The top ten suburbs battered by storms in New South Wales have been revealed by data from the State Emergency Service and insurance providers AAMI.
Homes in Newcastle and Lake Macquarie make up more than half of storm-related damages, according to AAMI, which analysed more than 17,600 weather-related home insurance claims across the state from July 1 2022 to 30 June 2023.
Port Macquarie was the most impacted suburb for damages to homes, with 600 calls to the SES in a year, followed by Dubbo, Forbes, Wahroonga, Orange, Swansea, Bowral, Armidale, Borken Hill and St Ives.
“Our home claims data showed that rain, followed by hail and flood were the most common causes of damage to homes across New South Wales,” Paul Callanan, AAMI’s Head of Home Claims in New South Wales said.
“As a result of these weather events, our customers experienced everything from water ingress, damaged roofs and flooding, and in some cases were displaced from their homes.
“Although some areas of the state, particularly Newcastle, Lake Macquarie and the Central Coast copped a battering, storms by their nature are unpredictable and can happen anywhere and anytime, so it’s vital to not be complacent and prepare your home now.”
The NSW SES responded to over 24,000 calls for help over the past financial year, with the Newcastle and Lake Macquarie regions in the top ten areas with the highest number of storm-related calls.
“Our data indicates Port Macquarie was the suburb with the most storm-related incidents recorded in the last financial year,” NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Sean Kearns said.
“Wahroonga, Swansea, Forbes, Dubbo, Armidale and Bowral were also among the top 10 suburbs for storm-related incidents.
“Many of the incidents reported last financial year were due to leaking rooves, missing roof tiles and trees falling onto homes and cars due to heavy winds and rainfall.”
