Storm ravages Sydney’s northern beaches
Sydney will get heavy rain for the next few days. Photo: Getty
Some homes on Sydney’s northern beaches have been partially washed away in the violent storms that battered the NSW coastline over the weekend.
Up to 10-15 metres of waterfront land washed away at Collaroy overnight as residents return to their homes to assess the damage after being evacuated on Sunday night.
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“Within three hours we had a garden that was just totally destroyed – gone,” a woman told Network Seven as she looked at her home from police tape as the sun rose on Monday.
During Sunday’s storm she described how the east coast low combined with a king tide as the water got “closer and closer” until police told residents to evacuate.
“I never thought it would be this bad,” she said.
A combination of the tide, the storm and the direction of the wind meant the beachside homes were the target.
Residents from seven beachside homes and a unit block were evacuated at about 8pm on Sunday night as eight-metre waves slammed the coast leading to major erosion.
Wild weather sweeps across Sydney’s Elizabeth Bay. Photo: Getty.
An inground swimming pool has been swept on to the beach while several million dollar homes hang precariously on the edge of sand cliffs.
“If you are standing in the garden, you would see cracks coming in. It was just washed out to sea,” a female resident said.
Collaroy Surf Club has been severely damaged by the pounding surf and the nearby Collaroy Beach Club has its second storey balcony collapsing onto the beach.
SES says engineers will assess the properties on Monday.
A Collaroy resident says the beachfront balcony of the Collaroy Beach Club Beach is smashed and half hanging onto the sand.
“It looks like a tsunami has hit,” said Tarek Ibrahim, owner of Sloppy Tee’s Cafe beside the Beach Club, told 2GB on Monday.
“There is debris everywhere. The beachfront that was only completed about three weeks ago is now totally devastated.”
He said the ground under the Beach Club has collapsed.
More damage could be on the way with the Bureau of Meteorology saying the next high tide in Sydney will hit at 9.09am on Monday with another 12 hours later at 9pm.
