Severe storms battering Australia's east coast have triggered a destructive landslide on Sydney's northern beaches, damaging three properties and injuring at least one person.
Landslide Hits Isolated Beach Community
Dramatic aerial footage captured on Sunday shows the aftermath at Great Mackerel Beach, where a home sits precariously at the base of a steep slope. Large rocks, thick mud and uprooted trees cascaded down the hillside, stopping just short of the roofline. The isolated community is accessible only by boat, complicating emergency response efforts.
Rain continued to fall across the region into Sunday afternoon, with thunderstorm warnings active around Sydney and Newcastle. The Bureau of Meteorology indicated conditions would start to ease later in the day.
Tragic Fatality and Widespread Flooding
The wild weather system claimed a life on Saturday southwest of Wollongong. A 48-year-old woman died after a large tree branch fell onto her car on the Illawarra Highway near Macquarie Pass. The branch smashed through the windscreen while she was in the driver's seat. A 47-year-old male passenger and two children in the rear were unharmed.
Heavy rainfall lashed the northern beaches and Central Coast, forcing locals and holidaymakers near Narrabeen Lagoon to evacuate on Saturday night. Up to 200mm of rain fell in the 24 hours to 9am on Sunday. Floodwaters inundated streets like Golf Parade in Manly by 7am, with the NSW State Emergency Service (SES) responding to numerous calls for leaky roofs and flooded basements.
Emergency Response and Ongoing Warnings
The NSW SES had at least 1000 volunteers on the ground across Sunday, responding to a surge of weekend call-outs. The busiest units were located across the south coast, Illawarra, Sydney and Hunter regions.
Authorities have issued several ongoing warnings:
- Floodwaters at Narrabeen are expected to take several days to recede.
- Residents in North Richmond, Menangle and Menangle Park were urged to stay informed, with minor flooding predicted from 1pm Sunday.
The severe weather event underscores the powerful impact of the east coast low, causing destruction from coastal landslides to inland flooding and tragic loss of life.
