As the destructive downpour that sent sirens ringing all through the Illawarra suburbs finally subsides, residents now have to face the carnage left behind.
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The day that started as a seemingly normal Thursday morning for Thirroul's Waterluclothing took a very unexpected turn as heavy rain descended.
Waterluclothing store owner Lulu Meades said she was shocked at how quickly the street flooded and water started gushing into her quaint store on Lawrence Hargrave Drive.
"We've lost about 10 grand in damages. Quite a few clothes, shoes and wraps have been destroyed," Ms Meades said.
The glass door did little to contain the ripples of water that spurted in as the thunderstorm worsened.
"It's going to take us a couple of days to clean. As a precaution I've packed up all the remaining clothes and shoes and taken them home," she said.
Ms Meades said her family has been down at the shop since morning to help her deal with the aftermath of the devastating storm.
"At one point we were in knee-deep water, it was bad."
The property is without power for now and realestate is liaising with Ms Meades to help her return to business early next week.
While severe weather wreaked havoc all through Illawarra, Unanderra, Woonona and Bulli were particularly hard hit with localised flash flooding and a number of roads closed.
The Bureau of Meteorology has issued warnings for the possibility of "severe thunderstorms" for the Illawarra region on Friday.
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