Thousands of Riverina homes were without power after a short but intense storm swept through the region on Tuesday afternoon, taking out power lines and even a school roof.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
The severe weather warning issued by the Bureau of Meteorology proved correct as the region was battered by strong winds and rain.
The storm struck Wagga from the south west about 4pm, flooding roads and sending shoppers scurrying.
More than 6000 Essential Energy customers from Kooringal through to Ladysmith, Book Book and Gelston Park were the worst affected in the Wagga area, while another 3600 were without power in the Tumbarumba and Batlow areas.
The roof of a Cootamundra High School building was ripped apart when the savage storm tore through the town around 5.30pm, bringing down trees and power lines.
A double-storey block at the Cootamundra High School is without a roof after it tore apart from the building, landing in pieces across the school grounds.
As trees fell through power lines, dozens of Cootamundra homes were without electricity until it was restored around 9.30pm.
Further across the region, power outages also hit the Barellan and Holbrook areas.
Almost six millimetres of rain fell at the Forest Hill weather office in 30 minutes from 4.15pm and winds reached 43 kilometres an hour.
The storm came on the same day the Murrumbidgee State Emergency Service’s incident controller, Graeme Craig, slammed those who continue to flout road closed signs and enter floodwaters.
A middle-aged woman had to be rescued on Tuesday morning after she ignored two “road closed” signs between North Wagga and Estella and drove into floodwater.
“I’m absolutely livid that people are so selfish not to recognise the risks or ignore the warnings,” Mr Craig said.
“You’re breaking the road rules and the law by going around these warning signs, if you’re seen doing that by police you can be fined.
“It gets worse if you get yourself stuck and call for rescue, a number of flood rescues stem from the stupidity of motorists who then have the hide to ring to get out of it, of course we’ll respond, but it’s purely and fully avoidable.
“This is an incredibly selfish act to take a risk not just with your own life but then the others who come to rescue you.
“The penalty should be stiff and have demerit points attached to it.”
She may yet face charges, police said.
“We cannot have people continually ignoring blatant warnings and putting themselves and emergency services at great risk,” Wagga police’s Darren Brand said.
“While emergency services have to tend to these incidents, a property could be broken into and we'd be under-resourced to respond.