Sydney storms - localised flooding
Published: 13th February 2010
Since around 9.30pm on Friday 12 February the NSW Fire Brigades was inundated with 100s of calls for assistance following extensive rain and localised flooding. The first of these Triple Zero calls originated from the northern suburbs of Sydney, particularly the Hornsby area and over the next two hours, calls for assistance extended across a large sector of the metropolitan area, including the Northern beaches, inner Sydney and the Eastern suburbs. Several hundred Fire Rescue Officers from 75 Sydney Fire Stations worked through the night, together with SES volunteers and provided assistance at numerous flooded houses and other buildings. Fire Rescue crews were called to a range of incidents including flooded basements, overflowing drains, leaking roofs and concerns for electrical safety. By 10.30pm on Friday night, 160 Fire Rescue Officers from forty fire stations across Sydney were responded into the northern suburbs alone. At the height of the storm Fire Rescue Officers also attended calls to assist people trapped in cars due to flash flooding on roadways at Hornsby Heights, Galston, Carlingford, North Ryde, Macquarie Park, Manly, North Curl Curl, Dee Why, Alexandria and Ultimo. Just before midnight, Fire Rescue Officers were called to the Bourbon and Beefsteak nightclub and the Swans Club in Darlinghurst Road, Kings Cross when flooding caused the ceilings to collapse on three levels, bringing down power cables and sprinkler pipes. Fortunately no one was injured. The night proved to be one of the busiest storm response nights for the NSW Fire Brigades in many years.