Moruya SES crews are finally packing up the tools, for now, after the wild storm event that battered the coast on Boxing Day (December 26).
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On Monday, Moruya SES unit commander Trevor Bennett said 20 volunteers had been out since Saturday tending to damage. He said crews completed 51 jobs.
"There were a few trees down, various calls from people who lost their skylights and mostly roof top jobs," he said.
Hail, strong winds and torrential rain pummeled the shire just after 7pm. Mr Bennett said Dwyers Creek Road, Turlinjah and Cadgee were noticeably hit hard.
The Bureau of Meteorology reported wind gusts of 95km/h at Moruya Airport. Torrential rain damaged bitumen and caused flash flooding in parts of the shire.
"There was a lot of water - more water than I have seen in years, in a such short amount of time," Mr Bennett said
"My driveway was like a waterfall.
"The wind was sporadic and swirling, knocking down trees about town - it was quite vicious at some point."
Once the storm calmed, Moruya SES crews jumped into action.
"Crews were out during the night for a while," Mr Bennett said.
He said the roof of Moruya hospital was leaking - an ongoing issue from heavy rain.
One Moruya SES member was blocked in.
"One of our SES members had her property damaged, a giant apple gum had fallen and blocked her driveway," he said.
Mr Bennett said crews prioritised calls on their urgency.
"One place, their kitchen had collapsed in completely, most likely from water," he said.
"We prioritise the calls on their urgency; we put people in a queue and try to get to them as quick as we can."
However, Mr Bennett said the SES was not a "maintenance service".
He was concerned by the lack of maintenance and preparation for heavy rain at some properties.
"We are an emergency service not a maintenance service," Mr Bennett said.
"Keep gutters clean and maintain your house; keep it waterproof the best you can.
"If life threatening or lives are in danger we will prioritise those jobs."
Mr Bennett said one member was lucky to escape a head-on collision after a tyre blew out on the SES truck.
"One of our rescue vehicles based at Mossy Point was coming back from Bodalla when the front tyre blew out at 80km/h," he said.
"They had trouble controlling vehicle with oncoming traffic.
"The driver said it was pretty scary steering the truck to get back on course - it could have been serious."
Mr Bennett said they were able to change the tyre using their own rescue gear and return safely.
Mr Bennett said SES volunteers took the storm event in their stride, and look forward to the new year ahead.
"It was one more thing 2020 had thrown at us before year ended," Mr Bennett said.
