Media Release

Wollongong Windstorm
Oct 9, 2005
Author: Greg Nash

Wollongong City SES Volunteers responded early on Saturday morning to requests for assistance from the public. This was the result of a strong windstorm hitting the Illawarra, mainly affecting the northern suburbs. As the day progressed the wind continued as the day went on, increasing the number of callouts for our volunteers. Over the course of the day Wollongong City SES ended up with 38 requests for assistance from the public. A large number of these were completed by midnight Saturday. The remaining jobs will be completed on Sunday due to poor weather preventing their completion. Most of the callouts involved roof damage caused by the wind and fallen trees on houses and surrounding properties.
“It was an early start for our initial responding teams” commented Acting Local Controller Steve Cliffe, “but as the jobs increased we utilised more crews in order to respond to the needs of our community. Responding to callouts in horrible weather during early hours of the morning demonstrates the commitment levels of our volunteers in which we are proud of.”

The State Emergency Service would like to remind people of some of the precautions that they can take during windstorms:
Keep pets and family inside
Secure all outdoor items, including children’s toys and outdoor furniture
Keep away from fallen trees and power lines
If you suffer damage to your house of property keep away and call your local SES volunteers on 132 500

End
Wollongong City SES Crews will be continuing their response to the community on Sunday morning. We would appreciate your support in their response to the community.
For further information contact:
Greg Nash or Michelle Dwyer – Wollongong City SES Media Team – 4227 1200