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NSW residents are being warned to brace for more deaths from the escalating flood crisis in the state's north as 17 councils are declared disaster zones.

"The situation is distressing for many and will affect more. The ultimate focus now is saving lives and getting people to safety," Premier Dominic Perrottet said on Tuesday.

Hundreds of people are still unaccounted for and at least one man is feared dead after going missing in floodwaters.

Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said people should expect more fatalities.

"I think that it is unrealistic that a disaster of this magnitude will mean that there are no lives lost," she told reporters.

Mr Perrottet said the cleanup "and getting communities back on their feet will take weeks, months and years".

"There's still difficult times to go."

Towns across northern NSW, including Lismore and Ballina are underwater and rivers are peaking even as the rain stopped.

The unprecedented floods are much worse than anticipated, with 35,000 people ordered to evacuate their homes and another 310,000 warned to be ready to flee.

Mr Perrottet green lit disaster aid - a mix of state and federal support - after speaking with local mayors in impacted regions with authorities to focus on temporary accommodation.

He also met with Insurance Council of Australia head Andrew Hall with 15,000 flood-related claims made so far.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the weather system which had fuelled the floods was now heading south.

A severe weather warning was issued for coastal areas from the Central Coast to the South Coast, including Sydney.

Wind gusts of up to 125 km/h wind gusts are predicted and the possibility of up to 200mm of rain over six hours from Tuesday night.

The State Emergency Service put out a flood watch for the whole Sydney region, with the worst predicted for areas around the Upper Nepean River.

"People in Sydney and across the South Coast have time. The time to prepare is now," Ms Cooke said.

Things in northern NSW were not going to get better "for a little while", she said.

SES Commissioner Carlene York said the organisation's operational temp was "extremely high", prioritising rescues over property damage.

A NSW budget estimates hearing on Tuesday heard five NSW National Parks and Wildlife Service helicopters remain grounded despite the need in flood-affected areas.

But Ms York told reporters shortly after the NPWS pilots were not trained to perform the highly-skilled technical rescues that SES pilots did and could put more people at risk.

People in South Ballina were told it was too late to leave on Tuesday morning as floodwaters hit the northern coastal town.

People in other parts of Ballina have been ordered to evacuate as unprecedented flooding continues to devastate vast swathes of the state's north coast.

The SES performed 932 flood rescues across the Northern Rivers region in the 24 hours to Tuesday morning.

There were five helicopters helping perform rescues in the Ballina region, along with 46 water rescue personnel and 500 volunteers.

The crisis has engulfed the northeastern part of the state, with multiple major flood warnings including the Tweed, Richmond, Wilsons, Brunswick, Bellinger and Clarence rivers.

Thousands of people spent the night in evacuation centres.

Lismore remains submerged after the Wilsons River peaked at 14.4 metres at 3pm on Monday before starting to fall.

Rescuers in a flotilla of dinghies and inflatables plucked stranded Lismore residents from rooftops and balconies of submerged homes.

Disaster assistance is now available in 17 local government areas.

The LGAs are Armidale, Ballina, Bellingen, Byron, Clarence Valley, Coffs Harbour, Glen Innes Severn, Hornsby, Kempsey, Kyogle, Lismore, Nambucca, Port Macquarie/Hastings, Richmond, Tenterfield, The Hills and Tweed.

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Australia will provide a further $70 million in support to Ukraine following the Russian invasion, including missiles and ammunition.

The decision to send lethal aid was made following a meeting on Tuesday morning of federal cabinet's national security committee

Prime Minister Scott Morrison said the majority of the support would go towards lethal aid to Ukrainian forces through a partnership with NATO.

A further $35 million will be provided to international organisations as part of humanitarian relief efforts to provide people with shelter, food and medical care.

Mr Morrison said he would not provide specifics of the lethal military aid that would be provided, due to national security concerns.

"I don't plan to give the Russian government a heads up about what is coming their way, but I can assure them it is coming your way," he told reporters in Canberra.

"We will be answering the call from (Ukrainian) President Zelenskyy. He said, 'Don't give me a ride, give me ammunition', and that is exactly what the Australian government has agreed to do."

The $70 million in lethal and non-lethal military aid was the "opening contribution" from Australia to the Ukrainian conflict.

Mr Morrison said it was expected there would be further requests made over time.

The prime minister has welcomed efforts from other countries to impose sanctions on Russia and its government following the Ukrainian invasion.

