Hundreds of residents remain at the evacuation centre, and 52 rescues are being carried out overnight despite conditions being relaxed.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese has announced the launch of a cleanup operation in eastern Australia after record floods killed five people and hit tens of thousands of people.
A damage assessment is underway in the eastern New South Wales coastal region, where at least 10,000 properties are believed to have been damaged on Saturday, the state Department of Emergency Services said.
The situation has been eased since Friday after unrelenting rains cleared livestock and destroyed homes after days of isolated townships in isolated towns, the agency added.
“We continue to work closely across federal, state and local governments to ensure that Australians have the support they need now,” Albanese posted on X.
Despite improved conditions, hundreds of residents remained at the evacuation centres, with 52 rescues being conducted overnight, state Emergency Services Commissioner Mike Washing said.
Flood deaths rose after a man in the ’80s was found in a flooded facility about 50 km (32 miles) from Tully, one of the worst towns, police said.
“It’s awful to hear the news of more lives being lost,” Albanese said after being forced to cancel his trip to Tully on Friday due to floods.
In the worst case scenario, floods have isolated about 50,000 people and diving channels to the most populous state in the country.
After a powerful storm system dumped months of rain in three days, coastal areas were littered with debris and dead animals.
Train services, including airport services, were affected by flooded trucks. Sydney Airport closed two of its three runways for an hour on Friday morning, delaying flights.
Australia has suffered from a series of extreme weather events in recent years, with experts attributing climate change.
Frequent flooding has caused widespread devastation across the country since early 2021, following droughts and wildfires at the end of the last decade.
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