Illawarra residents have been left devastated, with their homes and possessions inundated and covered in thick, sticky mud after creeks broke their banks and became raging flood waters in the deluge that hit early on Saturday morning.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
Parts of the region have received more than twice the average April rainfall in less than 24 hours - with all weather monitoring stations across the region topping 200mm.
More than 100mm of that rain - more than the April average of 98mm - fell in between five and 6am.
That hour became a terrifying nightmare for Gary and Bronwyn Hart, in Lachlan Street at Thirroul, who were woken by their neighbours warning them to get out.
"It's just after five o'clock and everybody's in bed and we got a knock on the door from our next door neighbor saying that the creek had burst its banks and flooded," Mr Hart said.
"We woke up and tried to get as much stuff as possible together in the pitch black.
"But then, I don't know whether was rocks or the pressure of the water, but the whole front of the house, the wall was just gone and everything came through the house.
"There's mud everywhere, and we've got glass sliding doors at the back of the house and all the furniture got pushed by the water and the mud against that back door. It built up and built up and shattered.
"The whole inside of the house is just gone. We couldn't get out back or front, the water was all around you."
Watching the water rage through their home, Mrs Hart got caught in the force of it and was knocked over.
"She fell over and I was trying to hang on and pick her up, and she almost got washed away," Mr Hart said.
"It's just scary."
After flooding hit the area two years ago, Mr and Mrs Hart were not insured.
"I don't know what to do next," he said.
"I'm devastated. The rain has stopped now. But everything is underwater, or under mud - it's like silt from the creek, so thick. If you don't laugh you'll cry."
Hundreds of call outs
The Harts are far from the only residents in Lachlan Street and surrounds to face flood damage, and elsewhere in the region the rain caused multiple evacuations and damage.
In the past 24 hours, the SES has been called to over 320 incidents in the Illawarra and there have been more than 60 flood rescues in the South Eastern zones, with most of those in the Illawarra.
More than 100 of the callouts were storm jobs, involving leaking roofs, trees down and sandbagging.
The SES said jobs peaked between 5am, when the storm hit, and 8am.
Cabin washed away at Mount Keira
At Mount Keira, a cabin washed down the road near Koloona Avenue and into a creek with two people inside.
The SES said the occupants were conveyed to hospital by NSW Ambulance.
A witness told ABC that she saw a couple of people come out of the cabin and into the water as it washed past her.
"They were a bit shaken up, but they're ok - just a couple of scratches on their legs," the woman said.
Rainfall totals from 9am Friday - 9am Saturday
- Dombarton 250mm
- Mount Pleasant 240mm
- Macquarie Pass 239mm
- Russell Vale Colliery 230mm
- Darkes Forest 229mm
- Rixons Pass 211mm
- Mount Kembla 206mm
- Huntley Colliery 204mm
- Bellambi 195mm
- Wongawilli 188mm
- Cringila 158mm
- Port Kembla 136mm
- Warilla 102mm
- Kiama 97mm
Fire and Rescue NSW were called to a landslide at Lawrence Hargrave Drive at 6am, which has blocked off the road.
Motorists on the M1 at Mount Ousley were seen leaving their cars in the middle of the freeway as floodwaters covered the road.
Chris Leudais was driving in the area and said there was lots of flooding, with the road at the bottom of Mount Ousley covered with water up to some cars' bonnets.
"People abandoned their cars and walked back," he said.
"Some of us that weren't too deep turned around and went [the wrong way] back up [the university northbound] on ramp."
In North Wollongong, residents on Achilles St were evacuated about 5.30am by the SES, who has also blocked off the highway near Dan Murphy's.
Cars washed away by the torrents of water piled on top of each other on Exeter Avenue.
Shop owners also woke up to the damage: At Lili J Cafe in south Wollongong - a notorious flood prone area - the owners announced that they would not be able to open.
"Sorry guys, we are currently under water so we will be closed today, hope you all stay safe and fingers crossed we see you tomorrow," the cafe owners said.
Leuh Bullough from Cuddlecubs in Corrimal Street was also affected, and had to evacuate as the water covered her property.
Creeks from north to south broke their banks, with a torrent of water sending cars floating down roads pre-dawn in Woonona, Wollongong and Albion Park.
Slippery mud covered the asphalt afterwards, and as the sun came out by 9am over the Illawarra's beaches, the water of the coast churned brown and piles of furniture, rubbish, trees and debris covered the sand.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
