The Cessnock State Emergency Service (SES) has been overwhelmed with requests for assistance, receiving nearly a year’s worth of calls in just the first few weeks of 2025.
A severe storm last night added to the pressure, generating around 40 new requests from local residents. Cessnock crews worked late into the night, with support from Maitland SES. Today, reinforcements from Muswellbrook, Swansea, and Singleton joined the effort to clear the backlog of incidents as quickly as possible.
For comparison, the Cessnock SES completed 313 requests throughout all of 2024. However, in just the first few weeks of 2025, they have already responded to nearly 250 incidents—before January has even ended.
With storm season still in full swing, residents are urged to stay prepared.