Newcastle declared natural disaster area

[cal415]

Well not sure if you guys have heard or seen much about the destruction going on in newcastle tonight, but the storms really caused some damage, I have spent the night driving around the city and surrounding areas checking out the damage, definetly a trip for 4wds only as you will see with the pics with several of the puddles washing over the bonnet of my disco and several areas were to flooded for me to pass. It was quite in errie feeling driving around the streets seeing abandoned cars all over the place, like a scene out of Omega man or something, doors still open lights still on etc areas where the flash flooding had passed through, some areas still flooded with cars floating around, shop fronts destroyed by water flow, trees and power poles blown down, we ever found an ambulance and fire truck both stuck in water and abandoned. It was a crazy sight.... like nothing i have ever seen before and hopefully wont see again..

Heres some pics we took, please forgive the blurry shots, they were taken in a hurry in most cases trying to get the shot and get out of the storm or from a moving car as we traveled through the puddles with no tripod and on a long exposoure

These first shots are taken around King St Mcdonalds, that is an ambulance out in the middle of the intersection, also some shots from the Hunter Water building its under ground carpark completly flooded.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/379.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/380.jpg
this woman was trying to wade down to her shop as the alarm was going off.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/381.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/382.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/383.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/384.jpg
And the same in Hamilton those cars on there side are wedge into a underground opening for a storm water drain.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/385.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/386.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/387.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/388.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/389.jpg
Abandoned cars in Kotara after the water levels had droped
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/390.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/391.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/392.jpg
A shot of the main street in wallsend - the water flowed down the street high enough to destroy shop fronts and strong enought to lift up the pavers from the foot path.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/393.jpg
a few other random shots.
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/394.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/395.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/396.jpg
https://www.aulro.com/afvb/images/imported/2007/06/397.jpg

[DiscoTDI]

:eek: Newcastle isnt having much fun at the moment, I hope everyone is ok

[Maggot4x4]

If I had not seen it I don't think I would have believed it. Great Pics.

I hope everyone around the Newy and Gosford areas are ok

[MickG]

Unbeleivebale.......all this happened last night? I have yet to get to the radio or TV for any news but judging by those pics I would expect to see or hear something on todays news about it:eek:

Hope all are okay down there.

[dobbo]

I temporarily own the cheapest waterfront property on Lake Macquarie and spent half the night towing cars out of water. It only took me 2 trains, 2 buses and some imaginative camel style driving to get home, but my Landy got me there eventually. Tis a bit wet and smells damp on the inside but I'm home where needed with my family. One bloke stripped down to his Jocks, climbed out of the window of his flooded car and wadded to my car to get the snatch strap so I could tow him and his family out. At home we lost a tree at the front but consider ourselves lucky considering what others have to deal with today.

[Pedro_The_Swift]

I bet THAT guy wants to get rid of 4wds,,

nice job dobbo.

[p38arover]

My son is in hospital in Newcastle and has no idea how his place is going. The back yard floods easily and the landlord won't put a drain in to allow the water coming down the rear laneway to go past the garage - it goes into the garage instead.

To make it worse, his cars and bikes don't have comprehensive insurance. The 2004 R1 isn't insured at all as it's currently unregistered.

Ron

[Rovernaut]

la ninya. the drought has broken it seems:o

[cartm58]

your son inherited your luck then Ron it must be a male gene thing then in your family

[p38arover]

your son inherited your luck then Ron it must be a male gene thing then in your family

Poor bugger.

Ron

[Pedro_The_Swift]

Tell him I'll dry out the R1 for him

and , er, make sure its running right,,

:angel:

[p38arover]

Tell him I'll dry out the R1 for him

and , er, make sure its running right,,

:angel:


What about his Vespa and his TDM850 and his two Suzuki GS1100G and his Hillman Hunter and his Hillman Super Minx? :eek:

Ron

[Pedro_The_Swift]

one thing at a time Ron,,,

got to work my way up to the Vespa!:burnrubber::whistling:

[p38arover]

one thing at a time Ron,,,

got to work my way up to the Vespa!:burnrubber::whistling:

You haven't seen it!


http://img144.imageshack.us/img144/7536/ride1fa4.jpg (http://imageshack.us)

Umm it's the black one - in case you were wondering! :D


Ron

[Pedro_The_Swift]

is that a leading link front end??
cool,,

I do prefer my vespa's with lots of mirrors though,:cool:

[cal415]

We only had a fence down and it would have fallen in a slight breeze - very overdue for a new one, my neighbour lost some tiles off his roof, helped him put a tarp over it this morning now the rain has started again....


