Debbie's devastation from above: Incredible aerial photos show entire towns submerged by rising waters - as TWO women die in the floods

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Incredible photos have emerged showing the devastation wreaked by rising floodwaters in New South Wales, as police confirm a second woman has died in the aftermath of ex-tropical Cyclone Debbie.

A 64-year-old woman has been confirmed dead after her car was swept away by floodwaters in the New South Wales Hunter Valley overnight.

NSW police said a couple were driving across a causeway on a property in Gungal, west of Muswellbrook, about 9pm on Thursday when their car was washed into floodwaters. 

A 74-year-old man escaped from the car, but his 64-year-old wife was trapped.  

She is the second person confirmed dead in the devastating aftermath of Cyclone Debbie. 

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An aerial photograph of floodwaters engulfing aircraft parked at the airport, Lismore, after the Wilsons River breached its banks

An aerial view of floodwaters engulfing central Lismore, New South Wales, on Friday after the Wilsons River breached its banks

An aerial view of floodwaters engulf the Bruxner Highway and Lismore Airport on Friday after the Wilsons River breached its banks

NSW police said the 74-year-old man searched for his wife throughout the night without success and alerted police about 8.30am on Friday. 

Police divers searched the Worondi Riveulet and found the woman's body in the vehicle about 5pm, submerged in four metres of water.  

Another woman's body was discovered on a flooded property on Upper Burringbar Road, about 20km south of Murwillumbah, New South Wales.

Her body was discovered by a family member about 8am on Friday, police confirmed. 

NSW Police Media told Daily Mail Australia the cause of death would not be known until a postmortem was conducted next week. 

An aerial photograph of floodwaters engulfing residential housing in central Lismore on Friday after the Wilsons River breached its banks

Police also hold grave fears for a 77-year-old man reported missing from Eagleby.

Nelson Raebel was last sighted at approximately 4:30pm near Eagleby Road wearing a blue, short-sleeve shirt and green khaki shorts.

Police hold grave fears for missing 77-year-old man Nelson Raebel reported missing from Eagleby

Queensland police are appealing for information to help find Mr Raebel.

The Caucasian man, who has grey hair and hazel eyes, was reported missing after failing to return home.

Meanwhile, aerial view photos have captured northern New South Wales town Lismore engulfed in floodwaters.

The confronting photos taken on Friday capture the epic scale of the natural disaster. 

One photograph shows the Lismore airport almost entirely submerged by floodwaters. 

Other photos show residential houses in Lismore's centre just poking their heads above the rising water.  

Lismore is about 80km from Murwillumbah, where a woman was found dead on her flooded property on Friday morning. 

Northern New South Wales towns Lismore and Tweed were declared natural disaster zones on Friday after about 20,000 residents were forced to abandon homes and properties overnight. 

The State Emergency Service rescued hundreds of people in northern NSW after the Richmond, Wilsons and Tweed rivers spilled over.  

An aerial view of floodwaters engulfing the central business district of Lismore, New South Wales

Meanwhile in Chinderah, in Tweed New South Wales, the army has been called in to help with evacuations. 

Residents and their pets were taken to safety in army troop carriers on Friday night. 

An elderly woman and a three-month-old baby were reportedly both taken to hospital after being evacuation from the town.  

River levels in Chinderah are expected to peak at 2.3 metres on Saturday morning, which is just below record flood levels in 1974.  

Locals use a boat to travel through South Murwillumbah in northern NSW on Friday

Stranded residents negotiate floodwaters in central Lismore, New South Wales on Friday

The government announced disaster relief funding would be made available for individuals and businesses affected by the disaster.  

Speaking at a press conference on Friday Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull said: 'Our sympathies go to her family and her friends'. 

'As we observed yesterday in Queensland, nature's flung its worst at Australians, but it brings out the best in Australians: the resilience, the solidarity of the communities and the extraordinary response of the emergency services,' he said. 

The NSW State Emergency Service has made almost 400 flood rescues and had thousands of calls for help since Wednesday night. 

The cyclone flooding has already exceeded the destruction of historic 1954 and 1974 floods in northern NSW.

Residents negotiate floodwaters in central Lismore, New South Wales, on Friday

There were fears more people would die as tens of thousands of residents were ordered to evacuate and 140,000 Queenslanders remained without power.  

