SES urges patience after NSW storms

NSW storms have left one man dead, and thousands of homes and businesses without power as crews work to clean up the damage.

Roof of apartment building in Moorebank blown off onto neighbouring house and streets. Thursday, Jan 14, 2016.

Roof of apartment building in Moorebank blown off onto neighbouring house and streets. Thursday, Jan 14, 2016. Source: AAP

Storm-affected NSW residents have been urged to remain patient as crews work around the clock to repair damage from heavy rain and wild winds.

The State Emergency Service has fielded about 2800 calls as clean-up efforts continue following storms that battered parts of Sydney and led to fallen power lines and trees, including one that hit a car and killed a man.

More than 10,000 homes and businesses remain without power, and energy company crews are planning on working well into Saturday to resolve the problems.

"We would ask people to stay patient," SES spokesman Phil Campbell said.

SES volunteers were joined by police and fire crews on Friday at the worst-hit suburbs, including Penrith, Mt Druitt and Blacktown in the west, and Bankstown and Moorebank in the southwest.

On Thursday afternoon, one man died and a 60-year-old female driver was critically injured in Emu Plains when a large tree struck a car.

The woman remains in hospital in a stable condition with pelvic and abdominal injuries.

Residents at southwest Sydney unit blocks evacuated and have been unable to return to their homes because of significant damage to roofs, an SES spokesman said.

At Moorebank the roof of a seven-storey apartment block was blown off, while two large trees destroyed the roof of a Mortdale unit block.

A primary school at Sefton was also damaged and will need urgent repairs before school resumes later this month.

The Central Coast also received a battering, with Wyong hardest hit.

Up to 400 SES volunteers spent the night assisting residents affected by the storms.

An Ausgrid spokeswoman says progress on restoring power to affected areas on the Central Coast and in the Hunter regions has been steady, but fallen trees and power lines have led to slow progress in Sydney.

The wet weather band is gradually making its way north, easing the rain in Sydney over the weekend.


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Published 15 January 2016 7:44am
Updated 15 January 2016 5:26pm
Source: AAP


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