Australia’s crazy summer has continued with huge storms lashing Sydney with a tragic fatality as a man hit by a flying gas bottle dies in a freak accident.
The wild storm hit Sydney late last night killing the man, ripping roofs from homes, toppling trees, and again cutting-off power to suburbs only just recovering from last week’s tempest. There were 900 calls to SES for help in the wild storms with a number of Sydney Trains also delayed by fallen trees and powerlines.
The fatality involved a 37-year-old on Harrington Street in The Rocks just before midnight as the gas bottle became airborne and striking him in the head.
Witnesses took the man to a nearby hotel, but his condition deteriorated before he was transferred to St Vincent’s Hospital where he died.
Other parts of Sydney are today assessing damage to trees and powerlines after the fierce storm cell moved through the city at 10.30pm.
Thousands of residents, whose power had just been restored after last week’s wild storms, are again missing power after heavy rain and strong winds battered the city from Richmond, Liverpool, Penrith and Colo Heights with wind gusts of up to 100km/h recorded at Richmond.
The SES is asking those affected to be patient as crews work through more than 900 emergency call-outs this morning. Commuters are also being urged to stay off the roads where possible and monitor Live Traffic for updates on road closures.
Sydney Trains has already warned of flow-on delays on the Western and Northern Line due to fallen trees and powerlines.
In some good news from the storms, last week’s rain brought a massive influx of water into Sydney’s dams, with Warragamba Dam now at more than 80 per cent capacity.
More than 80mm of rain fell into the catchment over the past week. Severe water restrictions throughout Sydney are therefore being reduced with the warnings now down to Level One
