ANKARA

Evacuation orders remain in place for several towns after heavy rainfall and gusty winds wreaked havoc on communities west of Sydney, with swollen rivers still threatening residents' homes, local media reported on Sunday.

Residents are bracing for a "significant" clean up after parts of New South Wales (NSW) state, of which Sydney is the capital, were inundated with a month's worth of rain in 24 hours, according to the local broadcaster SBS News.

Evacuation orders remain in place for towns along the Napean and Hawkesbury rivers. The Hawkesbury is predicted to peak near 9.6 meters (31.5 feet), with adjacent towns bracing for flooding.

A massive downpour that began on Friday saw around 300 homes evacuated in northeast Sydney, with around 5,000 volunteers working through the night helping the affected people, emergency services said.

The wild weather has caused landslides, flash flooding, and inundated homes, and emergency service workers have performed over 200 flood rescues in the affected areas.

According to State Emergency Commissioner Carlene York, 60 emergency warnings remain active across the state, with NSW State Emergency Services (SES) issuing at least a dozen evacuation orders due to flooding fear.

Residents and business owners cleared to return are assessing the damage to their properties after they were hit with 200-250 millimeters of rain in 24 hours.