A car floating down a flooded Evans St, Wollongong. Photo: NSW SES Wollongong Unit.
Half-year data from the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) shows the Illawarra has more locations in its top-10 ”storm hotspots” list than any other region in the state.
Woonona ranks fourth, Corrimal seventh, and Figtree eighth on the NSW list, which is topped by Orange.
Wollongong is also ranked third for the “busiest SES units” in NSW, with 316 incidents from January to June, and Nowra ninth with 226 storm-related incidents.
The Wyong SES Unit on the Central Coast led the state in incident responses, tackling 570 storm-related callouts and 448 flood-related jobs.
From January to June, the NSW SES responded to 18,015 jobs, including 12,044 storm incidents and 3796 flood callouts.
NSW SES Acting Deputy Commissioner Nicole Hogan said significant storm activity this year had meant volunteers were actively assisting their communities in both preparation and response efforts.
“Many of the incidents reported in the first six months of this year have been due to leaking roofs, missing roof tiles, and trees falling onto homes and cars due to heavy winds and rainfall,” Deputy Commissioner Hogan said.
Additionally, NSW SES units in Gosford, Wollongong, Sutherland and Ku-ring-gai collectively responded to 1947 incidents related to floods and storms during the same period.
Responses included tasks such as clearing fallen trees, managing home inundations, and addressing property damage caused by severe weather conditions.
With storms more likely between October and March, Deputy Commissioner Hogan said it was important community members prepared their homes and properties now.
“People can prepare for storms by cleaning their gutters, downpipes and drains to prevent water overflow under eaves and into their roofs,” she said.
“Securing loose items around yards and balconies can also prevent damage from strong winds picking up outdoor items such as trampolines and roofing iron.”
AAMI Home Claims executive general manager Alli Smith said her team had also been kept busy so far this year.
“Our insurance claims data backs up what many of us have been feeling – it’s been a very wet start to 2024,” Ms Smith said.
“Our hotspots show we’ve had several significant weather events right across the state, with more than 9000 storm and flood home insurance claims in the first six months.”
She said as a result of this wet weather, customers experienced everything from water ingress into their homes, to damaged roofs, and flooding.
“While storms are a normal part of everyday life, it is important we don’t become complacent,” she said.
“Extreme weather by its very nature is unpredictable, so we encourage homeowners to prepare now to reduce the impact on their home.”
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