The massive flooding in eastern Australia continues to have a firm grip on large parts of the region.

The emergency services are also working tirelessly on Tuesday to rescue people in need from the roofs of their houses with helicopters and boats.

300,000 people in the state of New South Wales should get ready to be brought to safety at short notice if necessary, said Steph Cooke, the regional secretary for emergency services.

She asked those affected: "Please pack a bag and your mobile phone and charger".

According to authorities, at least ten people in two states have died in connection with the floods.

In Queensland, a 76-year-old man was washed away in his car and has now been recovered dead by emergency services, Australian broadcaster ABC reported on Tuesday.

In the particularly affected town of Lismore in New South Wales, an elderly woman drowned in her flooded house.

She is the first fatality in the state.

The Australian military has sent two helicopters to the flooded area to assist in the rescue work.

During a spectacular rescue operation, the crew rescued two people who had fled onto the corrugated iron roof of their house.

The broadcaster ABC showed live how a rescuer abseiled onto the roof and strapped the two to the winch of the helicopter.

"We've seen people stuck on rooftops for hours, we've seen children being rescued, we've seen people stranded on bridges," said New South Wales Prime Minister Dominic Perrottet.

Many people took boats themselves to bring their neighbors to safety.

In Lismore, MP Janelle Saffin had to swim out of her home.

"We went onto the porch and held on to the rafters," she told the Nine Newspapers group.

A low pressure area causes the extreme weather

Local resident Danika Hardiman was rescued from her second floor apartment on Monday.

When she woke up, the flood water had already reached her balcony.

Hardimnan and her partner managed to climb onto the roof and were eventually rescued by "two guys in a boat," she told AFP.

The situation in Lismore was "terrible".

"Imagine you are in a boat going past people's rooftops."

Shelters have been set up in elementary schools and community centers.

At Ballina Airport, a number of people waited in the departure hall.

On the way to the airport, volunteer Travis Lavdaras said he passed "big lakes of water" on both sides of the highway.

The trigger for the extreme weather is a low-pressure area that is only moving slowly.

This is now moving from north to south.

Meteorologists warned that the metropolis of Sydney and the south coast of New South Wales should be prepared for "heavy to torrential rain".

Floods had recently occurred in Sydney, the country's largest city - according to experts, it was the wettest summer in the metropolis in 30 years.

"The Weather Service and other authorities are reporting more storms and more flooding expected throughout the week," Prime Minister Scott Morrison said.

The town of Lismore was hit the hardest.

"They've always been used to flooding there, but they've never experienced anything like it in their lives."

Media spoke of a "historic disaster" in the entire state.

Whole towns were "swallowed" by the water masses.

In many houses the brown water rose up to the ceiling.

In the neighboring state of Queensland, two men were missing in the floods.

Eight people had already died in the region in the past few days.

The metropolis of Brisbane and the cities of Gympie and Maryborough as well as areas along the Sunshine Coast were also affected by flooding.

In some areas it had rained as much in a few days as it normally does in a whole year.