While some parts of Australia’s east coast breathed a sigh of relief when the so-called “bomb cyclone” didn’t hit as hard as expected, for one Central Coast family, the storm turned their lives upside down in minutes.
Mani Kennedy and her family, from Long Jetty on the NSW Central Coast, say they’ve “lost everything” after wild winds tore the roof from their home during the severe weather event earlier this month.
‘It Sounded Like a Bomb Went Off’
“At around four o’clock in the afternoon on July 1, I heard this huge noise,” Mani said. “We were all inside — me, my husband Clint and our 10-year-old daughter Jazmin. The roof peeled off like a banana.”
By sheer luck, police were driving by and rushed to help. “They told us we had to leave immediately because pieces of the roof were flying everywhere. We pretty much ran. We didn’t have time to grab anything,” Mani explained.
Family Left With Nothing
The family of three is now living in emergency accommodation organised by the Department of Community Justice, but the trauma of the sudden loss has hit hard — especially for young Jazmin.
“She’s so traumatised. She cries every day,” Mani said. “She lost all her drawings, her toys, her artwork on the walls — everything. We had to take her back there because we have nowhere to drop her off while we deal with this, but the rain had ruined it all. She cries a lot.”
Not Everyone Escaped the Bomb Cyclone
While Sydney residents might have shrugged off the storm as mild, Mani says people need to remember that devastating weather doesn’t hit everyone equally.
“I think it’s the worst thing we’ve ever been through. My husband lost his work tools. To us, it was as bad as it could be,” she said. “We lived there for 20 years. Now there’s nothing left to recover.”
Struggling to Find a New Home
The Kennedys say they feel like they’re living in limbo, not knowing how long they’ll have a roof over their heads.
“It feels like being homeless. We don’t know how long this emergency accommodation will last, and we can’t afford rent anywhere else. There’s no stability, no family to turn to,” Mani said. “I was about to start my teacher’s degree. I can’t do that now.”
Community Support Needed
With nowhere else to go and little left to rebuild with, the family has launched a GoFundMe page to help cover the basics while they try to get back on their feet.
“Just because some areas weren’t badly hit doesn’t mean this storm wasn’t real,” Mani said. “For us, it changed everything.”
How You Can Help
If you’d like to support the Kennedy family as they recover, you can find their fundraiser online and share it with your community. Every little bit helps a family who lost not just a house, but their sense of home overnight.
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