Mr Morrison said while the sanctions were working and having a serious impact on Russian progress, it was likely to lead to more aggression.

"It is also likely to lead to an even more violent response from Russia," he said.

"Anyone who thinks the Russian government is just going to sit there, I think, doesn't understand the intent and the outrageous objective of President Putin."

The government is also receiving about 100 visa applications from Ukrainian citizens each day, which are being prioritised.

The Sydney Opera House will be lit up in the colours of the Ukrainian flag on Tuesday night.

It follows Parliament House in Canberra being lit up in the colours of the flag on Monday night in solidarity with Ukraine.

The prime minister repeated warnings for Australians not to travel to Ukraine, particularly to fight in the conflict alongside Ukraine forces.

It comes as Ukraine's president signed a decree temporarily lifting entry visa requirements for foreigners willing to join Ukraine's defence force and fight against Russian troops.

The decree took effect from Tuesday and will remain in place as long as martial law is in place in Ukraine.

"The legal position of those who may seek to do that is very unclear ... anyone seeking to do that would find themselves on the wrong side of some very, very violent attacks," Mr Morrison said.

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese also reiterated calls for Australians not to travel to Ukraine in light of the invasion.

"The travel advice from Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade is to not travel to Ukraine, we would urge everyone, as we always do, to heed that advice," he told reporters in Melbourne on Tuesday.

"Vladimir Putin's extraordinary comments about nuclear weapons is just completely over the top, this guy just needs to back off and needs to get the message that he is isolated in the world."

The Labor leader said the opposition strongly supported the sanctions Australia had carried out against Russia, alongside international partners such as the United States, United Kingdom and European Union.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton told reporters in Canberra that Russian forces would become more intense as they move towards the capital of Kyiv.

"Many people will die unless President Putin changes the action of the course he is on at the moment," he said.

© AAP 2022

Australia will send a $105 million package of weapons along with humanitarian assistance to Ukraine following the Russian invasion.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced a $70 million of defensive support package for Ukraine, which includes missiles and ammunition.

A further $35 million would be spent on humanitarian assistance such as shelter, food and medical care.

The decision came following a meeting of federal cabinet's national security committee on Tuesday.

Mr Morrison said the majority of the defensive support to Ukraine would be lethal aid and distributed through a partnership with NATO.

However, he would not provide specifics on what weapons, or the amount of weapons, that would be sent to Ukraine due to national security concerns.

"I don't plan to give the Russian government a heads up about what is coming their way, but I can assure them it is coming your way," he told reporters in Canberra.

"We will be answering the call from (Ukrainian) President Zelenskyy. He said, 'Don't give me a ride, give me ammunition', and that is exactly what the Australian government has agreed to do."

The prime minister said the $35 million in humanitarian support, which would be provided to international organisations, would be the "opening contribution" from Australia.

Mr Morrison said it was expected there would be further requests made over time, and welcomed efforts from other countries to impose sanctions on Russia and its government following the Ukrainian invasion.

He said while the sanctions were working and having a serious impact on Russian progress, it was expected to lead to more aggression.

"It is also likely to lead to an even more violent response from Russia," he said.

"Anyone who thinks the Russian government is just going to sit there, I think, doesn't understand the intent and the outrageous objective of President Putin."

All outstanding visa applications for Ukrainians looking to come to Australia have been processed, the prime minister said.

About 100 applications are being received per day, which are being processed as the top priority due to the unfolding situation.

Mr Morrison said options were being prepared to support broader humanitarian efforts.

"We want to ensure we can provide the temporary refuge."

Opposition Leader Anthony Albanese said earlier on Tuesday there was bipartisan support for action taken against Russian aggression.

"It's important that there be a single direction going forward, as there has been up to this point, we would support any government action," he told reporters in Melbourne.

The Labor leader said the opposition strongly supported the sanctions Australia had carried out against Russia, alongside international partners such as the United States, United Kingdom and European Union.

Defence Minister Peter Dutton told reporters in Canberra that Russian forces would become more intense as they move towards the capital of Kyiv.

"Many people will die unless President Putin changes the action of the course he is on at the moment," he said.

Sydney's Opera House and Canberra's Parliament House were lit up with the colours of the Ukrainian flag - blue and yellow - on Tuesday night.

NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet attended the Opera House event and has written to the prime minister offering to take additional Ukrainian refugees.

Mr Morrison was also scheduled to attend alongside Mr Perrottet but pulled out at the last minute.

© AAP 2022