UPDATE: Thursday, April 23, 9:46 a.m.:
Four people have died in New South Wales during a wild week of storms. An 86-year-old woman was found deceased on Wednesday evening in a car swept away by floodwaters at Maitland. Police did not find evidence a second person was in another car, as previously thought, and no one has been reported missing in the area.
Three elderly residents were confirmed dead on Tuesday in the Hunter region, after houses in the region were swept away.
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Three people are dead, and two more are missing, as storms continue to smash coastal regions of New South Wales, Australia.
The cities of Sydney and Newcastle have barely been functioning, as major roads are flooded, power is out and trees are strewn across suburbs. Torrential rain and cyclonic winds -- with gusts up to 150km/h in some areas -- have been consistent since Monday, causing grief for residents.
This is Crown street this morning, only one street over from me. These Sydney storms are crazy. pic.twitter.com/CWMadCrzPP— Tasharasaurus Rex (@Soulfuric) April 21, 2015
The hardest hit regions of the Hunter and Central Coast will be declared a state of natural disaster, the Premier of New South Wales, Mike Baird, said at a press conference on Wednesday. The Insurance Council of Australia labelled the weather event a "catastrophe," with losses estimated at A$129 million on Wednesday morning -- a figure expected to rise dramatically.
The town of Dungog, in the Hunter Region, has copped more rain in the past few days than any period in the last century, according to Baird. Three elderly residents were confirmed dead on Tuesday, as severe flooding in the town swept houses away. On Wednesday, police divers searched for at least two people who are missing in a car in floodwaters in Maitland.
The New South Wales State Emergency Service has completed 90 flood rescues, as the intense low pressure system in the Hunter region looks to finally ease on Wednesday afternoon, and move south down the coast towards Sydney and offshore to the east. A severe weather warning is current in the Sydney and Illawarra regions, with heavy rain and strong wind gusts expected to continue, according to the Bureau of Meteorology.
In the last 48 hours, Sydney has been hit with 225mm of rain -- the highest rainfall since 1998, according to the West Australian -- with levels expected to rise a further 50mm by midnight Wednesday.
Manly Dam, in Sydney's northern beaches, came close to overflowing on Tuesday evening and Wednesday morning, with locals on high alert amid fears of flash flooding affecting surrounding properties. The immediate threat has passed, but the situation is still being monitored.
Photos of the storm show the path of destruction, as many homes remain without power and water on Wednesday afternoon and the state of New South Wales prepares for a lengthy recovery operation.
