SES RECEIVES ALMOST 300 CALL-OUTS OVERNIGHT, AS EAST COAST RESIDENTS PREPARE FOR SEVERE WEATHER

New South Wales and Queensland emergency services have already responded to almost 300 call-outs overnight, as severe storms bear down on the state’s entire coast, stretching up to south-east Queensland.

The emergency services body praised the proactive behaviour of residents who requested assistance with setting up sandbags and their homes in preparation for heavy rainfall and possible flash flooding.

An east coast low is developing off southern Queensland and northern NSW, with the Bureau of Meteorology issuing a warning this morning that the weather may worsen tomorrow.

The area around the QLD-NSW border is expected to be the worst hit.

Severe weather warnings and several flood warnings remain in place, with authorities urging those caught up in the storm to exercise caution and not to take any chances with floodwaters.

“If the road has markers up against it saying do not cross here, do not cross here,” police spokesman Peter Fleming said yesterday.

“We don’t want you to endanger you or your family’s lives,” he said.

READ MORE: Authorities tell NSW residents to ‘stay indoors’ during wild weather

A flood watch is in place for south-east Queensland from Fraser Island to the NSW-QLD border extending inland to include the Upper Condamine, Dumaresq and Macintyre Rivers.

Up to 250mm of rainfall is expected in coastal areas.

“We will be monitoring as we always monitor potentially extreme weather events and put in place preparations,” Acting Queensland Premier Jackie Trad said yesterday.

See www.bom.gov.au/qld/warnings  to view the current flood warnings for Queensland.

Flood Watch means that people living or working along rivers and creeks should monitor the latest weather forecasts and warnings and be ready to move to higher ground should flooding develop.