On April 21, 2015 superstorms hit the Hunter leaving a trail of devastation as cyclonic winds and walls of floodwater pounded the region.
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It took less than 24 hours for the 135 kilometre winds and record torrential rainfall to leave a trail of destruction worth more than $800 million.
Tens of thousands of trees fell, more than 450 roads were closed during the storm and over 23 bridges on those roads were damaged.
There was $30 million worth of damage to council roads and $10 million to state roads, government figures show.
Entire lives were left strewn across the landscape with debris and more than 115,000 animals that perished. More than 170 people had to be swept to safety by emergency services and tragically four people lost their lives.
The NSW State Emergency Service had to bring in resources from across the country after it received close to 22,000 calls for help. At the time it was the largest response in the organisation's 60-year history.
Fallen power lines across the region left 370,000 homes, businesses and hospitals in the dark and telecommunications were initially scarce, with more than 100,000 landlines out of action and over 24,000 complaints about a range of mobile and internet services.
More than 5000 properties were left without water during the storm and 50,000 bottles of water were delivered to get them through until the service was restored.
As the storm passed the extent of the damage was realised. More than 250 homes suffered damage and over 150 people were left homeless across the region.
Natural disaster declarations were made in 22 local government areas across the Hunter and a range of financial support was released.
What are your memories of the superstorm? Join the discussion in the comment section below.
