Two elderly women are missing in floodwaters after their car was swept from a road in the second day of storms which have battered New South Wales, causing more than $100m of damage.
On Tuesday there were three confirmed fatalities in Dungog, a town north of Newcastle that was one of the areas worst hit by the severe weather conditions. On Wednesday, more than 200,000 homes were without power across Sydney, the Hunter and the Illawarra.
The car, a silver hatchback, was swept off Cessnock Road in Maitland at about 8.50am on Wednesday, according to police. Four people had to be rescued from the floodwater when they tried to reach the car, which police believe was carrying two elderly women.
The car was completely submerged in the floodwaters and the Westpac helicopter was called in to help police, firefighters and state emergency service (SES) volunteers with the search.
Meanwhile, the three people killed in floodwaters in Dungog on Tuesday were identified by the Newcastle Herald as Robyn McDonald, who was about 70, Colin Webb, 79, and Brian Wilson, 72.
McDonald lived in Hooke Street and Webb and Wilson lived a block away in Brown Street, across the road from each other.
Dungog resident Sally Fitzpatrick, a former neighbour of McDonald, said the town was ‘‘very quiet’’ and ‘‘in shock’’.
“I heard [McDonald] didn’t want to abandon her dog and she was washed away but the dog survived,’’ she said.
Sydney and the Illawarra continued to face heavy rainfall and winds of up to 100km/h throughout Wednesday afternoon, although the Bureau of Meteorology said the most severe storms had peaked before midday.
NSW premier Mike Baird said Dungog, Maitland and parts of the central coast would be declared a disaster zone with the details to be decided on in the next 24 hours. He said the state still had a tough 48 hours ahead of it and there would still be possible danger from flooding when the sun comes out.
“We ask those communities to hang tough. We are there to support you and undoubtedly we still have some difficult hours ahead of us as this weather pattern continues to move through,” he said.
“Every community can have this assurance that we will do everything possible we can to help them get back on their feet.”
Dungog and parts of the surrounding towns remain without power, internet and mobile phone networks. While the worst of the weather has now passed further south, cleanup operations have now begun.
A cruise ship that had been stranded overnight outside of Sydney Heads was allowed to dock in the harbour on Wednesday morning. Dangerous 13m swells had forced the port authority to close the harbour on Tuesday.
The Carnival Spirit’s 4,000 passengers disembarked on Wednesday morning without injury. There were reports of a few broken panes of glass, but the ship captain confirmed there had been no other damage.
The SES received 9,100 calls over the past three days, and made 100 flood rescues. “The more difficult days are still ahead of us in terms of getting on top of the scale of this event,” said SES commissioner Andrew Dent.
More than 19,500 claims have already been received by insurance companies, with losses estimated at $129m, the Insurance Council of Australia said.