There are also reports people in the northern NSW area are missing and can not be reached by loved ones. 

Authorities were unsure how many people were awaiting rescue as some may not have had access to phones.

Queensland Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said efforts were continuing in Lamington National Park to find a bushwalker missing since Wednesday.  

While some residents have evacuated their houses altogether, others have sought refuge in the second story of their houses

The cyclone flooding has already exceeded the destruction of historic 1954 and 1974 floods in northern NSW

The cyclone flooding has already exceeded the destruction of historic 1954 and 1974 floods in northern NSW

The Kindred Collective store in South Murwillumbah, NSW, is pictured underwater

Lismore is flooded after the Wilson River broke its bank on Friday

Flooding in Northern Rivers town of Mullumbimby in NSW is pictured on Friday 

A car is pictured submerged in floodwaters at Toombul in Queensland on Thursday

An aerial view of the flooding in the northern New South Wales town of Lismore after the area was hit by Cyclone Debbie

MULWILLUMBAH DRENCHED WITH MORE THAN 400MM OF RAIN 

Up to 423 millimetres of rain fell in Murwillumbah within 24 hours, Bureau of Meteorology said on Thursday.

In parts of the northern rivers, 780mm fell within 48 hours in the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie.

An exhausted horse sheltered in the doorway of a home at Murwillumbah on Friday, according to a heartbreaking Facebook post shared on Friday.

'She is completely exhausted and we have spoken with the vet,' the daughter of the horse owner wrote.

Homes and business are underwater in Lismore on Friday as potentially deadly conditions continue.

Sirens in the northern NSW town are warning residents to head to higher ground or get on their roofs after floodwater topped the protective levee.

Three metres of water is expected to drown the town and exceed floods seen in 2001 and 2005, NSW SES Deputy Commissioner Mark Morrow said.

Lismore resident Rebekka Battista said she lived through about three floods, but none devastated the town as badly as this one

Lismore resident Rebekka Battista said water levels rose extremely quickly and 'shocked a lot of people' 

'A lot of people feel they've lost everything,' Lismore resident Rebekka Battista told Daily Mail Australia

'A lot of business owners are going to come back and find they are lost for words,' Lismore resident Rebekka Battista told Daily Mail Australia

Lismore resident Rebekka Battista told Daily Mail Australia on Friday the northern NSW town had been threatened by floodwaters at least three times in her lifetime. 

But she said none devastated the town quite like this one. 

'A lot of people here are very used to floods, but I'm not sure they were ready for this,' she said. 

'The water came incredibly quickly and shocked a lot of people.' 

Ms Battista captured her town in a series of confronting photographs on Friday, and came away from the trip devastated. 

'I was lost for words,' she said. 

'A lot of people are going to come back to their homes and businesses and find they have lost everything.

'There's going to be a lot of tears.'   

A girl stands at the edge of flood waters at the flooded Beenleigh train station carpark

Vehicles submerged in flood water near Beenleigh train station south of Brisbane, Australia

Residents carry sandbags at Mount Warren Park, south of Brisbane, on Friday

A man carries sandbags in Mount Warren Park on Friday during floods

A horse is pictured taking shelter in a home at Murwillumbah during floods

Lismore residents are pictured evacuating their homes through floodwaters

Lismore is pictured flooded after the Wilson River breached its banks on Friday

Search Emergency Services are pictured rescuing people from a flooded causeway near Tabragalba, south of Brisbane

Some of those who called for help overnight couldn't be reached, with the possibility of the 'distressing news' of deaths to come, he said.

'There could be people overnight that perished in that flood, we don't know at this stage,' he told ABC television on Friday morning.

'We expect this morning that as we start to go out and try to find people that made those calls overnight, there could be some very distressing news.'

Lismore's city's siren was activated at 4.15am on Friday warning residents to leave immediately.

'It's the first time it's been activated in 12 years,' Lismore mayor Isaac Smith told AAP on Friday.

Floodwaters topped the 10.6 metre level at 4.15am on Friday, with water levels predicted to reach 11.5 metres later in the day, Mr Smith said. 

