Storms cut power to 75,000 in Sydney and western NSW
Wild weather has caused extensive damage across Sydney and western New South Wales, cutting power to 75,000 properties.
Severe storms swept across the state, with heavy rain and strong winds toppling trees and bringing down electricity lines, News.Az reports, citing Australian media.
In Orange, a man in his 20s suffered multiple injuries when a tree fell on his car during what authorities described as a “ferocious” storm just before midday. Emergency services freed him from the vehicle on Lower Lewis Ponds Road, and Ambulance NSW reported he sustained leg, head, and chest injuries.
The storm also caused large tree limbs to smash into resident Kerry Taberner’s garden fence, adding to the widespread damage seen across affected areas.
Ausgrid said 40,000 customers were without power due to the "intense storm cells" moving through Sydney and the Central Coast.
"Hardest-hit areas include Sydney's northern beaches and suburbs, including Erina, Gosford and Mangrove Mountain on the Central Coast," a spokeswoman for Ausgrid said.
"Ausgrid emergency crews are working to restore power when safe to do so, as the heavy rain and high winds continue."
Towns across western NSW, including Orange and Bathurst, are also without electricity with around 35,000 properties affected.
Essential Energy said in a statement that crews were working to repair the network "where safe to do so".
"Due to widespread total fire bans across the state, some areas require additional patrols of the line before power can be restored safely, which can delay restoration times, " the statement said.
The company's website said that, in some areas, the estimated time for power to be restored was later tonight.
The State Emergency Service (SES) said it had received more than 250 calls for assistance within a few hours, with 120 of those in Orange.
It also responded to more than 1,000 incidents so far, with the number expected to grow on Wednesday afternoon as storms tracked north-east.
The storm cell brought gusts of 109 kilometres per hour recorded at the Orange Airport about lunchtime.
SES Deputy Zone Commander Joshua Clarke said the clean-up was going to take several days.
"Quite a ferocious, vicious storm that didn't produce significant amounts of rain as such, but certainly packed a punch in terms of the very strong, damaging winds," Mr Clarke said.
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