By Anton Rose and Isabella Ross, ABC
Thousands remain without power or have been forced to evacuate due to coastal erosion risks. Photo: ABC News/Romy Gilbert
Several regions across the state are being warned to take shelter and almost 30,000 people are without power after a severe weather system battered parts of New South Wales (NSW), Australia overnight.
The SES has issued warnings for those around Burril Lake, near Ulladulla, to seek shelter after downpours have caused significant rises in waterways there.
About 200 properties are impacted with floods reaching above floor level in homes, NSW SES said.
Others in Sanctuary Point, near Jervis Bay, have been warned to move to higher ground after hazardous flooding has made it unsafe to evacuate.
Evacuate now alerts have also been issued on the Central Coast by the SES after severe coastal erosion in Wamberal and The Entrance.
So far, seven emergency warnings remain in place along the NSW coast.
On Wednesday morning, the centre of the weather system was east of Newcastle, meaning a slight easing of the winds in Sydney and re-intensification on the Hunter coast.
Heavy falls on the South Coast
NSW SES crews have responded to more than 2320 incidents since the start of this event, including floodwater rescues around the South Coast.
The falls topped at 223mm in Ulladulla overnight, with flood rescue crews responding to a series of requests for help in Shoalhaven, making it the heaviest July rain on record, from data up to 1994.
Nowra also saw 156mm between 9am Tuesday to 6am Wednesday (local time) - the heaviest July rain in at least 25 years.
Peak wind gusts from 4am to 6am on Wednesday were recorded, with Sydney Harbour experiencing 102kph and Wattamolla in the south at 130kph.
Port Kembla and Batemans Bay on the South Coast had significant wave heights of around 6 metres.
Power outages
Approximately 30,000 people are still experiencing widespread outages.
Multiple providers are reporting disruptions across their networks from Newcastle to as far south as Batemans Bay on the South Coast.
According to their own figures, Endeavour customers appear to be the most impacted, with 17,000 homes without power.
The SES on scene after a boat with people on it came loose in Kiama overnight. Photo: Supplied: NSW SES
'Delays across the network' says trains chief
Sydney Trains Chief Executive Matt Longland told ABC Radio Sydney there were impacts on the rail network as a result of the wild weather.
"We've seen some really significant damages," he said, noting the Central Coast and Western Sydney were particularly affected.
There is damage to overheard power lines in Dora Creek, with crews sent to the scene to address the matter.
"Those repairs are going to take some time," Mr Longland said, adding it may take days to fully fix.
The Western Line T1 between St Marys and Penrith has also seen damage to overhead wiring, with buses replacing trains between these stations.
As for the Blue Mountains Line, the repairs "are now complete" thanks to the work of crews overnight, Longland said, noting there is a reduced timetable between Lithgow and Penrith.
Another fallen tree incident on the T4 is being investigated currently.
" encourage everyone to please stay safe and avoid any unnecessary travel - there will be delays across the network … we'll keep providing as much information as we can," he said.
Fallen trees and close calls
Overnight, a motorist was taken to hospital after a large tree fell, bringing down high-voltage power lines in Cranebrook.
On arrival at the scene, crews found the the tree lying on the roadway with a damaged vehicle nearby, the driver sustaining minor injuries.
The tree fell onto the front part of the vehicle in Cranebrook, narrowly missing the driver. Photo: ABC News
Another motorist was driving when a tree fell and crushed his truck in the Southern Highlands overnight.
Emergency services responded to the Moss Vale incident, with police, paramedics and the SES working to extract the 55-year-old male driver who was found unconscious.
He was taken to Liverpool Hospital for serious injuries to his head and torso and is now in a stable condition in hospital.
The severe conditions also brought trees down onto power lines and railway tracks at the foot of the Blue Mountains in Lapstone.
Major train delays and power outages occurred following the damage.
- ABC
