- Two men found dead in NSW
- Swimmer missing in Bondi
- One man found dead in ACT
- Search for missing Tas residents suspended
- Surf club at Coogee is at risk of collapse
- Heavy rain and severe weather warnings in Victoria
- Gold Coast beaches closed for third day
A search for an elderly man who was swept away by floodwater in Tasmania has been suspended as dangerous conditions also prevent rescuers from looking for a missing woman.
Authorities on Monday night suspended the search for a man in his 80s, who was swept away by floodwaters from his Ouse property about 8am.
"Significant resources were used today in an attempt to locate the missing man, but our efforts have been hampered by the conditions and the flood waters," Tasmania Police Inspector Matthew McCreadie said.
The search will resume at first light on Tuesday.
Flood waters in Latrobe have also prevented emergency services from looking for a woman in her 70s, whose home was inundated by water earlier on Monday morning.
Her husband was rescued from the roof of their property by helicopter.
Police say 107 people have been rescued by helicopter from flood-affected areas.
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Three people have died in floodwaters in NSW and the ACT as wild weather whips the state, with dangerous conditions expected to persist.
The bodies of three men have been found in cars caught in floods in separate incidents in the ACT, the NSW southern highlands and Sydney's southwest, police say.
The body of a 65-year-old man was found on Monday in a car in Mittagong Creek near Bowral, after the man was reported missing on Sunday.
The body of another man has been found in a ute at Leppington in Sydney's southwest and the body of a 37-year-old Canberra man was retrieved on Monday morning after he was trapped in his car in floodwaters near the Cotter Dam in the ACT.
And a swimmer is missing after being swept away by wild waves at Bondi Beach on Monday.
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The storm has moved off the south coast and conditions have eased, but authorities have warned the danger isn't over yet.
Dangerous waves will continue to pound the state's coast on Monday and abnormally high tides could set off further flooding and erosion at night, the Bureau of Meteorology has warned.
"We're not completely out of the woods yet," bureau forecaster Rebecca Kamitakahara told AAP. Major flooding is expected around Menangle in Sydney's west on Monday as the extensive downpour is channelled into the Nepean River.
The rain and floods forced evacuations in low-lying northern and southwestern Sydney suburbs, and about 700 evacuations at Narrabeen in Sydney's north, while beachfront properties at neighbouring Collaroy were battered by eight metre waves.
Collaroy's Garry Silk said he was shattered as he watched king tides eat at his beachfront home.
The 62-year-old returned on Monday morning to find 15 metres of his yard claimed by the waves and his in-ground swimming pool lying on the beach. "We lost our rear fence and then it actually undermined the house," he told AAP.
Residences in other parts of the state were also evacuated, including more than 2000 at Lismore on the state's north coast.
NSW Premier Mike Baird says property damage suffered is not significant compared to the lives that have been lost.
"We come with a heavy heart," Mr Baird told reporters at Collaroy Beach.
"It was a storm so ferocious, it took life from us. All the property damage goes into insignificance."
Nevertheless, Mr Baird said he didn't discount the hardships faced by those with homes ripped apart.
"Your home comes after that so it's very difficult."
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Flood warnings remain in place for a number of NSW rivers and coastal homes after the weekend of wild weather left 545 properties isolated.
The NSW SES performed 287 rescues in flooded areas and crews are still working on the more than 9700 calls for help they have recorded.
"There have been many rescues where people have driven or walked into floods. Where it's fast moving water, people are underestimating the force of the water and even vehicles can be easily swept away," SES spokesman Matt Reeves told AAP.
The NSW government will fast-track applications for emergency funding, including interest-free loans and grants for individuals, small business and community groups of up to $130,000.
So far, $30 million worth of insurance claims have been made. Legal Aid NSW has also advised those affected that it will be providing them with free legal advice, if required.
More than 226,000 homes and businesses lost power during the weekend storms, with thousands still yet to have their electricity restored. Roads, bridges and public transport have also been affected.
