Intense rain has continued in NSW with communities in the path of heavy falls sweeping south told to evacuate to escape flooding.
Residents in western Sydney who endured floods in the Hawkesbury-Nepean region in March last year were told to leave on Wednesday evening after around 600 gigalitres of water flowed over the Warragamba Dam wall.
More than 100mm of rain fell in multiple areas near the dam between 9am and 6pm on Wednesday.
Deputy Premier Paul Toole said the Georges River was likely to exceed the heights of the 2021 flood and residents were in for a "tough night" on Wednesday evening.
About 130,000 homes are in the path of the overflowing dam, and Mr Toole wanted them to be empty before floodwaters hit.
"Get out now ... We do not want to see those situations where people are on the roofs of their houses waiting to be rescued," he said.
That was the case in Lismore on the Mid North Coast of NSW, after devastating floods hit there earlier this week.
As the clean-up continues the death toll rises, with four deaths confirmed in the Lismore flood event so far.
Two women in their 80s and a man in his 70s were found dead in their flooded homes, while another man's body was found floating down a Lismore street.
A fifth man died on the Central Coast last Friday morning after his car was swept away in floodwaters.
The SES received more than 2500 requests for assistance and conducted over 250 flood rescues in the 24 hours up to 4pm on Wednesday.
Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Wednesday the state will "not spare a dollar" in the flood recovery effort, with the clean-up expected to be "a mammoth task".
© AAP 2022