27 July 2020

Fears for bushfire victims as torrential rain lashes coast

| Kim Treasure
Start the conversation
A flooded home at Malua Bay

A flooded home at Malua Bay. Photo: Lucy Cartwright.

With torrential rain and high winds lashing the NSW South Coast, Eurobodalla Mayor Liz Innes is urging anyone living rough after the black summer bushfires to reach out for help.

“My heart goes out to people in these conditions,” Cr Innes said.

“It’s abhorrent to think there are people living in poor circumstances in this weather. We cannot, as a community, sit by and see people, who are doing it tough enough as it is, suffer through these conditions. We need to support these people.

“Please reach out if there’s anything we can possibly do to help.”

Cr Innes is urging anyone needing assistance to call the hotline on 13 77 88.

Meanwhile, Eurobodalla Shire Council is keeping a weather eye on the vital Clyde Mountain link between Canberra and coast.

“There has already been a slip near Pooh Bear’s corner again,” Cr Innes said. “Trees that have been damaged by the fires are now being hit with this torrential rain. We are on tenterhooks as far as trees and rocks coming down – the last thing we need is to be dealing with another major event.”

Earlier today (27 July), the Princes Highway was cut in both directions at East Lynne near Tomboye Rd after a tree came down across the road. A landslide further north near Corks Lane at Milton is affecting southbound traffic and lights are out on the highway near Cranbrook Rd at Batemans Bay. A tree also fell and completely blocked the Princes Highway about five kilometres south of Narooma.

Large sections of Batemans Bay are without power, including 496 customers at South Durras, 95 in Batehaven, 622 at Surf Beach, and 1756 between Malua Bay and Tomakin.

Meanwhile, emergency services have worked to free Catalina property owners who were stuck inside their home after a 30-metre tree took down 60 metres of powerlines and clear a tree that fell on the roof of a Moruya home.

The Batemans Bay SES says there could be delays for people ringing its hotline due to the high volume of jobs coming through. If you have logged a job through 132 500 please be patient as the SES may have to divert to higher priority jobs as well as flood rescues.

The SES is urging motorists and residents to stay safe and stay away from floodwaters and stormwater drains.

The wild weather has also halted COVID-19 testing at Hanging Rock, Batemans Bay. The clinic was set to close at 1:00 pm for the safety of staff and those being tested and is to reopen tomorrow. The clinic at Moruya Hospital is open until 4:30 pm.

Start the conversation

Daily Digest

Do you like to know what’s happening around your region? Every day the About Regional team packages up our most popular stories and sends them straight to your inbox for free. Sign-up now for trusted local news that will never be behind a paywall.

By submitting your email address you are agreeing to Region Group's terms and conditions and privacy policy.