Emergency service crews braced for a tough night fighting flood waters were let off the hook late yesterday.Hundreds of Bulli residents were evacuated from their homes yesterday amid fears a large dam on the old Bulli mine site could burst its banks. It's located high above the township off Sandhurst St. However, after a day of confusion and panic, the State Emergency Service (SES) issued an all-clear alert on its website at 6pm.The danger of flooding had subsided.
GALLERY: Bulli residents evacuateThe earlier Bureau of Meteorology severe weather warning for the Illawarra was cancelled.Residents evacuated from sections of Bulli downstream of the basin were told they could go home as the flood threat was no longer imminent.Earlier in the day emergency service crews had feared the dam could burst.About 130 homes in the Slacky Flat area were evacuated after the SES assessed the Old Bulli Mine dam as being at Red Alert level.The Bureau of Meteorology had earlier issued a severe weather warning with a risk of flooding in parts of the Illawarra, causing concern over the structural integrity of an embankment at the old mine.Fearing for the safety of hundreds of Bulli residents, the SES issued an evacuation order after liaising with Wollongong City Council, police, the Department of Education and Training, the RTA and RailCorp.Homes bordering Slacky Creek were thought to be particularly vulnerable, with the dam water expected to travel down the waterway towards the ocean.At the time of the unfolding drama, NSW SES Commissioner Murray Kear said residents were in no immediate danger, but information and recommendations from engineering experts indicated evacuation would be the best course of action."All of the actions undertaken by the NSW SES today have been precautionary to ensure public safety is maintained," he said."As heavy rainfall has been experienced in the Illawarra all day, and after advice from the Dam Safety Committee regarding the integrity of the embankment, the decision to evacuate properties was made."But yesterday's scare may not be the last Bulli residents hear of the old dam.A development application to remove the dam's embankment was last week approved by Wollongong City Council. However, the work is not expected to be completed until July.In a statement on its website, the SES last night said yesterday's drama had ended, "(but) this does not preclude the same scenario from playing out again until this structure is removed".Yesterday's dramatic events evoked memories of the devastating flood waters that tore through Wollongong in 1998.One man was killed when his car was swept into a swollen creek in Brompton Rd, Bellambi, on August 17, 1998, while hundreds of homes were significantly damaged.
