Take care, prepare your home, never drive through floodwater and monitor conditions; these are the top items on the NSW State Emergency Service’s (SES) Christmas wishlist, with severe weather forecast during the festive season.
The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting widespread severe weather to impact the north east and southern parts of the state from Sunday, forecasting heavy rainfall, strong winds, hail and possible supercells.
From Christmas Eve (Sunday) to Boxing Day (Tuesday) a deepening inland trough has the potential to bring heavy rainfall which may lead to flash flooding in parts of the Illawarra, South Coast, Northern Rivers, Mid-North Coast and Metropolitan Sydney.
NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Deb Platz urged the community to prepare their homes and not take a risk should flash flooding occur.
“We’re expecting 50 to 100 millimetres rainfall in parts of the state from Sunday, and we are concerned about the potential for flash flooding and storm damage,” Deputy Commissioner Platz said.
“The most important thing the community can do is to avoid traveling through flood waters. You don’t know what debris or damage to the road could be below the surface.
“People can also prepare by trimming trees around your property, securing loose items in your yards, moving your cars under cover and cleaning your gutters will help minimise the impacts of strong winds and significant rain.”
Deputy Commissioner Platz said NSW SES crews were ready to respond to any calls for assistance during the Christmas period.
“Our dedicated volunteers are ready to assist their communities during the forecast weather events, should people need help with storm damage or flooding,” she said.
“We are continuing to monitor the conditions, and are prepared to preposition assets and personnel should it be required.”
To stay up to date with current warnings, monitor Hazards Near Me, the Bureau of Meteorology and the NSW SES social media pages.
