Water got into a power point, light or the meter box?
Don't switch it back on. If it's safe to reach, turn off the main switch, and stay out of rooms where water is near outlets. Ausgrid says a flood-damaged property must be checked by a qualified electrical professional before the power goes back on, and gear near the ground, like air conditioners and pool pumps, should stay off until it's inspected. For storm or flood help call the SES on 132 500. Sparks, smoke or a shock is a 000 call.
Rockdale, in four facts
A mapped flood catchment
Rockdale is in Bayside Council's Spring Street Drain, Muddy Creek and Scarborough Ponds catchment, along with Banksia, Bexley, Brighton Le Sands and Kyeemagh. Council's flood study review for it was finalised in February 2022.
Flats are the norm
At the 2021 Census, 69.5% of Rockdale's 5,592 occupied homes were flats or apartments and 24.3% were separate houses. 47.0% were rented.
Built around the 1884 railway
Homes followed the Illawarra line, and the station opened in 1884. Light industry still sits around West Botany Street.
Ausgrid's patch
Rockdale is inside Ausgrid's network area. Fallen wires and street blackouts go to Ausgrid on 13 13 88.
Does Rockdale flood?
Parts of it can. When the Leader covered Bayside's flood hotspots in March 2022, Rockdale was listed in the Muddy Creek catchment, and council had set up a Flood Hotspot Interactive Mapping Tool so residents could report where water pools. If your street is one of those places, it's worth knowing where your main switch is before the next heavy storm.
In a block of flats, water reaches basement car parks, ground-floor units and outdoor power points first.
After water has been through, ask the electrician to check
- Every power point and light on circuits that got wet, including ones that look fine.
- The switchboard and meter box, if water reached them.
- Safety switches, by testing them, not by eye.
- Air conditioning units and pumps that sit near the ground.
- A Certificate of Compliance for Electrical Work (CCEW) for anything they repair or replace.
Renting a unit here
With almost half of Rockdale renting, it helps to know the rule: an electrical fault in a NSW rental is an urgent repair, before or during the tenancy. Tell the agent in writing. A landlord has to get urgent repairs done within a reasonable time.
Where we'd start
If water has been anywhere near the wiring, we'd leave the power off and get one electrician to test the affected circuits before anyone flicks a switch. If it's a building-wide problem, we'd loop in the strata manager first, because common-area wiring is theirs to fix. Tell us your postcode and what happened, and we'll find a licence-checked local sparky who does storm and flood work.
Want a specialist to sort it?
Tell us the job and your postcode. We match the licence-checked local electrician who does this kind of work, and they call you. No ring-around, and your number goes to them alone.