Laura Williams
01 March 2024, 6:40 AM
Damaging storms saw the SES being called to over 100 incidents yesterday, 29 February, as 90 kilometre an hour winds tore off roofs and brought down trees.
Nyngan, Warren, and Narromine SES were amongst the responding crews, as storms took over the region, and the Western Zone saw 24 call outs.
For the Nyngan Riverside Tourist Park, the cleanup is expected to take days and come with some costs.
“It came out of nowhere. It was like 42 degrees yesterday afternoon, and it came very quickly,” said park manager Emily Stanton.
As well as 50mm of rain, the winds took its toll on the park.
“Our outdoor structure that we built last year got completely squashed by a tree.”
Back at her house, Ms Stanton found even more damage.
“Our pool structure and our chook pen flew away, there was lots of damage to the house as well.”
“We’ve been here for 17 years and haven’t had anything like that come here before,” Ms Stanton said.
The holiday park's year old shed was crushed by falling trees. (NRTP)
At Tottenham, the local pub and cafe incurred significant damage, with brick walls collapsing and the roof blowing off.
With Tottenham Picnic Races kicking off this weekend, the pub confirmed that the storms wouldn’t ruin the fun.
“Contrary to word on the street…we are definitely open!” the Tottenham Hotel said in a statement.
In Coonamble, winds of 96km per hour were recorded, and 91km per hour in Cobar.
Lightning strikes started grassfires near Coonamble and Coonabarabran which were brought under control by Rural Fire Service crews.
NSW SES Senior Manager of State Operations, Chief Superintendent Dallas Burnes said that as cleanup continues, the team is alert for more storms to come across the state.
“We are still in the midst of storm season, which means we are likely to see increased operational activity in the afternoon and evenings.”
“It is important people prepare for storms – simple things like securing loose items around your yard, trimming trees and branches away from properties, and cleaning your gutters."