Hail storm sweeps through western Sydney
Published: 9th December 2007
A severe hailstorm swept through parts of western and north-western Sydney with hailstones as big as cricket balls causing extensive damage to hundreds of homes and vehicles in the Blacktown, Baulkham Hills and Hornsby council areas. The NSWFB has been working with the SES to help residents impacted by the storms with over 60 fire engines deployed to the area daily. A forward command centre and staging area was set up at Blacktown Showground, with fire engines drawn from Sydney, the Illawarra, Blue Mountains, Central Coast and many regional areas. Fire crews carried out tarping and repairs to damaged roofs and door-knocked every house in the effected streets to ensure that all residents were aware of the assistance available to them. Specialist Hazmat fire crews have also been used to deal with dwellings that contain asbestos.