A Former
A former lab technician who was killed when a freak storm brought a tree down on her has been remembered as a 'gentle and nurturing soul who helped anyone in need' by her son.
Susan Cobham, 68, died and two others were rushed to hospital when wild weather ripped through 's northern beaches on Sunday afternoon.
Ms Cobham, a beloved grandmother and popular yoga teacher, was celebrating her neighbourhood gathering near Narrabeen Surf Life Saving Club when the large storm suddenly hit and she decided it was time to go home.
She was making her way back to her car when lightning struck a massive pine tree, which subsequently fell, crushing Ms Cobham and hitting two others.
Ms Cobham died at the scene while her friend, a 71-year-old woman, and a 19-year-old girl who suffered spinal injuries are both in critical conditions at Royal North Shore hospital.
It was just a day before her 69th birthday.
Susan Cobham, 68, (pictured with her son Ben Porter) was tragically killed by a falling tree when a freak storm battered Sydney's Northern Beaches on Sunday.
She has been remembered by her loved ones as a 'loving grandmother' and 'gentle and nurturing soul'.
Ms Cobham, a yoga teacher and active member of the Northern Beaches community, would have celebrated her 69th birthday today
Her devastated son Ben Porter has shared a gut-wrenching tribute to his mum who was 'taken too soon'.
Mr Porter told Daily Mail Australia his mother was born in Uruguay but moved to Australia more than 50 years ago when she was in Year 12.
She later settled in the Northern Beaches, where she became a beloved member of the community for over 35 years.
'Mum was 68 but fit and healthy and enjoyed walking, biking and kayaking and playing with her grandkids, Josh and Milly,' he said in a statement.
'She was a gentle and nurturing soul who helped anyone in need and loved her grandkids, teaching and practicing yoga and gardening.
'She was taken too soon by this freak accident. She was involved in several community groups around the northern beaches and will be dearly missed.'
Mr Porter's family offered their gratitude to the bystanders and emergency teams who rushed to his mother's aid and those who have rallied around them as they come to terms with the tragedy.
Pictured: Emergency teams and life savers at the Narrabeen Surf Life Saving Club on Sunday after a tree hit three pedestrians
'We would like to thank all those first on the scene who tried to save her including the Lifesavers, Ambulance and police officers and to the community, family and friends who have all offered their support during this difficult time,' he said.
Ms Cobham was according to her LinkedIn profile once an analytical chemist and lab technician at AstraZeneca, which later produced the Oxford University Covid vaccine, and worked as a Shiatsu massage therapist.
She also taught at the British School of Montevideo in Uruguay, which offers a English language program to students aged four to 18.
AstraZeneca, Ms Cobham's employer from 1992 to 2011, offered their condolences to her loved ones over the sad news of her passing.
'[Ms Cobham] was highly regarded and well-liked by her colleagues,' a spokesperson told Daily Mail Australia.
'Our thoughts are with her family and friends at this difficujust lt time.'
Friends have also flocked online to pay tribute to Ms Cobham, who was described by peers as a 'wonderful teacher' with a 'warm heart'.
Clean-up efforts have begun in the Northern Beaches after the freak storm left a trail of destruction in its path (pictured)
A mound of detritus from collapsed rooves piled up along a pavement on Monday as volunteers work to get rid of rubbish
'[She] was a beautiful person both inside and out, a wonderful teacher, friend and neighbour.' one friend wrote.
Another said: 'What a truly wonderful soul! My heart goes out to family and friends .
Having known Sue I can only say her personality and deep spirituality have always uplifted me in her company. Dear Sue bless you.'
One friend, who met Ms Cobham through the British School, said she was beloved by all of her colleagues.
'[She] was such a wonderful person. May she RIP,' they said.
Others described Ms Cobham as 'a terrific person' and 'real bright spark' with a 'beautiful spirit' and 'zest for wellbeing'.
Avalon Yoga Co-op, where Ms Cobham was employed, said it was deeply saddened to learn she had passed away.
'Sue taught Japanese yoga on Sunday mornings at the Co-op and will be sadly missed,' the business posted on Facebook.
NSW Ambulance Superintendent Paul Edwards on Monday said Ms Cobham's friend is being treated for severe internal injuries while the teenager suffered head and spinal injuries.
Mr Edwards said there were many 'near misses' as Sydneysiders got caught in the violent storm.
'We had a lot of people that were hit by debris that had a lot of bruises and cuts that were assessed, and those people didn't require transport to a hospital,' he said.
Clean-up efforts kicked off on Monday to repair hundreds of damaged homes and uprooted trees left scattered between Forestville to Mona Vale.
More than 25,000 homes are still without power after the storm ripped out power lines, tore homes apart, and blew a trampoline into the ocean.
A freak storm battered the Northern Beaches on Sunday afternoon, killing a woman and leaving two fighting for life.
Pictured is a unit block in Dee Why that had its roof torn off when the mini-tornado ripped through the area just after 3pm
Winds peaked at 80km/h on Sunday afternoon which saw the Dee Why unit have its roof completely ripped off the building and carried away
A piece of crumpled metal from a build was torn off a roof and swept across a pavement in a pedestrian strip in Dee Why
Volunteers assisting in the clean up efforts have begun taping off dangerous areas before they will be able to return to clear debris
Winds peaked at 80km/h and emergency services received more than 500 calls for https://healthtopical.com/fresh-stretch-marks-removal/ help, with the worst of the damage seen around Narrabeen, but also Dee Why and Mona Vale.
