Scores rescued from Australia storms

Australia's east coast is being pummelled by powerful waves, some reaching heights of 15m (50ft) 
 

Nearly 100 people have been rescued from floodwaters in Sydney and New South Wales as powerful storms continue to lash Australia's east coast. 

Three elderly people were found dead on Tuesday in Dungog, north of Sydney, where homes have been washed away by flooding.

Some 200,000 homes across the state are still without power on Wednesday.

Australia's weather agency has warned of more heavy rain and high winds before conditions begin to ease.

The Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) has said that gusts of 100km/h (62mph) are still possible along the coast and that thunderstorms could lead to flash flooding for parts of the Sydney area and Illawarra district.

In other developments:

• A seriously ill baby girl was rescued by emergency crews in the Gillieston Heights suburb of Maitland and taken to hospital
• Police say two elderly women are missing after a car was swept away in Maitland, near Newcastle
• Newcastle, a major coal port north of Sydney, has stopped all ship movements due to the storm
• The State Emergency Service (SES) says it has received nearly 9,000 calls for help and has conducted 93 flood rescues

"We're seeing a continuation of the wind, rain, flash flooding, and whilst it is still dangerous, the positive is that there is some easing. But we still have a lot to get through in the next 48 hours," said NSW State Premier Mike Baird on Wednesday, as quoted by ABC News.

He added that some of the worst hit locations would be declared natural disaster areas.

"To give you a sense of the size and scope - in Dungog there's more rain that has come down in the last 24 hours than they have seen in a 24-hour period for the past century."


Earlier, he urged workers to avoid travelling at peak times to try to ease the strain on transport networks struggling to cope with the storm.

A severe weather warning has been cancelled for the Hunter district but is still in place for the Sydney area and Illawarra because of damaging winds, heavy rain and very heavy surf.

Local media report that SES helicopters have been able to take off for the first time in 36 hours and will be used to take supplies to the worst affected areas such as Dungog.


 

One resident in Greta, near Maitland, said the water had risen so fast it had reached waist height by the time he called the emergency services.

"About lunch time it was lapping at the back steps and I thought I had better get out of here. I put a pair of jeans on, a jumper and tried to get out the front door," Henry Krayevski told ABC News.

By the time his rescuers reached him, Mr Krayevski said he was clinging to a tree outside with the floodwater at chest height.

Maitland itself has also had more than 300mm of rainfall since Tuesday morning.





The heavy rainfall in Sydney has also closed some roads


The SES has said that winds have been "cyclonic" in some areas


The heavy wind is blowing sand away from beaches along the coast

An evacuation warning has been issued for the area around the Manly lagoon and the surrounding district, north of Sydney.

The area's mayor Michael Regan told the BBC that the intense rain and wind had taken their toll on the beaches.

"Residents are telling me they've seen nothing like this before," he said. "What happens now depends on how much more rain we get and how high the tides are."

SES Deputy Commissioner Steven Pearce said: "We've never seen these cyclonic winds last for 24 hours straight. That's what's caused the majority of the damage."

A Carnival cruise ship that was trapped at sea has entered Sydney harbour, local media report.
Air, train and road travel is still being disrupted in Sydney although some ferry services have resumed.