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FRE
Your independent local newspaper
April 22, 2015
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Ph: 4325 7369
Issue 106
Cyclonic storm causes major damage
Glenrock Pde, Tascott, blocked by a fallen tree
Destruction at Gosford Waterfront Photo: Clint Wasserman
t the time of going to press, State Emergency Services (SES) are working through over 800 calls for assistance across the Gosford and Wyong LGAs with Gosford receiving 121mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on April 21.
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SES spokesperson Heidi Groom said crews have been working to the best of their ability but phones were being overloaded. The majority of calls received have been in relation to fallen trees, power lines down, floodwaters and leaking roofs. Emergency crews are working across the region to clear fallen powerlines and make the network safe after heavy rains and high winds caused significant damage to the electricity network. 180,000 homes and business across the network, and 77,000 on the Central Coast were without power at the time
Coast Community News went to press with Ausgrid responding to 250 hazard jobs on the Coast. Crews are currently focused on making streets safe for the public after receiving more than 2,000 calls about hazards including wires and poles down. Emergency officers will then focus their efforts on repairing storm damage to major power lines and restoring supply to essential services. Damage to local street networks has left tens of thousands of customers without power, however, crews may not be able to
attend to these jobs until April 22. Residents are asked to check on elderly neighbours, and customers who rely on power for medical equipment are strongly urged to check their battery supply and act on their back up plan. People are being encouraged not to leave their homes unless absolutely necessary. A number of Council services have also been affected by the severe weather conditions. Due to power outages and heavy flooding, there have been a number of sewer discharges across
the Local Government Area, and Gosford Council is working hard to rectify the issue. Residents are reminded to stay out of public waterways at all times during this severe weather event. Council’s waste services were also unavailable on April 21. Scheduled waste collections will recommence on Wednesday, April 22, including missed services. In addition, both of council’s landfills, at Woy Woy and Kincumber, are not operating due to power outages. Kincumber, Wyoming and Kariong libraries were closed on April 21 with reduced services at the remaining Gosford City libraries.
The Central Coast and Newcastle train line was also affected on April 21 and was closed between Hamilton and the Hawkesbury River due to fallen trees and power issues. A shuttle train was operating between Hornsby and Hawkesbury River and a limited bus service was running between Hornsby and Gosford. With the wild weather expected to continue at least until April 22 with south-westerly winds of 35 to 55km/h forecast, people are encouraged to delay their journeys. Premier Mike Baird issued a warning on April 21 and urged people in the Central Coast, Hunter, Sydney and Illawara regions o head home from work as soon as they could.
“We are calling for bosses to be flexible, people to make arrangements in an orderly way to start to head home ASAP,” Mr Baird said. Large and powerful surf conditions are expected to be hazardous for coastal activities such as rock fishing, swimming and surfing. Anyone requiring help can ring 132 500, except in emergency situations where people are asked to ring 000.
Office: 120c Erina Street, Gosford Phone: 4325 7369 Fax: 4321 0940 Mail: PO Box 1056, Gosford 2250 E-mail: editorial@centralcoastnews.net Website: www.centralcoastnews.net
Kaitlin Watts, 21 Apr 2015 Website, 21 Apr 2015 Bureau of Meteorology Media release, 21 Apr 2015 Ausgrid Media alert, 21 Apr 2015 Gosford Council Facebook, 21 Apr 2015 NSW Incident Alerts