A boy is seen walking through floodwater south of Brisbane on Friday

Lismore is seen flooded on Friday after Wilson River breached its banks

Mark 'Huey' Hewitt drinks a beer in floodwaters in central Lismore on Friday

Residents wade through rising floodwaters as they leave their home in central Lismore

Floodwaters in Kenilworth in Queensland are pictured on Friday morning

The SES is predicting the situation could worsen during the day with a high tide due at 1pm.

The wind is expected to pick up on Friday, compounding the dangers.

'We'll start to see trees coming down, potentially powerlines,' Mr Morrow said.

'That's the back-end associated with that cyclone in Queensland.

'We're far from out of this and I think the recovery efforts that are going to have to occur are going to be significant.'

The Lismore mayor said people had been caught off guard, and the city is in uncharted territory. 

Central Lismore is seen flooded underwater on Friday

A woman evacuates her home in Lismore on Friday

Floodwaters in Lismore are pictured on Friday in the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie 

A man is pictured walking through floodwaters in Lismore in northern NSW

Heavy rainfall and flash flooding is pictured in southeast Queensland

Mr Smith said the city's protective levee had never failed Lismore before.

'It's never happened, 12 years now the levee's stood there and kept out major and minor floods,' he said.

'A lot of people here are just a bit concerned about how it's going to go, but we honestly don't know,' he told ABC TV on Friday.

Mr Morrow said floodwaters would reach the roof of homes or even higher.

'A lot of people that are going to be displaced from their businesses or their homes.'

Mr Morrow painted a picture of dramatic bids to save lives overnight. 

'About 130 flood rescues, people in cars, people trapped on roofs of houses. We'll get out there as soon as we can in daylight with aerial assets as well, helicopters and we'll try and find those people that made calls to us last night and help them this morning.'

He said about 6,000 people had left their homes.

Residents use a boat in the main street on Friday at Billinudgel in floodwaters 

Young men surf down the main street on Friday in floodwaters at Billinudgel

Locals paddle through floodwaters on surfboards on Friday

A man and young boy walk through floodwaters in the main street at Billinudgel

Residents surf down the street after heavy rain through flooding

Flooding at Beenleigh train station at Logan, south of Brisbane, is pictured

A pharmacy employee cleans up storm water from her store in Airlie Beach in north Queensland

Floods in the the Jones Park and the South East Freeway bikeway, south of Brisbane, on Thursday

Residents in the flood zone caused by ex-tropical cyclone Debbie have spent the night holed up in evacuation centres, as the system tracked south past Brisbane and into northern NSW.

River levels in some threatened communities were continuing to rise, even on a low tide, when they should be starting to drop. 

State Emergency Service deputy commissioner Mark Morrow spoke out on Friday in an effort to stop dangerous behaviour in floodwaters.

'To tell you the truth, I have seen disgusting footage today of people being dragged around behind vehicles on wakeboards thinking it is fun. It is not, it is serious,' he told ABC news.

Floodwater threatens homes at Ocean Shores, near Byron Bay, on Friday

People wade through flooding in Mount Warren Park, Queensland, on Friday

Children play on a paddleboard in Mount Warren Park, south of Brisbane

Residents escape their flooded house in Mount Warren on Friday

Debris is pictured cutting off the road through floods at South Murwillumbah

Residents carry sand bags to their homes in Mount Warren Park

Residents row a boat down the flooded street in South Murwillumbah

Hayman Island is pictured as guests are allowed to head home

Mermaid Waters Canal in the Gold Coast is pictured on Friday

Lismore is underwater and floodwaters could reach three metres deep on Friday

South Lismore businesses are pictured underwater on Friday morning

A church in South Lismore is pictured flooded in on Friday morning

He said the worst was not over and people in flood affected areas needed to remain vigilant.  

'In some places further to the north, like Chinderah up around Tweed Heads where the water should be falling on a low tide now it's actually increasing. That's not a good sign for today.' 

He said 13 evacuation orders remained current, affecting about 25,000 people in northern NSW towns.

People in Tweed Heads South and West, Chinderah, Kingscliff, Fingal Head and Bilambil have been told to leave.

Closer to the Queensland border, residents in 500 homes in the South Murwillumbah, Condong and Tumbulgum areas were also ordered to evacuate, with the Tweed River experiencing major flooding.

