Brisbane couple Don and Julie Sager, whose 25-year-old son Adam died in 2007 after being exposed to asbestos fibres as a toddler, have since become advocates warning of the dangers of do-it-yourself home renovations without having the proper safety checks done first.
"All the old homes now are due for renovation and everyone's moving into homes and that's the first thing they do is change things, so this is why we need to make sure everyone is aware," Mr Sager said.
Asbestos concerns after Sydney storm as clean-up begins
Energy infrastructure companies have warned Kurnell residents their power may not return for up to two days, as authorities investigate any asbestos risks.
Storm-affected Sydney residents could remain without power for up to 48 hours as authorities investigate any potential asbestos risk.
Savage thunderstorms and a tornado ripped through Sydney's southern and eastern suburbs, producing record gusts of 213km/h and causing major damage to local schools and power plants.
The NSW State Emergency Service responded to 660 jobs across the state on Wednesday and 200 jobs remain outstanding, primarily in the Kurnell area.
Emergency services say they are also concerned about the risk of asbestos exposure in particular.
"Teams are going in to assess damage and look at the way forward in cleaning up there, alongside other agencies," a SES spokeswoman said.
"We have about 50 teams and out-of-area teams coming in from interstate."
Sutherland Shire Mayor Carmelo Pesce said the council had organised contractors to pick up asbestos and remove safety risks.
He said his office had been in touch with the NSW government and with Treasurer and local federal MP Scott Morrison's office, asking for financial assistance.
"We are going to work together. The three governments are going to work together to try to organise something very quickly to help the residents and help the community get together," Mayor Pesce said on the Nine Network.
Energy infrastructure companies have promised residents who lost power they'll work through the day to restore electricity, but said it could take up to two days.
Energy provider Ausgrid says its electricity network in Kurnell suffered extensive damage and the roof of its local substation was ripped off.
Major power lines feeding both the substation and local streets were also damaged.
Around 800 homes and businesses were left without power.
Ausgrid hopes to publish a restoration plan by noon on Thursday, but warned Kurnell residents could be without power for the next 24 to 48 hours.
Ausgrid's Anthony O'Brien told ABC Radio one energy transformer had been restored, but damage to people's homes would delay any return of power.
Energy distributor Endeavour Energy had said it expected to have all repairs completed by Wednesday evening.
Around 120 Endeavour customers were without power on Wednesday afternoon, with 70 customers affected in the Shellharbour area alone.
"Throughout the day, Endeavour Energy crews have worked to repair storm damage which interrupted electricity supply to over 20,000 customers across Western Sydney, the Southern Highlands and the Illawarra and Shoalhaven regions," the company said in Wednesday's statement.
"Endeavour Energy would like to thank all affected customers for their patience as storm repairs have been completed."
The Kurnell area remains restricted to residents and emergency service workers for the time being.
Residents are also being advised to evacuate to Cronulla Leagues Club, and to stay indoors.
The SES isn't expecting a repeat of the weather conditions on Thursday.