Elderly people swept away in Tasmania
Tasmanian police hold grave concerns for two elderly people missing as heavy rain drenches the island state.
Search and rescue specialists are searching in Ouse after reports a man in his 80s may have been swept away by flood waters.
The wife of another elderly man who was rescued from his Latrobe home earlier this morning by helicopter remains missing after water inundated their home.
More than a dozen people in Latrobe and its surrounds have been evacuated by boat, including a family of three rescued from the roof of their car.
Significant livestock losses at dairy farms along the Mersey river also have been reported.
Latrobe mayor Peter Freshney said the army had been called in to help with the "unique" flooding conditions.
"Even since the 1970 floods, there's been so many changes to the topography and the like that we really don't know what we're facing," he said.
"We're doing everything we can and all the resources are being thrown at it that we can muster."
Emergency crews have door-knocked homes at risk of flooding and police have urged people to refrain from driving through flood waters.
Landslides are also affecting roads in the state's north-west with parts of the Murchison Highway closed near Oonah.
The Bureau of Meteorology says the heavy rains inundating Tasmania will not ease until Tuesday, and wet weather is forecast for the rest of the week.
The SES warned of potential flooding in the Kimberley, Railton, Latrobe and Forth regions as the Mersey and Forth Rivers rise faster than anticipated.
Some residents in the Wynyard area were forced to leave, while the Emu River at Wivenhoe has reportedly flooded an industrial area.
Roads are closed and the SES has warned residents in the Kimberley, Railton, Latrobe and Forth region they may experience flooding as the Mersey and Forth Rivers rise faster than anticipated.
Some residents in the Wynyard area were forced to move due to the rising water levels, while the Emu River at Wivenhoe has burst its banks and reportedly flooded a nearby industrial area.
The clean up begins in NSW
Flood warnings remain in place for a number of NSW rivers, but the complex low that brought the torrential rain and strong winds has moved south and conditions have eased.
The NSW SES was called out to more than 9000 jobs over the weekend and performed 270 rescues in flooded areas.
"Many of them because people have driven into water. You don't know how deep the water is and how fast the water is flowing and often you don't know if the road is even there underneath the vehicle," SES Acting Commission Greg Newton told the Nine Network on Monday.
The SES was still to work through about 3000 of the 9000 call-outs.
"Our crews will be out there at first light this morning to get that clean-up going," Mr Newton said.
He said authorities were still concerned about a number of swollen rivers that had "significant amounts of water in them", particularly the Nepean and the Hawkesbury out of Sydney.
The storm has cleared Sydney but will smash the state's south coast for another day, dumping another 100mm on the already-soaked region, before moving south towards Tasmania.
The Nepean and Hawkesbury rivers in outer Sydney remain on flood watch.
Victoria: East Gippsland on flood watch as rains hit
Heavy rain over Victoria's east coast is easing after more than 150mm fell on some areas at the weekend.
Bureau of Meteorology senior forecaster Richard Carlyon says rainfall has begun to ease over East Gippsland and should move out of Victoria by this afternoon.
The rain, brought with a low-pressure system from NSW, only glanced most of the far east of the state, although some areas received more than 150mm over three days.
The bureau warns flash flooding in the East Gippsland district is still possible and a minor flood warning is in place for the Cann, Genoa, Bombala and Snowy rivers.
Gold Coast beaches closed for third day
Gold Coast beaches are closed for the third consecutive day as rough conditions linger after a weekend of wild weather.
Heavy rain and a king tide combined to create huge swells of almost five metres on Saturday prompting life savers to rule beaches unsafe.
They'll remain off limits on Monday with turbulent water close to shore persisting.
"There's also a lot (of debris) that has flowed out from creeks and rivers," Gold Coast chief lifeguard Warren Young told AAP.
"We'll assess, then make a call tomorrow about whether to re-open."
The low pressure system dumped 267 millimetres of rain in less than 24 hours at Upper Springbrook in the Gold Coast hinterland on Saturday.