Floodwaters are pictured dangerously high in South Lismore on Friday morning

The Gold Coast is pictured on Thursday where a home was flooded

Part of John Muntz Causeway bridge collapsed in Oxenford in the Gold Coast on Thursday

Flooding at Mermaid Waters in Queensland's Gold Coast is pictured on Friday

Destruction at Hamilton Island is pictured on Thursday evening

Norman Buchan Park in Bardon, Brisbane, is pictured on Thursday

Kindred Collective is pictured underwater on Friday in South Murwillumbah, NSW

Authorities have lamented those ignoring advice and driving through floodwaters.

SES spokesman Brent Hunter those people were 'playing Russian roulette with their lives', Daily Telegraph reported.

A 'WALL OF WATER' HEADS FOR THE GOLD COAST

Gold Coast residents have been warned to prepare as wind gusts up to 100km/h are expected to lash the region this afternoon. 

Meanwhile, residents of low-lying parts of Logan and the Gold Coast have been told to move to higher ground as a 'wall of water' heads towards the region.

The Gold Coast council has told residents near the northern suburbs of Stapylton and Jacobs Well to evacuate, and warned those who remain behind they risk being trapped by floodwaters for several days.

Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said people in the area should get out now.

Lismore streets are pictured underwater as floodwaters rise on Friday

Residents in Lismore (pictured) have been warned to evacuate immediately, as flood waters rise and torrential rain continues

 Queenslanders are being told to go home at lunchtime on Thursday, as the state prepares to be drenched with a month's worth of rain (flooded Gold Coast carpark on Thursday)

The Causeway in Oxenford over the Coomera River fell through

A stop sign and homes are pictured inundated with floodwaters at Lismore in NSW

'Floodwaters are approaching, and they are putting out SMS alerts to people in those areas, asking people to go to higher ground, to evacuate to friends and family,' he said.

'They are urgent alerts and we have asked the community to take them seriously.

Residents in low-lying areas around Beenleigh have also been told to get out as the Albert River continues to rise towards a possible 130-year record level.

The Bureau of Meteorology says the river level may reach around 8.0 metres in the areas on Friday afternoon, near the 8.1 metre record level set in 1887.

Chad Allen, 10, and his mother Chloe collect drinking water from an army tank at Airlie Beach

Damage to a causeway over the Coomera River near Oxenford on the Gold Coast is pictured on Friday

Damage to the Gold Coast causeway is pictured on Friday

Logan Mayor Luke Smith told the Courier Mail a 'wall of water' was heading for the area from the Scenic Rim region.

'We're in for a significant inundation of major flooding. It's just about waiting to see where all the water happens to go.'

Floodwaters are expected to peak around midday today in both areas.

Bureau of Meteorology regional director Bruce Gunn said rainfall totals across the southeast had been extraordinary, with falls of more than 800mm in the Gold Coast hinterland in 48 hours.

Lennon Bartlett rows through the McDonald's drive-through in Lismore on Friday

A woman rides through floodwaters in Lismore in NSW on Friday

A pie shop south of Brisbane has been completely flooded in on Friday

The Beaudesert area has already been beset by record floodwaters after being pounded by heavy rain from ex-cyclone Debbie.

BOM has also warned of possible minor flooding along the Brisbane River at the Brisbane CBD overnight on Friday and on Saturday.

There are also concerns about possible flooding in Rockhampton next week as water makes its way down from rivers upstream.

AUTHORITIES HIT OUT AT 'FOOLISH' BEHAVIOUR DURING FLOODING 

Meanwhile, State Disaster Coordinator Stephan Gollschewski has hit out at 'foolish and quite stupid behaviour' from some during the floods

In one case a man was charged with drink-driving after driving into flood waters with his partner and two young children west of Brisbane.

And on Thursday a boy was swept away after tying his boogie board to a bridge so he could surf a torrent of water coming down a creek. He was lucky to survive and managed to swim to safety.

A destroyed road in north Queensland is pictured in the aftermath of Cyclone Debbie

A local collects drinking water from an army tank in Airlie Beach on Friday

All schools in southeast Queensland remain closed for the second consecutive day but the worst of the weather has passed over the Brisbane area, where the sun has come out.

