Emergency services help secure a catamaran which came loose in Kiama on Tuesday night with people on board. Photo: NSW SES.
Good morning Illawarriors!
Our region has been spared the worst of the storm over the past 24 hours, with Kiama hit the hardest – it copped 132 mm of rain between 9 am on Tuesday, 1 July and 7 am on Wednesday, 2 July.
Peak wind gusts of 100 km/h were recorded in Kiama.
Kiama has at least 78 power outages, affecting hundred of homes.
At this stage conditions are less severe further north. Albion Park had 100 mm of rain and peak wind gusts of 82 km/h; Bellambi had 92 mm of rain and winds of 78 km/h.
The SES is asking everyone who can to minimise non-essential travel as crews get to work this morning.
In Albion Park, Terry Street at Taylor Road; Taylor Road between the Illawarra Highway and Hamilton Road; Calderwood Road between Taylor Road and Escarpment Drive and the Illawarra Highway between Tongarra Road and the Princes Motorway are closed due to flooding – avoid the area.
There is water over Windang Road at Primbee and motorists are urged to avoid the area if possible.
The traffic lights at Windang are out due to a power failure; please take care on that road this morning.
A large number of homes in Windang are also affected by the power outage, along with dozens of homes in the Albion Park area and about 100 homes around Port Kembla.
Further south at Dunmore, Swamp Road between Browns Road and Jamberoo Road is flooded.
Commuters to Sydney shouldn’t be affected by any road closures, and Transport for NSW say train lines are clear. However, commuters should keep a close eye on their apps for any changes.
Commuters to Nowra or further south are advised to take care on the roads and check the Transport for NSW app for train services and road closures.
The region from Bomaderry to Sussex Inlet has been heavily affected by flooding, with some communities urged to evacuate their homes.
There is water over the Princes Highway at Falls Creek and Bewong; dozens of local roads are also flooded.
Rain and damaging winds are forecast to continue until Thursday, 3 July.
We’ll have updates during the day.
