Skies clear over Australian floods yet warnings remain in place

SYDNEY - Rain clouds finally cleared on Wednesday over parts of eastern Australia seriously affected by flooding, however, warnings still remained in place with some rivers expected to continue rising.

Overnight a further 6,000 people were evacuated from affected areas, with 950 flood rescues and 11,000 calls to the State Emergency service for assistance in the 24 hours to Wednesday morning.

Thousands of people remained on evacuation standby, as much of New South Wales (NSW) State saw blue skies for the first time in a week.

"What we still have to be aware of is ... that the rivers will continue to swell, that catchments will continue to experience flows of water not seen in 50 years and in some places 100 years," NSW Premier Gladys Berejiklian said.

"But the easing of weather conditions does mean that rescue operations will be somewhat easier."

"Making sure that people who are isolated do have the basic products to get on with life and to make sure that they're comfortable and taken care of while the situation in their communities subsides."

Australian Defence Force Personnel were on standby to support clean up efforts, with Prime Minister Scott Morrison surveying flood affected areas around Sydney from a military helicopter.

Bureau of Meteorology (BoM) forecasts predicted no serious rainfalls for at least a week over the badly hit Mid North Coast and Sydney area, giving residents a chance to assess the extensive damage and clean up effort ahead.

"After days of heavy rain, we're finally seeing it start to ease. While it's some good news for hard hit communities, it's not the end of the story. Many areas are still facing significant flood risk, and in some communities waters are yet to peak," the BoM said in a statement.

Berejiklian described that there had so far been no fatalities as a "miracle" and thanked emergency personnel and volunteers who risked their own safety to help others.