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11.04am: The SES advises taking these steps to prepare your property for bad weather:
- Maintain your yard to ensure nothing can become a projectile in high winds, including securing trampolines.
- Clean gutters and downpipes to prevent blockages.
- Trim trees and branches that could potentially fall on buildings.
- Fix any damage to your roof including broken or missing tiles.
- Check your insurance policy is current and provides adequate protection.
- Make a home emergency plan.
- Prepare an emergency kit.
- Follow media updates for weather warnings.
10.45am: The State Emergency Service has reiterated a warning not to drive, walk or ride through flooded areas after several rescues across the region on Tuesday.
While the majority of the nearly 70 calls for assistance the SES received were due to leaking roofs following heavy rain, crews were also called to five flood rescues.
Wollongong SES incident controller Ashley Sullivan said people should never drive across a flooded area.
‘‘If it’s flooded, forget it,’’ he said. ‘‘If people come across a flooded roadway or causeway or river, they should remember that slogan and know it’s not worth it because most times that’s when we get called, when they have stalled in flood waters or get stuck across a creek. That’s what happened yesterday on a couple of occasions.’’
Mr Sullivan said people should be aware of their surroundings, particularly which roads and areas of their property were prone to flooding.
On clear days, people should take precautions to protect their homes from damage during bad weather, including clearing gutters and tying down outdoor furniture.
7.55am: The Illawarra Highway at Albion Park has reopened between Tongarra Road and the Princes Highway.
The Audley Weir in the Royal National Park remains closed because of flooding.
Earlier: Roads around the Illawarra were once again flooded after heavy downpours in the early hours of Tuesday morning and throughout the day.
The Illawarra Highway was closed between Princes Highway and Tongarra Road at Albion Park and at the top of Macquarie Pass, as was Audley Road near Audley Weir at the Royal Nation Park. Traffic was affected on Moss Vale Road at Fitzroy Falls after a landslip.
SES Wollongong incident controller Ashley Sullivan said the SES had been called to four flood rescues on Tuesday, including rescuing one person trapped in floodwaters at Taylors Road in Albion Park and a horse stuck in rising water at Albion Park Rail.
Further south, three people were winched via the Westpac Life Saver Helicopter from the roof of a four-wheel-drive vehicle caught in a flooding creek just west of Moruya.
Between midnight and 9am on Tuesday, Albion Park received nearly 20mm of rain, while another 39mm had fallen by 5pm.
While the rain proved a hinderance to drivers, others took advantage of the wet.
At Barrack Point, Eden Riza made the most of a flooded park by skimming across the water on a bodyboard.
And if walkers can brave the evening rain for a beachside stroll, they might notice the waves giving off a bioluminescent glow. The sea sparkled off Thirroul Beach on Monday as millions of little creatures, most likely dinoflagellates, cast a bluish light on the water.
The Bureau of Meteorology has forecast showers, storms, rough seas and high winds for the rest of the week.