#Beachfront homes in Australia evacuated ‘indefinitely’ after ‘erosion crisis’

By Travis Fedschun, Fox News

Enlarge Image

General view of the damage caused by erosion on the coast of Wamberal, New South Wales, Australia.
Reuters

Beachfront homes in Australia worth millions were ordered to evacuate on Monday after a coastal storm triggered massive waves that eroded away cliffs.

A total of 18 homes were evacuated in Wamberal on Australia’s Central Coast after the shoreline was severely eroded by the storm that brought nearly 40-foot waves to the coast.

Two houses have partially collapsed and encroaching swells were eroding other houses’ foundations, spurring the structures to be evacuated “indefinitely.”

Wamberal residents told local media they were upset the local council had not built a sea wall to combat the longstanding issue of erosion and protect their properties.

“If we were in a bushfire and there was a fire next door…we’d be allowed to defend our property,” Margaret Brice told News.com.au.

Drone footage from UNSW Water Research Laboratory’s Chris Drummond shows the damage caused by the coastal storm.

“This week’s coastal storm has left its mark on Wamberal on the NSW Central Coast with multiple properties being undermined,” the group said.

The erosion in recent days is the worst since 1978 when huge surf led to another collapse of a home.

Another resident, Warren Hughes, told the Sydney Morning Herald that the council declined in 2016 to build a sea wall in addition to preventing residents from taking any steps privately to protect their homes.

“I put sandbags in and the council threatened to sue me for using the wrong fabric on the sandbag,” he told the paper. “We’re considering a class action because of the sheer expense.”

Utilities will be shut off on Tuesday and it’s unlikely that the owners of properties that end up damaged or destroyed will be able to have any of it covered.

Erosion is commonly not covered by home insurance, according to News.com.au.

“Some (policies) cover storm surge under certain circumstances, (but) most household policies do not cover actions of the sea,” Insurance Council of Australia spokesman Campbell Fuller told The Daily Telegraph.