In Lismore, business owners are reeling after being caught off guard by a downpour on Wednesday afternoon that rapidly flooded low-lying buildings.
Flash flooding also caught motorists off guard and one elderly womanâs attempt to drive through floodwaters in Lismoreâs town centre ended in a dramatic rescue.
Adam Bailey and Alan Blanch, co-owners of Northern Rivers Collectables, helped save an elderly woman from drowning in floodwaters in Lismore on Wednesday.
Adam Bailey and Alan Blanch were trying to save as many items as possible in their Northern Rivers Collectables shop as the water rose 20 to 30cm high when they dropped everything to save a woman from drowning.
The northern NSW city of Lismore has been declared a natural disaster area after heavy rain and floods caused an estimated $20 million of damage.
Locals were caught off guard when a month s worth of rain fell in just two hours yesterday.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison and NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian were briefed by the SES before making the natural disaster declaration today, paving the way for the area to receive emergency funds.
Mr Morrison said Lismore was a very resilient community .
Flood warnings are in place for Lismore while NSW braces for severe storms later today.(Reece D Alessandro)
More flood warnings have been issued across as residents try to mop up after a torrential deluge battered the region.