Hundreds of residents on the NSW south coast have been given the all-clear to return home as river levels fall and flooding eases following heavy rain and wild weather.
After three days of damaging surf, rain and strong winds battering the state, only a number of minor and final flood warnings remain in place in NSW's south.
The NSW State Emergency Service on Tuesday afternoon confirmed residents of flood-hit Moruya, Sussex Inlet and Nowra, as well as communities along the Shoalhaven River, had been given the all-clear to return home and begin cleaning up.
The SES said the Shoalhaven River at Nowra peaked at 4.13 metres on Monday - its highest level since 1991.
Damaging winds with gusts of more than 90km/h were over the weekend recorded along the Sydney and Illawarra coast.
Waves also peaked at just over five metres in Sydney.
"(SES) focus will be on assessing any damage to property which might have been sustained during the localised flooding," SES commander Colin Malone said in a statement.
"The transition to recovery can involve many personal considerations including but not limited to power, animals, clean-up, repairs, insurance and your wellbeing.
"At a community level, recovery often involves the reconstruction of the physical infrastructure and the restoration of emotional, social, economic and physical wellbeing."
Endeavour Energy said on Tuesday afternoon its crews were working to restore power to 170 homes and businesses still in the dark after the weekend's storms.
At the storm's height, more than 13,500 customers were without electricity supply due to the widespread damage caused by strong winds and torrential rain.
The SES received more than 3100 calls across the state since Friday. About 800 volunteers made more than 1900 call-outs, including 41 flood rescues.
An SES spokeswoman urged people to return home with caution, bring fresh water with them and beware that floodwaters could be contaminated with sewage, chemicals and debris.
"They need to make sure they don't use personal items like kitchen utensils or personal items like toothbrushes that have been contaminated by floodwaters," she said on Tuesday.
Roads are also still waterlogged and drivers should proceed carefully.
Residents in Wamberal on the NSW Central Coast were on high alert over the weekend after weeks of wild weather caused massive coastal erosion, putting houses at risk.
But resident Gordon Cahill told AAP on Monday that rocks installed below the homes at the edge of the beach provided an extra layer of protection.
Australian Associated Press