Meanwhile, Mr Gollschewski said the focus in north Queensland, where Cyclone Debbie crossed the coast as a category four storm on Tuesday, had switched to restoring essential services such as communication and power networks, to aid the recovery effort there.

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Katarina Carroll said the SES had dealt with about 5600 calls for help since the cyclone disaster began earlier this week.

Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk said around 140,000 households were without powers across the southeast and north Queensland.

More than 90,000 homes are currently without power in the southeast and a further 50,000 in the Bowen, Mackay and Whitsunday regions.

Some will be without power for days.

An aerial shot shows Daydream Island after the area was hit by cyclone Debbie

A home in Bowen in north Queensland has painted a lighthearted scorecard on the fence

Flood waters enter in the parking lot outside the Robina Hospital on the Gold Coast as severe rain continue throughout south-east Queensland

She said 630 power lines were affected by Thursday's extreme weather in Queensland's southeast.

The police commissioner also said efforts were continuing in the Lamington National Park, near the Queensland-NSW border, to find a bushwalker missing since Wednesday.

'He remains unaccounted for. You can just imagine what the conditions are like are there ... It would be a very treacherous situation,' Mr Stewart said. 

Queensland Fire and Emergency Services Deputy Commissioner Mike Wassing said the state's flood emergency wasn't over, particularly for communities near the NSW border.

A car pictured in flood water in the Toombul Shopping Centre car park, north of Brisbane

'If you have been praying for rain please stop,' the sign for Silkstone Baptist Church in Ipswich says

'Our greatest area of concern this morning for people living in the areas of Beenleigh, Waterford, Woodend and Beaudesert,' he told ABC television.

'We currently got major flood warnings for the Albert River and the Logan River.'

He described the situation as 'very serious'.

'It is very serious, it's a major flood warning. If you're in low-lying areas, safely move to high grounds.'

Swift water rescue firefighters had saved the lives of 85 people trapped in floodwaters.

Mr Wassing confirmed there had been 'a number of rescues and continue to have as we speak'.

Cars engulfed in flood waters on the Gold Coast following torrential rain across south-east Queensland

Cyclone Debbie aftermath: Mackay in north Queensland is experiencing widespread flooding after Pioneer River burst its banks

At 1am Friday, Queensland police urged residents of Beaudesert in southeast Queensland to warn neighbours, secure belongings and move to higher ground as it was hit by record flooding and the Logan River continued to rise. 

Nine News reported some in Beaudesert had to seek refuge on the roof of their cars as the waters rose.

The Logan River in the town was at 13.91 metres early Friday morning, equivalent to the level seen in the town's record 1991 flood and the river is not expected to peak until 7am (AEST). 

Weatherzone meteorologist Brett Dutshke told Daily Mail Australia Lismore and other areas have been hit with the most rain since the floods of 1974.

There is very little rain expected to come but emergency services are warning the danger is not over. 

A helpless bull shark lies in shallow water during floods in Burdekin, just south of Townsville

Washed away: A car - thankfully with no one inside - sits in floodwater outside a Gold Coast hospital on Thursday

A damaged motel is seen in Proserpine after Cyclone Debbie tore through on Tuesday

Cattle farmers have had massive livestock losses in central Queensland,

'Beef producers in the Clarke Creek and Lotus Creek region on the old highway between Mackay and Rockhampton were particularly hard hit with a metre of rain falling in just over 24 hours,' AgForce CEO Charles Burke said.

He said farmers were still assessing the damage.

'Farming families in the region have never seen water levels like it, and we've had reports of cattle and horses being washed away, families sitting on kitchen tables to stay safe and major damage to sheds and other structures, while all the local bridges and crossings have been completely smashed. 

NSW children surf a river wave in at Murray Bridge after Cyclone Debbie

Peter Stokes (pictured) inspects damage to his motel in Proserpine after the cyclone tore through

Kerry Campbell and Peter Stokes inspect damage to their motel in Proserpine, Whitsundays

Kerry Campbell and Peter Stokes inspect damage to their motel in Proserpine, Whitsundays

'It's extremely difficult to get in touch with producers in all the different affected areas with many properties isolated by floodwaters, power supplies cut and phone lines still down.'

