Freak Blighty twister takes roof off home

By Rowan Frazer

Feb 14, 2025

Some of the roof and tree damage due to the storm near Blighty.

State Emergency Services units from Deniliquin-Conargo and Tocumwal joined forced last week to clean up after a storm paved through the region last Friday.

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A windstorm and lightning swept through parts of the Riverina, impacting on the Blighty and Conargo areas.

While Conargo took the brunt of lightning which sparked fires, Deniliquin-Conargo SES unit controller Jodie Graham said wind wreaked havoc at Blighty.

“It sounded like a severe twister storm at a property near Blighty, which was localised to a certain corridor in that area of about 2km east of Blighty Rec Reserve,” Ms Graham said.

“We were notified at around 5.56pm that there was storm damage to a residential dwelling.

“The wind from the storm tore off three quarters of the residential dwelling’s roof.

“Thankfully, no-one was injured.”

Personnel from both SES units worked well together throughout the evening, to cover the roof with a preliminary tarp-covering.

“The crews were out for at least four hours.

“Deniliquin-Conargo had five volunteers attend, and Tocumwal had seven volunteers.

“The volunteers placed their height safety kits up on the roof and were able to rig up three large tarps over the damaged area to reduce any further wind or rain damage to the structure.”

A windstorm is not out of the ordinary for Blighty; however, this storm was particularly strong.

Ms Graham said residents and Edward River Council were also helping to clear debris and repair damage.

“We have found that in and around Blighty that we do have a bit of a wind tunnel causing wind damage to housing and trees in the area,” Ms Graham said.

“There were also reports of power lines down due to branches falling on power lines.

“There were also branches down across the Riverina Highway for about 300m, which the council and locals removed from the road to make it safe.”

Ms Graham said some people still seem unsure of when to call the SES for help.

She said the questions you should ask yourself are:

Has a fallen tree blocked access? i.e. front door/driveway/road
Is a tree threatening to fall on your property or driveway?
Is your roof damaged or leaking?
Is there damage to your property that you cannot fix yourself?

If you answer yes to any, call the NSW SES on 132 500.

Your request for assistance will be logged by the SES operations centre who will give you a reference number.

The request will then be forwarded onto the nearest SES unit for action.

If you answer no, you should contact your insurance company or a private contractor to assess and complete the job, or repair it yourself if safe to do so.