A woman is missing in floodwaters in central-west NSW after a vehicle was swept off a causeway.
Three people managed to escape the vehicle and make their way to safety when it was inundated at Cooyal Creek at Gulgong, north of Mudgee, on Sunday night.
Police say a 45-year-old male driver and two male passengers – aged 43 and 26 – survived but a third passenger, a woman in her 20s, was missing on Monday after also getting free from the vehicle.
The search came as two weather systems cause more pain for NSW residents in already flooded areas as emergency services prepare more people for evacuations.
There were more than 140 flood warnings across NSW on Monday, with almost every corner of the state at risk.
Residents at Lismore in the Northern Rivers region were told to prepare to evacuate on Sunday night, facing the prospect of a third major flood there this year.
The Bureau of Meteorology said moderate flooding was likely along the Wilsons River at Lismore from late Monday morning, with major flooding possible from Monday night.
The bureau is predicting heavy rainfall with possible flash flooding over parts of the Northern Rivers through the morning, with six-hourly rainfall totals of 60-100 millimetres possible. Conditions are expected to ease later in the morning.
NSW State Emergency Services northern zone commander Andrew Cribb said some low-lying parts of south Lismore were already underwater, although the flooding was unlikely to be as severe as the inundation that hit the area earlier this year.
“There are still some concerns … we are still predicting up to moderate flooding,” he told Nine’s Today program on Monday.
Moderate rain is expected along the coast and ranges further south into the state’s mid-north coast, however heavy rainfall is no longer expected in the area.
Other towns at risk of flooding include Hay, Wentworth, Ballina, Yamba and Maclean.
Meanwhile, a second system is travelling across the border from South Australia, bringing more rain to already saturated parts of the state.
Authorities are pleading with people not to drive through floodwaters with a frustrated NSW Premier Dominic Perrottet saying they are tying up resources and risking lives.
Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said every corner of NSW had a flood warning.
The areas of most concern were in the state’s north, with waters rising in places including Moree and Gunnedah.
The Mehi River at Moree peaked at 10.5 metres on Sunday and was expected to remain above the major flood level (8.8 metres) into Tuesday.
Mayor Mark Johnson said there was a sense of relief on Sunday night when the river started to recede but also “a sense of apprehension about the clean-up”.
“The damage is horrific and extensive,” he told ABC TV on Monday .
“I went for a fly on Saturday and even the crops that weren’t flooded, were laying on the ground from excessive rainfall.”
There are evacuation orders for Moree, Terry Hie Hie, Gunnedah and Carroll in the state’s north, the Riverina town of Narrandera and Mudgee in the central west.
Residents have also been ordered to higher ground at Cummeragunja, Mathoura East, Murray Valley and Moama on the Murray River, where floodwater is expected to peak on Monday.
Across NSW, 200 Australian Defence Force personnel have been deployed, with more than a dozen helicopters helping with rescue and relief efforts, including three defence choppers.
There are natural disaster declarations in more than 40 local government areas, opening councils, residents and businesses for financial aid.
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Further flood threat to Victoria
Thunderstorms could lead to flash flooding in Victorian towns already reeling after more than a week of swollen rivers.
The Bureau of Meteorology warned on Monday morning that severe storms could hit towns in the state’s north, including Echuca and Shepparton, bringing heavy rain that might cause renewed flooding.
There were severe weather warnings for the Mallee and Wimmera districts down to the Grampians, with the bureau predicting up to 100 millimetres of rain within 24 hours in some areas.
“Some areas are already saturated or currently flooding due to recent rainfall which may lead to further flooding in those areas,” it said.
The weather system is expected to dump heavy rain in the state’s north and west during Monday, before easing from the west later.
The warnings follow several flood peaks across the state at the weekend, as rising rivers forced evacuations in Echuca.
The Murray River surpassed the 1993 flood level of 94.77 metres above sea level at Echuca on Saturday and was forecast to peak about 95 metres on Sunday night into Monday.
Engineers checked the Victorian-NSW border town’s three-kilometre temporary dirt levee and it remained structurally sound.
Further north-west, the Loddon River at Kerang has peaked below the 78-metre forecast – at 77.97 metres – but the threat is yet to pass.
Floodwaters have receded only slightly and aren’t expected to noticeably drop for up to a week, keeping the community isolated.
A levee in the south-west corner of Kerang has been breached, sending water into an industrial area, caravan parks and about 20 homes.
Victorian Premier Daniel Andrews has pleaded with residents in Echuca and Kerang to heed evacuation advice.
“Please give that very careful thought. We don’t issue those warnings lightly,” he said.
-with AAP
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