text: 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 .
target: A Narrabeen 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 .