sydney’s north and northern beaches to assist by re-standing power poles and reconnect high voltage wires. Emergency crews restored power to 18,000 homes and businesses overnight but are still working to reconnect the remaining 8000 customers still without power.
At the peak of the storm yesterday over 20 areas were issued with flood warnings, with SES crews doorknocking low-lying residences and urging people to leave their homes. More than 550 properties have been evacuated, with around 333 people registering and receiving assistance at nine evacuation centres across NSW.
Yesterday, the SES estimates it was doing a flood rescue every five minutes.
Acting SES Commissioner Greg Newton said at the height of the wild weather, the major problem was homes being flooded.
“We have got quite a bit of work to do in towns like Picton where there was about a metre of water through that town just on dusk yesterday where we had the high number of flood rescues,” he told the Seven Network on Monday.
Commissioner Newton also warned that transport routes across the state are likely to be affected today. All ferry services are likely to be suspended, and localised train and bus disruptions are likely.
Schools including Narrabeen Lakes Public School and Richmond River High Campus are closed due to damage, and parents have been encouraged to keep children who attend Cromer Public School, Marrickville High School, Albion Park Public School, Kiera High School and Kemblawarra Public School at home.
The Nepean and Hawkesbury rivers in outer Sydney remain on flood watch.
The Disaster Welfare Assistance line on 1800 018 444 opened this morning at 8:30am to provide information and assistance to individuals impacted by the event who are unable to attend an evacuation centre.
Additional reporting: Rosie Lewis, AAP
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