More than 100 homes on the New South Wales south coast remain without power after the region was lashed by wild winds and heavy rains again overnight, but authorities say conditions are set to ease.
Endeavour Energy crews were working on Tuesday to restore electricity to 110 homes and businesses between Jamberoo and Kangaroo Valley, south of Wollongong.
The company's spokesman Peter Payne said it was likely to take several hours as the damaged infrastructure was proving difficult to access due to road closures and landslips.
"We need heavy vehicles to get in and repair the network," he said.
"Electricity supply is heavy construction where you have to take everything with you.
Sussex Inlet inundated
An evacuation warning was also issued to dozens of residents at Sussex Inlet, south of Nowra, due to concerns of flooding on the high tide overnight.
Sandra Gray lives beside the inlet and said the water level rose more quickly than anticipated.
"The whole of the centre part of Sussex around River Road, Wunda Avenue, most of those properties would be fully inundated," she said.
"I think we'll be inundated for at least a couple of days."
Ms Gray said the warning about the rising waters came too late due to incorrectly placed flood markers.
"Where our flood gauge is, is actually way past Sussex, and so that's not where the risk of flooding comes from," she said.
"So, we're going to keep pushing for some flood markers to be put at Pool Avenue and near the bridge."
A minor flood warning remained in place for the Shoalhaven River at Nowra and Terara and along St Georges Basin at Sussex Inlet and Island Point Road on Tuesday.
Several caravan parks around Lake Illawarra had also been told to remain prepared to evacuate after a warning was first issued by the State Emergency Service on Sunday night.
'It was so surreal'
Surf Life Savers from the NSW Illawarra said it was "surreal" watching the emergency unfold in south-west Sydney after returning home from a two-day deployment.
The crews from the Thirroul and Bellambi clubs assisted emergency services with evacuations and the delivery of food and medical supplies in parts of Camden, Liverpool and Windsor.
Director of Surf Life Saving in the Illawarra, Anthony Turner, said the volunteers helped rescue a baby.
"We did some rescues with the SES with people trapped in their properties with the rising flood waters," Mr Turner said.
"The youngest was a 12-month-old baby, and we rescued some dogs as well.
"Those clubs have done an extraordinary job."
The Bureau of Meteorology said wet and windy conditions would likely linger for the rest of the week, although the trough that had bought the torrential rain since Friday would gradually ease over the Illawarra.
Since Friday, the region has recorded some of the highest rainfall totals in the state, with more than 800 millimetres of rain falling at Brogers Creek near Berry and more than 700mm at Wattamolla, near Kangaroo Valley.
The region has been declared a natural disaster zone eligible for financial assistance.
