It took a team of firefighters , police and engineers , but a house on Sydney 's Northern Beaches tragically damaged in the this week 's destructive storm in NSW has finally been demolished . The Narrabeen property began sliding down the hill it was built on after it was battered by the wild weather on Tuesday , endangering neighbouring houses and forcing locals to evacuate . ' I was thinking , god how is this thing not falling ? ' Fire and Rescue Superintendent Kel McNamara told The Brisbane Times . A house in Narrabeen has been demolished after it was damaged during this week 's storm in Sydney . A tree stump on the hill prevented the house from falling further down , but authorities feared it was only a matter of time before it caused further damage to surrounding properties . A group of highly trained firefighters , police and engineers undertook the difficult task . 'We had to get it down , ' Superintendent McNamara said . The demolition methods were slightly unusual , and Sup McNamara , a firefighter of 30 years , said they worked well , though he had never seen anything like it . A group of highly trained firefighters , police and engineers undertook the difficult task of pulling it down . A cherry picker was brought in to harness the house 's weight , and pressurised fire hoses pushed it further down the hill as a thick cable was used control the direction it fell . A tree stump on the hill prevented the house from falling further down , but authorities feared it was only a matter of time before it caused further damage to surrounding properties . A cherry picker was brought in to harness the house 's weight , and pressurised fire hoses pushed it further down the hill as a thick cable was used control the direction it fell . 'We did it in the safest possible measure and at the end of the day the best result , ' Sup McNamara said . A firetruck had been brought in to dampen the house and the surrounding area as the property contained asbestos , which needs to be wet in order to prevent the toxic material becoming airborne . Locals celebrated the demolishing , clapping and cheering as their own properties were spared from the ticking time bomb . The consequences of the wild weather which battered the state 's coast is still being felt by many families . The SES has had over 11,000 calls for assistance across the state , and insurance companies have received more than 19,500 claims , with losses estimated at $ 129 million , The Insurance Council of Australia ( ICA ) said . A firetruck had been brought in to dampen the house and the surrounding area as the property contained asbestos , which needs to be wet in order to prevent the toxic material becoming airborne . Locals celebrated the demolishing , clapping and cheering as their own properties were spared from the ticking time bomb . But this figure is expected to climb , with comparable weather disasters in recent years resulting in damage costing in excess of $ 1 billion . ICA spokesman Campbell Fuller said it was impossible to estimate the level of destruction , with floods still impacting on properties across the state . ‘ There are still hundreds of thousands of people without power and I can tell you they ’ re not lodging insurance claims… Claims will keep flowing through for weeks to months , ’ Mr Fuller said . Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier , Gareth Ward , predicted the clean-up operation would take a long time . 'The damage has been so enormous over a large footprint of an area , it may take weeks or it may take months for some of the really severe damage , ' he said . Parliamentary Secretary to the Premier , Gareth Ward , predicted the clean-up operation would take a long time . ' I was thinking , god how is this thing not falling ? ' Fire and Rescue Superintendent Kel McNamara said . NSW Premier Mike Baird said the hardest hit areas of New South Wales - including in Maitland , Dungog and other areas on the Central Coast - will be declared natural disaster zones following three days of wild and destructive weather . Approximately 2000 people are still stranded by the storm 's effects , especially in Gillieston Heights and Hinton . The death toll of the super storm reached eight at it 's end , with police confirming an 86-year-old woman 's body has been discovered in the hull of a submerged car in Maitland while searching for two elderly women feared dead . Four others were killed on the state 's drenched roads on Wednesday , with two drivers killed in a head-on collision on the New England Highway near Singleton , a man died after his ute collided with a truck at Galston , and an 87-year-old pedestrian was fatally hit by a car in East Gosford . This comes after three elderly people died due to floodwaters on Tuesday in Dungog . The woman and two men reportedly died in their homes as water surged through the small town after it received more than 300mm of rain in 24 hours . 'We had to get it down , ' Superintendent McNamara said of the house .
A ICA house damaged in the Sydney storms has been demolished . It began sliding down the hill it was built on , endangering homes nearby . A team of firefighters , police , and engineers to bring the property down . A cherry picker , four pressurised hoses , and a thick cable were used . Neighbours clapped and cheered when it was destroyed .