By Bev Jordan
A MONTH OF RAIN FELL IN JUST A FEW HOURS ON TUESDAY WITH BOX HILL, KENTHURST AND GLENORIE THE HARDEST HIT AREAS LOCALLY.
According to the Bureau of Meteorology Box Hill was inundated with 103mm of rain in two days. More than 100 requests for assistance were recorded by The Hills SES on Wednesday with more jobs being reported on Thursday.
Runoff and localised flooding affecting new developments in Box Hill resulting in a high number of calls for sandbagging
Flooding closed several roads across The Hills and Hawkesbury including Blue Gum Rd, Annangrove which had 2m over the road, McClymonts Rd, Marayla with water 3m over road and Cattai Ridge Rd (pictured) which was severely damaged. Flooding also closed Terry Rd at Box Hill, Old Hawkesbury Rd and Wolseley Rd at McGraths Hill and Brennan Dam Rd/Commercial Rd at Vineyard.
The Hills SES had 42 unit members in the field dealing with storm and flood damage, helped by teams from Campbelltown and Kogarah SES units. NSW Rural Fire Service volunteers had teams working to clean up damage in both Glenorie and Box Hill. An additional six SES volunteers were working in incident management and logistics.
Joe Vurchio, Deputy Commander The Hills SES said: “While we cannot control what nature occasionally throws at us, there are some simple things we can do to reduce or even prevent the impact on life and property.
“If you are advised that a storm is on its way, you should park your vehicles under cover and away from trees. To prevent water damage, gutters, downpipes and drains should be checked and cleaned periodically. Blocked gutters and drains are a major cause of damage to internal ceilings, walls, furniture and floor coverings and can be easily prevented.
“If you are driving when flooding occurs, please be safe and never drive through floodwaters. Be aware of driving hazards such as mud, debris, damaged roads and fallen branches or trees. If driving conditions become dangerous, safely pull over away from trees, storm drains, lowlying areas and floodwater.”
If you require assistance for storms or floods, call the SES on 13 25 00 or visit the Facebook page at www.ses.nsw.gov.au for information and updates.
