The extent of storm damage during the 12 months to June 30 was revealed in the latest suburb-by-suburb data released by NRMA Insurance and the NSW State Emergency Service.

Ulladulla and Kiama were listed as two of the top five most storm-affected suburbs in the Illawarra region for the past financial year. 

The Illawarra region was the state’s sixth most storm-affected region in the 2017-18 financial year, making up four per cent of all storm-related home claims lodged with the insurer.

Despite the damage storms consistently cause, the research showed only 37 per cent of people in NSW have taken steps to prepare their homes for storms.

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Those least likely to prepare their homes for storms are people that live in apartments (39 per cent  compared to 54 per cent  of people in houses), Millennials (44 per cent  compared to 57 per cent of those aged 45+) and people living in urban areas (47 per cent compared to 59 per cent of those from regional areas).

It also appears residents in NSW are underestimating the damage that storms can cause, with just a26 per cent saying they think storms are the mostly costly natural disaster to hit the state every year.

Storm season runs from October to March each year and NSW SES Commissioner Mark Smethurst said a few simple actions could significantly reduce potential damage and the need to call NSW SES volunteers for help.

“During the last Storm Season, NSW SES volunteers responded to more than 18,000 storm and flood related calls for assistance, and up to a third of these could have been prevented,” he said. 

“Trimming overhanging trees and branches, cleaning gutters and downpipes, checking your roof is in good repair and securing and putting away loose items all help reduce the chance of costly damage and potential injury.” 

For more tips on storm preparation and flexible ways to volunteer with the NSW SES, visit www.ses.nsw.gov.au.