Strongest winds on record claim two lives

By Mark Scala and Letitia Rowlands

Two schoolgirls were crushed to death by a falling tree yesterday as the strongest winds on record ripped across Sydney.

It took just seven minutes for the city's 35ºC temperatures to be blotted out by the thunderstorm with winds of more than 175km/h, golf ball sized hail and heavy rain.

The storm downed powerlines, snapped trees in two and ripped roofs off buildings as it cut a path across the city between 12.30pm and 2.30pm.

Parts of Sydney, including Capbelltown, Hornsby, Warringah and Ku-ringgai, were last night declared natural disaster areas.

Traffic and public transport were thrown into chaos after electricity to more than 75 suburbs between Wollongong and the central coast was cut.

Roads including Camden Valley Way, The Horsley Drive, Bells Line Of Road and the Pacific Highway were blocked by fallen trees and powerlines.

The northern suburbs were the worst hit with the State Emergency Services taking more than 800 calls for help.

The two teenage girls, from the private William Clarke College in Kellyville, died about 2pm when a tree crushed the tent they were sheltering in at Galston.

The 15 year olds were on a Duke of Edinburgh camp with 40 classmates at Crosslands Reserve when they were struck by the the 30m tree which had snapped in two.

Police Inspector Dave Robinsson said other students who had arrived at the camp site earlier in the day tried unsuccessfully to resuscitate the Year 9 girls.

"The storm cut a path through the park and the tree snapped off about half way up," he said."I am informed by witnesses that attempts were made to resuscitate [the girls]. The students reacted in a matrue manner and did everything they could."

Two other girls were injured when they were struck by falling debris.

They were taken to Royal North Shore Hospital were they remained in a stable condition last night. The remaining students were taken from the camp site by bus before seeing counsellors.





The Daily Telegraph, Sydney, Tuesday December 4, 2001.

A lethal change in the weather.. within minutes, the 35ºC heat disappeared as black storm clouds and lightning rolled over Bondi Beach yesterday. Picture Brett Faulkner.
Frank kindly took the day off writing a book, even though he had an urgent deadline to meet. We went by ferry to a place called Manly, so called (according to Frank) because one of the imperial types who got there early on described the locals as being manly. Presumably he was talking about the men.

Katy had sat up on two nights earlier watching a tropical storm over Adelaide out of a window of the East Park Lodge. The storm seemed to be following us. At Manly, which is something like a cross between Newquay and Milton Keynes, we took a look at the beach and decided that it would be more enjoyable to visit the shops and pubs. While we were doing that the storm hit. The hail stones were of enormous size and did considerable damage to the flimsy canvass material the shop we were hiding from the storm, had out front. It looked as if it would have been dangerous to go out in that storm. Although the woman in the newspaper photo looks a bit like Katy, it wasn't her.
Aboriginals Cadell Ferry Diary