Heavy rain causes flooding, damage and blackouts across southern Sydney

CLUB Cronulla has been forced to close for the next two weeks after Friday’s wild weather destroyed the interior of the venue. 

General manager Peter Harper said staff had evacuated the club’s patrons about 10pm on Friday night when water began pouring in.

‘‘The guttering couldn’t hold the enormous amount of water,’’ he said.

‘‘It started coming through the roof.’’

Mr Harper said he didn’t realise how bad the damage was until assessors arrived on Saturday.

‘‘The ceilings have had to come down and the carpet has been pulled up. I was stunned.

‘‘I can’t put a figure on the cost, but it will run into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.’’

Although the club is insured, Mr Harper said all the entertainment, Christmas parties and other functions have had to be cancelled while repairs were being made.

‘‘It’s beyond the club’s control,’’ he said.

‘‘Our priority is making Club Cronulla a safe venue again for our patrons.’’

Monday morning:

St George and Sutherland Shire residents are mopping up the mess after blackouts and flooding damaged homes and business during a wet and windy weekend.

Heavy rain caused widespread flash flooding across the region on Friday night as severe storms moved over the city.

Cronulla had 60mm of rain in 30 minutes, damaging homes, businesses and roads. 

Club Cronulla and The Brass Monkey were among the worst hit, with readers sending in pictures of flooding and part of Club Cronulla’s roof missing. 

A reader Jan, of Miranda, said people were dancing to the sounds of the party band, Bang Shang a Lang,  at Club Cronulla until the lead singer announced there was a safety hazard.

‘‘Water was pouring in through the lights and the ceiling of the dining room collapsed in. Water flooding everywhere,’’ she said.

At the Brass Monkey, performances stopped as the floor was flooded and water pooled on Cronulla streets too.

It was a similar situation at Sans Souci, with 78mm of rain recorded in 24 hours and reports of damaged homes.

The soggy conditions, coupled with lightning, made it difficult night for SES workers.

More than 100 calls for help were made to SES units at Sutherland Shire, Hurstville, Rockdale and Kogarah over the weekend. Sutherland Shire SES had the most requests for assistance, totalling 79, due to flooding and roof damage.

Several suburbs including, Cronulla, Jannali, Sutherland, Kareela and Oyster Bay were affected by a blackout during the lightening storm on Friday night.

Ausgrid said emergency crews worked to restore power to about 1400 homes at Jannali and Sutherland and about 2000 homes at Kareela and Oyster Bay.

Motorists experienced flooding in Taren Point Road, Caringbah; Port Hacking Road, Sylvania, and Bexley Road, Bexley North.

There were delays at Sydney Airport after workers were forced off the tarmac because of the risk of lightning strikes.

Sunday’s temperature was recorded as the coldest day in November in seven years, reaching a top of only 17.6 degrees.

The Bureau of Meteorology is predicting more rain today, with the chance of thunderstorms later tonight.

The rain is not expected to ease until Friday.

Call SES on 132500 for emergency help in floods and storms.

Did you have damage at your home or business? Comment on the story below or email photos to christiner@fairfaxmedia.com.au or smutton@fairfaxmedia.com.au