What suburb is your Son in Ron?

[p38arover]

We only had a fence down and it would have fallen in a slight breeze - very overdue for a new one, my neighbour lost some tiles off his roof, helped him put a tarp over it this morning now the rain has started again....


What suburb is your Son in Ron?

Yes, Lee said it was very windy. He was worried about the roof. He's in Mayfield (actually he is in Mater Mercy :) )

I haven't got up there to see him. I was going to do it this weekend.

I believe the old Pacific Hwy collapsed at Somersby and took some people with it.


Ron

[cal415]

Mayfield survived pretty well, some flooding but nothing like king st, kotara, hamilton and wallsend.

[George130]

You did well to not have much damage.

Dobbo Nice work on the 4WD promotion exercise.

Hope you all get a break soon.

We are haveing great weather today. Clear sky's, No fog, Frost or dew. Even the wind has died down.

[IceFyre]

I just rang Dad and let him know. He grew up in Stockon and has family there still. The Rudders - Fisherman stangely enough ;) My Nan only just moved out of her house she has lived in since getting married and she has just turned Ninety.

[Xtreme]

FYI Williamtown recorded 209mm (8 1/2 inches) rain in last 3 days with 135mm (5 1/2 inches) of that falling in the 24 hrs up until 9am today.

It's no wonder there is a bit of flooding around!

[Bushie]

FYI Williamtown recorded 209mm (8 1/2 inches) rain in last 3 days with 135mm (5 1/2 inches) of that falling in the 24 hrs up until 9am today.

It's no wonder there is a bit of flooding around!

Just spoke to the FIL at San Remo just north of Wyong,

270mm overnight


Martyn

[p38arover]

Just spoke to the FIL at San Remo just north of Wyong,

270mm overnight


Martyn

Maybe I had better ring Dad. He's in San Remo.

Ron

[Bushie]

And for those with long memories, we were experiencing the same over the June long weekend 1991

Heathcote - 270mm 11th June 1991.


Martyn

[101RRS]

My Brother lives next to the lake and last night between 2 and 6 the lake overflowed up to the Pacific Highway at Belmont South - completely flooded his street and yard. Luckily most of the houses have to be built up so most were OK but all the yards are garages flooded. He got to his three cars when the water was up to their sills and was able top move them into his raised garage that only had 6" of water in it.

The poor dogs bed and the dog had to swim for a little while.

At 4 this morning he went for a walk to the end of his street which is at the normal lake shore - water was about 3ft deep when it is normally about 3'lower than the road - he got worried about Bull Sharks when he say some swirls in the water so came back home. He said he could hear all the houses' hot water systems fizzing away as they were shorting out with the salt water.

His new garden will be dead with the salt water but there is plenty of seaweed for fertilizer for his new garden.

While he is OK, his neighbours have lost a lot of stuff - no insurance cause it is counted as flood and no covers that.

Sharks

[cal415]

its all bad, the wind has picked up again tonight, we have had some light rain but still nothing major, hopefully it doesnt get bad again tonight.

[DiscoTDI]

My son is in hospital in Newcastle and has no idea how his place is going. The back yard floods easily and the landlord won't put a drain in to allow the water coming down the rear laneway to go past the garage - it goes into the garage instead.

To make it worse, his cars and bikes don't have comprehensive insurance. The 2004 R1 isn't insured at all as it's currently unregistered.

Ron

Does he have home insurance

[RobHay]

Wha....wha...wha...what the......wha..whats all that stuff the cars are all buried in?:o

[p38arover]

Does he have home insurance

Knowing my son, probably not.

Ron

[DiscoTDI]

Knowing my son, probably not.

Ron


If he does, could be worth a try if its inside the garage