NSW State Emergency Service volunteers have been working hard for weeks clearing roads on the South Coast so that people can evacuate. A team from Sydney also worked through the night on Thursday so that the Princes Highway was open from Ulladulla to Nowra.

NSW SES Moruya Unit Commander Jeffrey McMahon said that his team have been supporting the NSW RFS on the South Coast for three weeks.

“We patrol the roads and clear any trees that we come across as instructed by the RFS,” said Mr McMahon.

A NSW SES chainsaw strike team from Sydney was sent down to the South Coast on Thursday to relieve volunteers who have been clearing burnt out trees in support the NSW Rural Fire Service.

NSW SES Bankstown Unit Commander and Strike Team Leader David Niven led a team of twenty volunteers from the Bankstown, Parramatta, Holroyd, Menai, Ryde and City of Sydney Units.

“We went down on Thursday afternoon and worked through the night until about 2am Friday morning,” said David.

“There were lots of big, burnt trees that were unstable,” said David. “We were helping Transport for NSW clear them from the Princes Highway so that people could evacuate.”

“We got the highway open again from Ulladulla to Nowra.”