Town centres are being inundated, and thousands of people are told to stay indoors amid flooding along Australia's eastern coastline.
Residents have been airlifted off roofs as town centres are inundated, with some communities told to stay indoors amid widespread flooding in eastern Australia.
A coastal trough is slowly moving over the NSW mid-north coast, bringing moderate to heavy rain to several towns.
More than 150 rescues were undertaken on Wednesday alone, including in Coffs Harbour and Taree, where the Manning River broke the record of six metres set in 1929, before plateauing towards noon.
More than 80 warnings were in place late on Wednesday morning after falls of up to 280mm in some areas.
"We have seen images of people on roofs. You are the absolute priority."
He said the Defence Force had responded to a request for assistance, helping more than 1600 SES volunteers.
Most rescues were in Taree, Wingham and Glenthorne, including several cars caught driving into floodwater.
With AAP.
