WILD weather and winter westerlies have one again wreaked havoc in the region.

The Port Stephens SES has been busy helping locals get things back under control.

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Crews have been kept busy after strong winds lashed the area bringing down trees, dislodging roofs, impacting power lines and sending trampolines flying down streets.

Volunteers were working well into the night, with crews responding to many calls for emergency assistance with trees blocking access and properties severely damaged.

While the wild winds continued, over 3,000 people were without power due to outages impacting residents in Raymond Terrace, Twelve Mile Creek, Eagleton, Ferodale, Medowie, Kings Hill, East Seaham, Balickera,

Heatherbrae, Tomago and Motto Farm.

Alysha Springett, Deputy Unit Commander, SES Port Stephens Unit told News Of The Area, “Saturated soils combined with these gusty winds have resulted in many trees coming down across major roads, onto vehicles and into properties.

“We started receiving requests for assistance around 6pm and continued to receive jobs through the night and throughout the following day as the strong winds continued.

“Our crews are currently responding to a large number of calls for assistance,” she said.

Unit Commander David Douglas said “It has been a windy and wild night, we had crews responding to jobs late into the night and early the next morning.

“We want to remind everyone of the dangers of power lines.

“Parts of Raymond Terrace were left without power for many hours due to downed power lines.

“These downed power lines can re-energize at any time.

“It is important you stay away from them and report them as soon as possible,” he said.

Crews responded to calls for assistance with high winds with gusts reaching 90 to 100km/hr throughout the Hunter region.

The SES remind us that when there are storms it is important to ensure all outdoor furniture and equipment is secured.

Avoid parking your vehicles under trees.

Report all instances of power lines down or arching immediately to AusGrid on 13 13 88.

If you require emergency assistance for storm damage, call NSW SES on 132 500.

For life threatening emergencies, call 000.

By Marian SAMPSON