Australian Storms- Worst Yet To Come
Pastor Dale Morgan
Australian Storms- Worst Yet To Come*
By Michael Cox
June 09, 2007 08:27pm
Article from: AAP
NEWCASTLE and Hunter Valley residents are bracing for more severe
weather after already enduring the brunt of a one-in-30-year storm, with
NSW Premier Morris Iemma warning the situation remains dangerous.
More gale force winds and heavy rain are predicted for the area that is
already struggling with the severity of the previous day's onslaught.
Mr Iemma, who visited the region this afternoon, warned that a second
front and rising flood waters could hit the region tonight.
“There's still a danger that tonight, the flood waters are going to come
raging back,” Mr Iemma said during a visit to the flood-ravaged
Newcastle suburb of Wallsend.
The Premier said the predicted deterioration in the weather had arrived.
“It's now pouring rain and around 10 or 11 o'clock tonight is when the
experts predict the winds and rain will come back - a second front.
“It's a really dangerous situation.”
About 1000 people are being evacuated in the Hunter and central coast
regions, including 400 people from around Maitland and 100 from Singleton.
Five evacuation spots have been established in licensed clubs around the
Hunter region where residents can obtain accommodation, clothing and food.
There have been over 600 requests for assistance from the State
Emergency Service (SES) in the Newcastle and Hunter area alone, Mr Iemma
said.
“The SES at the moment, they are evacuating parts of Maitland and
Singleton and other parts of this region where there is a real danger of
flooding and flash flooding,” he said.
“So these residents are being taken to safety.”
Emergency Services Minister Nathan Rees said there were concerns that
further bad weather could be on the way.
“The advice to me is that this is a one-in-30-year storm for both the
wind and rain combined and it's not finished yet, we've got more
tonight,” Mr Rees said.
“We want people to stay inside, we want people off the roads and in the
safety of their houses, unless they're going to be flood-affected.”
The severe storms have claimed the lives of up to eight people,
including a family of five.
“Unquestionably, this is a tragedy where a number of people have lost
their lives - the two in Clarence Town and the appalling tragedy of the
family at Somersby,” Mr Iemma said.
“There's still people missing, but one imagines that the death toll
would have been a lot higher if not for the bravery of all the full-time
emergency workers as well as the volunteers.”
Mr Iemma praised the work of emergency services personnel.
“They don their gear, whether it's police gear or SES gear, they put
that gear on and they become heroes and that's what I've seen - they're
incredible acts of bravery.”
Mr Iemma yesterday declared a natural disaster in the region, which
triggers assistance for local residents, businesses and councils, but
today ruled out upgrading that to a state of emergency.
“The next step is to declare a state of emergency and the advice from
the police and the SES is that it is not required,” he said.