EVACUATIONS BEGIN ON WHITSUNDAY ISLANDS 

The first guests have been evacuated from the Whitsunday islands resorts smashed by Cyclone Debbie but thousands remain stranded on Hamilton Island.

Daydream Island is expected to be closed for a month as further assessments of the extensive damage continue.

All guests and more than 100 staff have been evacuated from Daydream after the category four storm belted the region but many more remain stuck at other resorts.

A building teeters over the edge of a sand dune on Lamberts Beach near Mackay, Queensland

Apartments in far north Queensland are evacuated as floodwaters continue to rise

A train on an elevated track hurtles past floodwaters in Eudl, on Queensland's Sunshine Coast

The Australian Defence Force delivered food, fuel and water to Daydream Island earlier on Thursday, while local ferries were organised to shuttle guests back to the mainland.

The 3,000 people stranded on nearby Hamilton Island, which was lashed with the strongest recorded winds on Thursday at 263 km/h, face a longer wait to reach the mainland.

Twelve flights have been scheduled between Hamilton Island and Brisbane, Sydney and Melbourne.

Checking in could take up to 25 minutes per passenger, a statement on the Hamilton Island website said.

Rivers in Brisbane run high as the city prepares to be smashed with the equivalent of a month's rain in 24 hours

Caneland Central car park in Mackay goes under with floodwater as rain continues to bucket down

Queensland Education said all schools from Agnes Water to NSW were closed

'We have been advised airlines will be bringing up large volumes of staff to assist with this process,' the statement said.

Prime Minister Malcolm Turnbull and Opposition Leader Bill Shorten visited Bowen in the Whitsunday region on Thursday morning, making financial aid available immediately to the local council to start rebuilding infrastructure.

A emergency services source told AAP South Molle Island, to the northwest of Hamilton Island, had been 'totally devastated' but no one was there when Debbie struck.

Nearby Hayman Island has also suffered significant damage preventing emergency services personnel landing on Wednesday.

Ms Palaszczuk is standing by her last-minute decision to close southeast Queensland schools on Thursday.

The premier made the call to shut schools from Agnes Water to the Queensland border early on Thursday morning, and Deputy Premier Jackie Trad announced the move on live television after 7am.

Cars parked outside Robina Hospital were seen being swept away by the floodwater as the Mudgeeraba Creek burst its banks

Motorists in Gold Coast and Brisbane, who were pounded by the storm on Wednesday and through to Thursday, were seen struggling to make it through the water

Tourists stranded on the cyclone-ravaged Whitsundays have spoken of their holiday hell after finding themselves stranded with dwindling water supplies - as looters start to target storm-damaged businesses

But parents did not receive a text message notifying them of the closure until around 10am, after school was already due to have started.

Ms Palaszczuk has previously apologised for the inconvenience but on Friday defended the timing, saying she made the decision to close schools as soon as she learnt that ex-Cyclone Debbie would bring even worst torrential rain and flooding than initially expected.

'We were expecting between 100mm-200mm of rain,' Ms Palaszczuk said.

'When the (weather) bureau met first thing that morning, they saw there was going to be a whole lot more rain coming into the southeast corner as well as those thunderstorms and the high wind gusts.

'So as soon as the bureau alerted the authorities, that decision was made.'

She said she did not want to put children's lives at risk. 

Drivers have been warned not to drive in flood waters as it is impossible to see if the road is broken, like this

Keara, Lacey and Erich Stewart paddle in a kayak after flood waters entered there back yard

Children and adults play in the flood water in their back yards

Bennett Wood sits on his car after flood waters entered his back yard

A young boys looks out over the tweed river as flood waters rise

Infrastructure along the tweed river as flood waters rise on March 30, 2017 in Murwillumbah, Australia

Infrastructure along the tweed river as flood waters rise on March 30, 2017 in Murwillumbah, Australia

Houses threatened by flood waters sweeping down the Queensland coast

Houses threatened by flood waters on March 30, 2017 in Murwillumbah

This photo shows how far floodwaters have risen across Murwillumbah

Kayaking through flood waters in Woolloongabba

Streets filled with water after cyclone Debbie moved south

Road signs barely visible following the devastating flooding across Queensland