A clap of thunder and a roaring downpour woke many residents across the Illawarra early on Saturday, as the predicted rain front moved across the region.
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After a night of steady rain, it didn't take much for things to start overflowing.
Creek beds became raging rivers, drains filled and the water began to find its way into yards, cars, shops and homes.
Keep scrolling to look through the pictures.
As Mercury photographer Anna Warr ventured out, she saw flooded roads, which quickly turned to flooded properties.
Turning into the streets near Hewitt's Creek, it was clear many of the region's waterways had burst their banks.
In Lachlan Street, emergency services were attending a number of properties, including Gary and Bronwyn Hart's house, which had been destroyed by a wave of water which pushed through their front wall and smashed their back windows.
Behind the houses the creek kept rushing, muddy and brown as it headed for the ocean.
Neighbours jumped in to help, but many residents were left not knowing what to do next.
Kate McIlwain
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
For more than a decade, I've helped the Illawarra Mercury set the news agenda across the region. Currently I'm the paper's health reporter - covering the stories of Illawarra workers and residents in the wake of a global pandemic and at a time where our health systems are stretched to the limit.
