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NSW weather: children rescued from bus trapped in flood water in Newcastle NSW weather: low-pressure system moves south bringing flash flooding and coastal erosion
(about 3 hours later)
A group of children and their driver have been rescued after a bus became stranded State Emergency Service responds to almost 1,000 calls for help and nine children rescued from bus trapped in flood water in Newcastle
A number of children have been rescued from a bus that became stranded in flood water in Newcastle as severe weather batters the New South Wales coastal region. “Vulnerable” chunks of the Central Coast of New South Wales that have suffered significant erosion could be battered further as a low-pressure system moving down the state’s east coast brings damaging winds, waves, and potential flooding on Monday.
State Emergency Service volunteers rescued nine children and the driver using an inflatable boat on Sunday afternoon, ABC news reports. A severe weather warning for the NSW coast comes after State Emergency Service responded to 981 incidents in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday, with a spokesman telling Guardian Australia that Newcastle and the Central Coast were the site of most of 22 flood rescues.
Emergency workers were called to the bus at the University of Newcastle about 5.30pm. A total of 74mm of rain had been recorded in the area in the two hours before, according to the Bureau of Meteorology. Since Sunday the weather system has triggered flash flooding north of Sydney, with emergency services using an inflatable boat to rescue nine children from a bus that had become stranded in flood water in Newcastle on Sunday about 5.30pm. Newcastle received 145mm of rain in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday.
The SES made eight flood rescues in Newcastle, with people trapped in houses and cars. The organisation said on Sunday afternoon it was experiencing a high volume of calls for help in the city and surrounding areas. As emergency services’ attention shifts further south on Monday, the Bureau of Meteorology believes the powerful surf conditions and winds still expected to remain for the Central Coast could lead to further erosion, potentially causing further havoc for coastal homes near Wamberal that were left on the cusp of collapse after similar weather eroded the coastline just over a week ago.
A severe weather warning was issued for the NSW coast from the southern border to Newcastle on Sunday night. A BOM meteorologist, Grace Legge, said the low-pressure system “may result in hazardous beach conditions with very heavy surf and coastal erosion, especially for south-facing surf zones”.
The BOM warned of heavy rainfall, damaging winds with gusts over 90km/h, and very heavy surf. “This includes the vulnerable Central Coast, which suffered significant erosion last week associated with the recent Tasman low.”
A low pressure system off the Hunter coast was expected to batter the Hunter and Sydney regions overnight, moving south on Monday morning. Legge said hazardous surf conditions were likely to ease from Wednesday as the system pulled away from the coast.
But on Monday authorities expected downed trees and powerlines from the Sydney area down to the Illawarra and south coast, along with winds of up to 90km/h and heavy rainfall.
Ferry services were temporarily suspended in Sydney and winds of up to 60km/h were forecast for later on Monday. Hazardous surf conditions are forecast for beaches and 75mm of rain was recorded in the city in the 24 hours to 9am on Monday.
The BOM warned of heavy rainfall, damaging winds with gusts over 90km/h, and very heavy surf for wide stretches of the NSW coast.
The rain could potentially cause local and minor flooding along coastal rivers from Sydney to Moruya, and in the Snowy River, the bureau warned.The rain could potentially cause local and minor flooding along coastal rivers from Sydney to Moruya, and in the Snowy River, the bureau warned.
– with Australian Associated Press