RECORD floods on Australia’s east coast have left two people dead and two others missing, officials said today, as more heavy rain was forecast in the area.

More than 500 people were rescued in the flooding emergency in the state of New South Wales, north of Sydney.

The area has been hit with heavy rain since Tuesday, with flooding exceeds local records set in 1921 and 1929.

News South Wales Premier Christopher Minns said some areas were forecast to receive as much as a foot of rain in the next 24 hours. 

He said 50,000 people were warned to prepare to evacuate or be isolated by floodwaters, telling reporters: “We are bracing for more bad news.”

The body of a man was recovered from a flooded house in the Moto region on Wednesday afternoon, fire and rescue commissioner Jeremy Fewtrell said. 

The body of another man was recovered from floodwaters early on Thursday, a police statement said. He had disappeared while attempting to drive through a flooded intersection on Wednesday night.

And a woman remained missing after her SUV became trapped in floodwaters on Wednesday night. The vehicle was found on Thursday, police said.

Mr Minns said more than 500 people had been rescued from floodwater in just over two days, many of whom had tried to drive across flooded roads.

Emergency Services Minister Jihad Dib said 330 flood rescues had been conducted in the past 24 hours. 

He said: “We’ve seen more rain and more flooding in the mid-to-north coast area than we’ve ever seen before.”

The flooding has hit communities including Taree, Kempsey, Port Macquarie, Coffs Harbour and Bellingen in New South Wales.

Taree received a month’s rain in 24 hours, an official said.

The region has opened 14 evacuation centres as of Thursday.