More Heavy Rain, Floods on the way for Australia
Pastor Dale Morgan
*More Heavy Rain, Floods on the way for Australia*
By Karen Davis and Danny Rose
June 13, 2007 07:11pm
Article from: AAP
MORE wet and windy weather is expected to hit parts of New South Wales
still reeling from the long-weekend's violent storms, with the damage
bill today rising to a quarter of a billion dollars.
The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) is monitoring a new weather system
developing off the south coast of NSW, but said it was not likely to
pose major problems for areas of the state already devastated by four
days of storms and resultant flooding.
The new system is expected to move up the coast to Sydney and into the
Hunter region on Friday and Saturday – bringing rain, wind and
thunderstorms.
"The rain will be more confined to the coast, which negates any main
river flooding," a BoM spokesman said.
"There could be rises in local creeks and tributaries.
"Because the ground is so wet, rain could run off pretty quickly."
The State Emergency Service said it was in close touch with the weather
bureau and was watching the situation carefully.
The insurance bill following the long-weekend of damaging weather is
rising, although the Insurance Council of Australia said claims so far
totalled about a quarter of the $1 billion figure being reported today.
The council said insurers had received 22,000 claims to date, which
totalled about $250 million.
"That will probably continue to increase over the next 24 to 48 hours,
by what level we're not too sure of yet," Council spokesman Paul Giles said.
He said the costs would be higher if factoring in damage to roads and
other public infrastructure.
The massive clean-up operation continued today in the wake of the storms
which claimed nine lives and left a trail of destruction in the Hunter
region, on the Central Coast and in parts of Sydney.
NSW Attorney General John Hatzistergos said 28 minimum security
prisoners from Cessnock and St Heliers correctional centres today joined
the efforts in Singleton, cleaning up local parks, toilet blocks, sports
canteens and pavilions.
About 8500 Central Coast customers and 3500 more in the Hunter region
remain without power and EnergyAustralia is warning restoring service
will be slow as crews negotiate flooded areas to replace downed power poles.
The Roads and Traffic Authority (RTA) is also checking the Old Pacific
Highway near Gosford after police closed another section of the road
near the site of a collapse that killed five members of the same family
on Friday.
RTA spokesman Adam Berry said the RTA had checked state-controlled roads
and had offered to help councils audit the roads for which they were
responsible – including the Old Pacific Highway.