It was the most brutal attack on the Hunter in more than half a century, and a year after the April super storm lashed the region many of its survivors are still picking up the pieces.
Subscribe now for unlimited access.
$0/
(min cost $0)
or signup to continue reading
It took less than 24 hours for the 135 kilometre winds and record torrential rainfall to leave a trail of destruction worth more than $800 million.
Tens of thousands of trees fell, more than 450 roads were closed during the storm and over 23 bridges on those roads were damaged.
There was $30 million worth of damage to council roads and $10 million to state roads, government figures show.
Entire lives were left strewn across the landscape with debris and more than 115,000 animals that perished.
More than 170 people had to be swept to safety by emergency services and tragically four people lost their lives.
The NSW State Emergency Service had to bring in resources from across the country after it received close to 22,000 calls for help. It was the largest response in the organisation's 60-year history.
Fallen power lines across the region left 370,000 homes, businesses and hospitals in the dark and telecommunications were initially scarce, with more than 100,000 landlines out of action and over 24,000 complaints about a range of mobile and internet services.
More than 5000 customers were left without water during the storm and 50,000 bottles of water were delivered to get them through until the service was restored.
As the storm passed the extent of the damage was realised. More than 250 homes suffered damage and over 150 people were left homeless across the region.
Natural disaster declarations were made in 22 local government areas across the Hunter and a range of financial support was released.
More than 100,000 tonnes of green waste was taken to the tip, which could have filled 40 Olympic swimming pools, and the cost to remove debris from government assets alone was estimated at $20 million.
The agriculture industry alone copped a $120 million damage bill, with $65 million of it attributed to the loss of 7300 kilometres of fencing. That’s a distance almost equivalent to a return trip between Sydney and Perth.
The Hunter’s tourism industry also suffered, with an estimated loss of $110 million.
Hover over the image below and CLICK THE RED DOTS for more insight into life before, during and after the superstorm
THE DELUGE
The storm brought record rainfall that some parts of the Hunter have not seen in more than a century.
Branxton received 454.8 millimetres, which is the highest April rainfall the town has had since 1863, and Nelson Bay had 492 millimetres – the largest April deluge since 1881.
Tocal recorded 528.5 millimetres – a record that has not been seen for more than 50 years - and 171 millimetres of it fell between April 21 and 22.
The township of Clarence Town, 27 kilometres north of Nelsons Plains, had 451.8 millimetres, which is the highest April rainfall since 1946, and 139.6 millimetres more rain than the town received in February 1955. Nearby in Seaham, 152 millimetres fell between April 21 and 22.
In Raymond Terrace 431.6 millimetres of rain fell – the highest April monthly rainfall since 1931, and 140.8 millimetres more rain than the town received in February 1955.
Woodville copped 602.4 millimetres in April, and Paterson received 547.6 millimetres.
The storm dumped more than 1.2 metres of rain across Dungog, Maitland and Woodville in 24 hours and turned roads into raging rivers and suburbs into an ocean. Dungog was battered with 348 millimetres, Maitland copped 435 mm and Woodville had a whopping 509 millimetres.
During the heaviest deluge between 100 and 150 millimetres of rain fell within an hour.
Rain dramatically eased in May, but there was still a decent deluge in a few places that were affected in the April storm.
Clarence Town had 131 millimetres, Tocal had another 103 millimetres, Maitland had 80 millimetres, and Paterson had 35 millimetres.
DUNGOG
Dungog was the first to bore the brunt of the storm when the Myall Creek and Williams river catchments flooded and inundated low-lying areas late on April 20.
Before dawn on April 21 the surge of water rose at a frightening pace.
Parts of Dowling, Brown and Hooke streets were left submerged and tragically Colin Webb, 79, Brian Wilson, 72, and Robin Macdonald, 70 died in their homes.
The force of the water lifted four houses from their foundations at the northern end of Dowling Street and smashed them apart.
Footage of one of them moving with the torrent went viral on social media, showcasing the extent of the devastation to the world.
Eighty-nine houses in the town suffered damage.
Seventeen Alison Court residents were forced to live in temporary accommodation until earlier this year when some of them moved back in.
The water quickly moved downstream, isolating townships and catching farmers off guard, who usually have a day to move stock to higher ground.
Meanwhile, the Paterson River and the Hunter River were rising and flooding low-lying areas.
Here’s how Dungog’s looking forward 12 months on from that fateful day. Just click the photo
TORRYBURN
The township suffered the worst transport disaster in the region when the flooded Allyn River ripped the Torryburn Bridge from its foundations and washed it down stream.
Residents will never forget the wall of water that surged downstream, flooding low-lying properties and leaving up to a metre of water in nearby homes.
A group of residents built a flying fox pulley-system with a milk crate to ferry over supplies and a small dingy to safely reach the outside world.
It stayed in place until a temporary pedestrian bridge was built. Dungog council and the NSW Roads and Maritime Services created a detour track of Clements Road, which was opened in June.
It allowed residents, and the town’s dairy farm and horse stud, to travel out of the town on a road for the first time.
