The cost of a tornado that ripped through Sydney's south will run into the tens of millions of dollars, NSW Premier Mike Baird says.
Kurnell residents have been left heart broken after Wednesday's storm smashed the suburb, but Mr Baird says he's just grateful no one died.
"It's just picked out houses, it's mowed them down... all of us are quite in shock on the devastation we've seen," he told reporters on Thursday after meeting locals whose homes have been destroyed.
Mr Baird congratulated the community for sticking together and called on the rest of NSW to help out.
"If you can practically help, please do it because there's a lot of hurt," he said.
The premier praised emergency services and those who had volunteered in the clean up.
The thunderstorms and tornado that lashed Kurnell on Wednesday morning have left a trail of debris and fears of airborne asbestos.
"It's tough, this happening so close to Christmas," Treasurer Scott Morrison, the local member, told reporters at a community meeting in Kurnell earlier on Thursday.
"This would have been quite an horrific ordeal for those kids in Kurnell."
Mr Morrison met with locals after the gathering, including Bridges Street resident Kylee McNeilly who called on the government to immediately send disaster relief funds to those affected.
Ms McNeilly said she had lost the back of her house, with an entire wall ripped off and dumped at her neighbour's backyard.
"We're struggling, so the government's got to come and help us," she said.
