Residents of northern NSW remain on high alert with some towns around Murwillumbah ordered to evacuate while flood warnings remain in place across several regions.
The Bureau of Meteorology says the rain may have eased but the flood warnings have not.
The BOM says between 400 and 500 millimetres has been recorded in the northern rivers and on the mid-north coast in recent days.
That’s about half a metre of rainfall in the space of about four days, Meteorologist Agata Imielska said on Tuesday.
An evacuation order from the State Emergency Service remains in place from Condong to Tumbulgum and surrounds, with an evacuation warning still current around the Tweed River at South Murwillumbah.
An SES spokesperson said the region has been deemed “a high danger area” and about 1000 properties are affected.
The evacuation order comes after the Tweed River burst its banks near Tumbulgum, with minor to moderate flooding in the area.
There are also flood warnings in place for the Richmond River at Kyogle, the Wilsons River near Lismore, the Hastings River at Wauchope and the Nambucca River at Bowraville while major flooding is possible at Bellingen, Thora and Urunga.
Bellingen resident Shelley Rowntree, who lives on a farm just outside the town, said she and her husband had been cut off by flooded roads since Sunday.
Ms Rowntree said 350mm had fallen in three days and the rain was still falling.
“I hope it stops soon, any more rain and our shed will be under,” she told AAP.
The volunteer firefighter says it’s a big change from 12 months ago when their property was threatened by bushfire.
“Last year’s fires ended in floods. Now here we are again. More extremes, one after the other,” Ms Rowntree said.
The BOM flood operations manager Justin Robinson said a flood warning was also in place for Kempsey where there was a possibility of moderate flooding on Wednesday.
“There is still an evolving flood situation,” he said.
The SES warned that electricity, phones, internet, water and sewage could be interrupted and people in those areas needed to closely monitor the weather and road closures.
Essential Energy said 2600 homes were without power from Kempsey to the Queensland border.
The SES said residents should monitor the rapidly changing situation in NSW, warning that once floodwater begins inundating the area, roads may be cut, trapping anyone who stays behind.
“If you remain in the area after this time, you may become trapped and it may be too dangerous for NSW SES to rescue you,” the SES warned in a statement.
The BOM said 578mm had fallen at Terania Creek on the NSW mid-north coast since Friday.
Residents of Tumbulgum paddle their kayaks down a street in Northern NSW, on 15 December.
AAP
Meteorologist Ms Imielska said as the low pressure system moves south towards Sydney and the South Coast of NSW, it will continue to weaken.
The sytem combined with king tides to wash away much of Byron Bay’s Main Beach on Monday.
Meanwhile the low-pressure system off the coast of southeast Queensland has brought massive rainfall and gale-force winds.
On the Gold Coast the weather system also caused massive coastal erosion, with the surf club at Currumbin becoming an island.
A team of 300 SES workers from across the state had been sent to support the northern NSW teams, as well as resources from Fire & Rescue, NSW RFS and NSW Police.
