NSW flooding death toll rises to four
It's the third death of a driver since the mid-north coast was inundated with heavy rainfall and rapidly rising floodwaters on Tuesday.
More than 675 flood rescues have been conducted, including 177 in the 24 hours to 5am Friday, the SES said.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and NSW Premier Chris Minns planned to visit one of the worst-affected regions, Taree, on Friday morning, but were forced to turn back to Maitland because of the weather.
But the SES is ramping up efforts to get supplies through.
"There have been some communities that have been cut off for quite some time, where vehicles can't get in," NSW SES deputy commissioner Damien Johnson said.
"What we've got is helicopter drops occurring with essential food and medications as well ... we will have significant requests coming in the coming days as well."
The slow-moving trough that dumped months of rain over the mid-north coast has shifted south, bringing heavy falls to the Hunter, Blue Mountains, Sydney and Southern Highlands.
That will deliver dry conditions in the flood-ridden areas but residents are not out of the woods yet.
"We do still have several flood warnings current for the mid-north coast area … some of those rivers are only falling very slowly," Bureau of Meteorology's Jane Golding said.
"There are waters still moving quite quickly through the river systems, a lot of debris around so it's quite dangerous."
Wind is also expected to pick up on Monday and Tuesday, potentially uprooting trees and buildings from sodden soil.
☔ In the last 24 hours from 5am, NSW SES has had 1,535 incidents reported including 177 flood rescues.There are currently 153 warnings in place for areas across the state.
For safety advice and information: https://t.co/vUKSLKhhB7 pic.twitter.com/KWIbKAJLmt — NSW SES (@NSWSES) May 22, 2025
Mr Albanese urged impacted communities to exercise common sense, in light of multiple deaths linked to drivers entering floodwater.
"That is a tragedy for them, for their families and for the local communities," he told Triple M Newcastle radio.
One of the deaths came after a police officer travelling in convoy with a four-wheel-driving woman when they came across water over a road near Dorrigo on Wednesday night.
The officer checked the water level, which was "ankle deep", and told the woman he wasn't continuing in his sedan and advised her to be cautious and not enter floodwaters.
The woman phoned the officer 30 minutes later saying she was in trouble about 17km away, NSW Police Assistant Commissioner David Waddell said.
She was found dead inside the 4WD on Thursday.
On the same day, a man was found in floodwaters west of Port Macquarie, while a 63-year-old man's body was found on a flooded home's verandah near Taree.
There are grave fears for another man who's missing in Nymboida and police aren't ruling out floods being a factor in the disappearance of a man in Bellingen.
Police also warned drivers in metropolitan Sydney to exercise caution in wet weather after two deaths overnight - including a 95-year-old hit by a car in Liverpool.
Heavy falls potentially totalling 150mm in 24 hours could bring flash flooding at Goulburn and south to Bega, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.
Disaster assistance from the state and commonwealth governments has been expanded, with 19 areas now eligible for support.
Specialist disaster lawyers would provide free advice about rejected insurance claims, housing issues and assistance grants, Legal Aid NSW said.
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