Additional SES volunteers from across the state are being sent to the region to assist the mass clean-up effort, with hundreds of the calls yet to be attended.
'We still have about 350 calls for assistance outstanding with more coming in this morning,' the SES said.
'The majority of jobs come through for damaged roofs, trees down, blocked driveways or streets… there's been significant damage to property.'
A knocked-over pole leans over the front fence of a Dee Why home on Monday as mounds of roof fragments are sprawled across lawns and roads
Cranes work to lift rubble from the top of an apartment block on Monday after its roof caved in during the freak storm
A man surveys the damage around his home after wind-blown metal roof panels crashed onto the grass in front of his fence
Some 35,000 homes across Collaroy, Dee Why, North Curl Curl, Narrabeen and Forestville were left without electricity overnight.
'Sunday storms have caused damage to our network and left 35,000 customers without power,' an Ausgrid statement read.
'We are working through the night to remove a significant amount of debris and make areas safe to undergo repairs to restore power as soon as possible.
Customers should expect to be without power into Monday morning. We apologise for the inconvenience.'
Power has since been restored to around 7000 homes as emergency crews work to help get more than 22,000 properties back onto the grid.
Emergency services volunteers coned off a section of road surrounding homes in Dee Why left severely damaged by Sunday's storm
A Northern Beaches apartment building had its roof ripped off and carried away by a 'mini tornado' as a freak five-minute storm swept over the city
Debris scattered the streets causing heavy damage to properties and vehicles after the freak five-minute storm cell hit
A car surrounded by fallen trees narrowly escaped damage, with police cordoning off debris littered areas across the area
A cement driveway was uprooted by the storm as fallen trees took out powerlines around the area
An airduct was torn from the roof of a new apartment block in Dee Why, with the pavement surrounding the building taped off to protect pedestrians from the possibility of falling debris
The huge piece of metal was left teetering on the edge of the roof after being ripped from its base during the wild weather event
Pictures show the devastation caused by the chaotic storm with carnage scattered across Sydney's picturesque coastline.
Side-by-side images of the same stretch in the Dee Why show barely visible buildings being lashed by heavy rainfall and wind.
Debris and what appears to be an awning then comes into shot, smashing into parked vehicles.
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Shocking footage of a nearby apartment building in the beachside suburb shows a roof being stripped and sucked away by heavy winds.
Trees can be seen thrashing back and forth in the clip posted to Reddit, before the roof of the Northern Beaches unit block rips off and is carried away by cyclonic winds.
'I think this is a tornado, oh my god!' a person in the video can be heard screaming.
Footpaths and roads have been closed as trees toppled down onto pavements and houses around Sydney's northern suburbs
Pictures show the devastation caused by the choatic storm with carnage scattered across Sydney's picturesque coastline
Two kids watch from Narrabeen Lake after trees were uprooted and smashed into a ute parked near the shore
Lifesavers swam out through crashing waves to get a trampoline which had been blown from a nearby backyard all the way to the waterfront
A Sydney apartment building had its roof ripped off and carried away by a 'mini tornado' as a freak five-minute storm swept over the city
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Other locals say they were struggling to walk and drive as the storm cell swept through the area.
'I was on the beach at Mona Vale when this hit and I almost got blown over trying to walk back to the car,' another social media user posted.
'Didn't realise how bad it was cos it was over by the time I got in the car and started driving.'
Other pictures from the Northern Beaches show massive trees uprooted and stripped of leaves, laid bare across roads and destroyed vehicles.
One resident reported hearing screams after a tree fell and trapped several people inside a car.
Emergency services clean up the devastation left after the crazy weather slammed Sydney's north on Sunday
Several cars were crushed by falling trees with one Northern Beaches resident hearing screaming coming from a vehicle
Trees thrashed in the cyclonic winds as the storm tore through Sydney on Sunday afternoon - with one woman dying
Police described the fatality as 'tragic' and said the women that were injured were simply 'in the wrong place at the wrong time'.
'As you can imagine the patients had multiple injuries after being hit by falling branches and other debris,' Inspector Christie Marks said.
'We worked to treat them at the scene and get them to hospital for further care.
'Given the size of this tree it's remarkable that there weren't more people injured.'
There are power outages across the region, with SES and emergency services receiving calls throughout Sunday evening.
Trees cover a footpath on the Northern Beaches after a wild storm caused mass devestation
Locals begin cleaning up their streets on Sunday evening after the freak storm lashed the area
There remains severe thunderstorm alerts in place for large parts of Sydney, Newcastle, Gosford, Wollongong and Bathurst as a storm cell sweeps over south-eastern NSW.
Experts are predicting strong winds will continue to batter the state into the night, with police urging people not to enter dangerous areas.
Temperatures peaked at 35.8 degrees on Sunday and will remain in the high 20s on Monday and Tuesday in welcome news for sun-starved Sydneysiders.
<div class="art-ins mol-factbox news" data-version="2" id="mol-63773670-6139-11ec-9c7b-038ff5e7d0f5" website son's tribute to mother crushed by a tree in Sydney storm