It was a triumphant moment for dairy farming brothers Joe and Lewis Brennan, who were able to get milk out for the first time in six weeks.
Work began on building a new concrete bridge last year.
Residents Chrystal and Peter Griffiths were among the residents to test out the new bridge as soon as it was finished.
The miniature pig breeders have had a tough year using the lengthy detour road to town to take their piglets to the vet.
The structure was opened in March, signalling the return to normality – almost a year after the disaster struck.
MAITLAND
Suburbs across the city quickly transformed into raging torrents as storm water drains struggled to cope with the unprecedented deluge.
Some low-lying levels around Maitland CBD were inundated, while parts of other suburbs, including East Maitland, resembled an ocean within 24 hours.
In Bourke Street, central Maitland, the Lloyd-Jones family were forced to grab what they could and evacuate with their beloved dog Vada. They moved back in this week and are confident they will be high and dry if another super storm comes their way.
More than 4000 sandbags were used to protect the flood gates at Maitland railway station.
Gillieston Heights was soon isolated, with road access blocked at Testers Hollow and on Cessnock Road near the roundabout at Maitland railway station.
Tragically Anne Jarmain, a beloved 86-year-old great-grandmother, died when her car was swept off Cessnock Road into rising floodwater on April 22.
She had ducked into Maitland to buy milk before Gillieston Heights became isolated and was on her way home when the accident unfolded.
Hunter Close in Lochinvar resembled a flooded causeway with every house in the street impacted by a nearby flooded creek.
Stacy Hipwell, who is vision impaired, was left hitting a stick against the rising water from the front door, hoping someone would see it and rescue her. Firefighters came to her aid and now Stacy and her mum Kay are looking forward to moving into their new home later this year.
The city came to a crawl when the New England Highway at Maitland became flooded and motorists had to divert through the CBD, or use the Hunter Expressway.
Surrounding farm communities were also quickly inundated. Many farmers were caught off guard and forced to bring stock and equipment to higher ground at the height of the storm. No doubt there are countless tales of bravery and courage, but Nelsons Plains farmer Peter Manual is one man who stared death in the face on April 21.
CESSNOCK
Cessnock’s main street turned into a river as flash flooding hit the city and surrounding areas.
Low-lying homes in south Cessnock, Abermain and Weston were also inundated with flood water, just eight years since they endured a lengthy clean up courtesy of the 2007 Pasha Bulka storm.
Testers Hollow, a major thoroughfare to the Hunter Expressway, was also inundated leaving Gillieston Heights isolated. It was blocked again during the 2016 January floods, prompting Fairfax Media mastheads in the Hunter to launch a Raise the Road campaign. Flooding on the stretch has been an issue for 90 years.
There were more than 200 calls for help and 14 people were rescued.
The Cessnock District Rescue Squad was rushed off its feet from the early hours of April 21 as it responded to calls between Buchanan and Ellalong.
Now, find out how Cessnock City residents are faring, one year since the April super storm. CLICK HERE
AGRICULTURE INDUSTRY LOSSES
The agriculture industry copped an estimated $120 million worth of damage in the storm, which is $3.8 million more than it’s worth to the Hunter economy each year, Australian Bureau of Statistics data shows.
This figure included damage to pastures, farm machinery and infrastructure, as well as livestock losses.
More than $65 million of it was the cost of 7300 kilometres of fencing lost – a distance almost equivalent to a return trip between Sydney and Perth.
The Hunter Local Land Service and NSW Department of Primary Industries swung into action to assess the damage.
The state government unlocked funding to put a hay helicopter in the air, which carried fodder to stranded stock around Seaham, Nelsons Plains, Millers Forest, Woodberry, Gillieston Heights, Telarah and Woodville.
Senior biosecurity officer Luke Booth, his colleague Ross Garland and Aerologistics pilot, known only as BJ, made the project possible.
The hay helicopter made more than 40 trips over five days and ensured 468 cattle, 114 horses, 12 camels and seven goats survived the flood.
The NSW Department of Primary Industries damage assessment found the beef cattle industry was hit hardest with $17.4 million in damage.
The dairy industry copped a $5.3 million loss, oyster farmers suffered a $6.2 million loss, crop farmers are $5 million out of pocket, the poultry and turf industries each lost $2.7 million, and the commercial fishing industry lost $300,000.
One thousand beef cattle, 42 dairy cattle, 37 horses and 114,000 poultry perished during the storm, or in the aftermath.
Seven thousand hectares of farmland was still under water after five days, and 5000 hectares had water lingering on it for up to five weeks.
More than 10,600 hectares of sown pastures were damaged, and 4000 hectares of lucerne crops were either lost or damaged.
NSW Premier Mike Baird visited Woodville dairy farmers David and Tony Vollmer in June to announce category c funding for the region, which gave eligible farmers access to grants worth up to $15,000.
This money allowed primary producers to buy feed and repair damage caused by the storm.
Milk production at the Vollmer brothers’ 320-strong dairy dropped from 8000 litres a day to 7000 after the super storm ruined most of their grazing pastures.
Retired army brigadier Darren Naumann toured a range of affected farmers to give the state government an accurate picture of the damage on farms.