‘Trees coming down left right and centre’: Residents reeling after storm ravages NSW

Wild photographs reveal the extensive chaos wrought by severe thunderstorms across much of NSW overnight. Appin and Douglas Park, in Sydney’s southwest, copped the brunt of the damage, with trees brought down, roofs damaged and fences uprooted. Local grandmother Mary Graham told NewsWire she’s “really lucky” her grandkids were unharmed when the ‘cyclone like’ storm decimated her family’s property. About 50 emergency crews from the NSW State Emergency Service (SES), Fire Rescue NSW, Rural Fire Service and NSW Police worked overnight to clear the main access route of Appin Road, which was blocked by fallen trees. After hours of work, the road was reopened about 2am. Photos taken in the southwestern suburb on Friday morning show sodden furniture placed out the front of homes, cars dented by trees and fences flattened by the wild weather. Garry and Mary Graham live next door to their daughter and grandchildren in a property near Dharawal National Park. While all members of the family were unharmed, they have had to write off three cars and will now have to repair extensive damage to their roofs and fences. Mrs Graham was inside the home during the storm’s peak. “It’s one of the scariest things you’ve ever seen,” she said. “There were branches coming down and smashing into different parts of the roof and I had no idea where in the house we should be.” she said. Among the cars lost were those belonging to Mrs Graham and her grandson, both of which were purchased just weeks ago. Her daughter’s car was also damaged when a branch speared through the windscreen. The majority of the family’s animals; horses, goats, and the grandchildren’s prized chickens, remained unharmed, but they did lose eight budgies when a falling tree crushed the aviary. “We’re just lucky all the grandkids are safe, no one would have survived out there with all those trees coming down”, Mrs Graham added. The close-knit family now faces an extensive clean up operation, with family members coming from other regions to assist with removal of trees and replacement of fences. Luckily for the Grahams, their property was insured due to its proximity to fire-prone bush land. “We weren't expecting to use it for this, it was like the cyclones you see in movies,” Mrs Graham said. A further 48 emergency call-outs were made in the state’s west overnight on Thursday, with large trees falling onto homes and roads in Wellington. From Thursday afternoon to Friday morning, the SES was called to 365 incidents across the state, with 123 of them in the Sydney metro zone, and 70 in the southeast. A NSW SES spokesperson said “crews will continue to be active across in and around Appin assisting with clean up efforts.” They also urged people to take care as the stormy weather is set to continue, providing key measures to stay safe. “Looking further ahead, widespread showers are expected during Friday through to Sunday combining with possible thunderstorms.” Residents are encouraged to clean their gutters and trim trees away from buildings, and put away loose items in their yards that could fly away and cause damage in strong winds. A flood watch is also in place for minor to moderate flooding across 12 different catchment areas in the state’s south. A SES spokesperson said “crews will continue to be active across in and around Appin assisting with clean up efforts.”