Wescott Presbyterian Aged Care has been forced to evacuate 30 residents after heavy storm winds saw the roof partially blown off the facility’s dining room.
Fire and Rescue NSW had said wind speeds of up to 146km/hour had caused the damage at the 124-bed facility located in Stockton, a beachside suburb near the Newcastle CBD.
Presbyterian Aged Care CEO Paul Sadler said no residents or staff were injured, and 23 were being cared for at HammondCare’s nearby Waratah home.
“The roof over the Ibis Wing dining room has been partially blown off and caused damage to other Ibis Wing roof areas,” he said.
“Other parts of the facility are operating as normal as the damage is constrained to this wing.”
This is the second time in 15 months that the facility has seen roof-related damage – in August last year, 300 square metres of roof were damaged in a storm.
