Aussie state warned to prepare for severe weather after 5 deaths from floods

Although the East Coast Low weather affecting Australia's New South Wales (NSW) state since last week has weakened, local residents are still told to keep preparing for severe weather for the weekend.

Till Friday, NSW police confirmed at least five deaths in the state's ongoing flood rescues, with many people reported to be missing or trapped. The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) Deputy Commissioner Daniel Austin warned the flooding is "far from over" around Sydney and suggested there may be a new weather system from Sunday.

Currently, the state has 68 evacuation orders and 14 evacuation warnings in place, with more evacuation centers opened to people affected by the severe weather.

NSW Northern Rivers town of Mullumbimby, one of the worst-hit areas, is out of phone or Internet access and is cut off from essential supplies, while rescuers cannot access anyone west of the town.

"We currently have no phones, Internet and communications in a number of areas across Mullumbimby and our smaller communities. It is very challenging to get help to communities," the SES Mullumbimby said in a statement on Friday.

The severe weather ravaged NSW hard on Thursday, and SES said it responded to 3,133 requests for assistance in 24 hours, including 219 flood rescues, 56 of which were in the Greater Sydney area.

NSW Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) said that while most floodwaters are receding, enormous flood warnings remain, including major flood warnings for Clarence, Hawkesbury, Nepean, Richmond, Gloucester and Weir rivers.

For the rest of NSW, residents are told to prepare for some likely heavier rainfalls during the weekend, which may lead to renewed river rises and flooding. Communities are encouraged to keep up to date with the latest forecasts and warnings and to follow the advice of emergency services.