"You can have a big pity party for yourself, but at least I have a dry bed to sleep in," was the pragmatic pronouncement of Jamberoo businessman Rick Smith, after finding his business hammered by floodwaters.
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Rick and his wife, Shani, launched Havenwood Tiny Homes at the start of the pandemic.
They came into their Albion Park Rail showroom on Thursday morning to find it covered in mud and silt.
Furniture and homewares that were restored or crafted by Shani's hands were destroyed, and Rick estimated they suffered between $150,000 and $200,000 worth of damage.
"It's not as bad as Lismore, and it could have been a lot worse," Rick said.
"We're lucky the tiny houses didn't float down the road. Water was lapping around the wheels, the plants and the driveway were all washed out."
Further north at Bellambi, Nicole Fensom thought her daughter was splashing about in the shower.
"I went crook at her because I thought she was flooding the bathroom, but when I went and looked it was coming back up out of the drain - I felt terrible," she said.
"It's leaked through a vent downstairs, the water is just everywhere.
"I'm hoping nothing else happens - we've had problems with flooding and mold before."
Lake Illawarra residents got a reprieve on Thursday afternoon when the SES issued an "All Clear" for the area.
The Bureau of Meteorology cancelled the severe weather warning in place for the Illawarra at 3.14pm on Thursday, although rain is forecast to continue for at least the next week.
Albion Park copped the biggest drenching, recording 87mm of rain in 24 hours, while Cringila got just 30mm, according to the BoM.
Patrolled beaches across the region were closed due to poor water quality and enormous swells, however, surfers flocked to spots such as Sandon Point. The Continental Pool, Port Kembla Pool and Thirroul Pool were also closed.
Shellharbour's Festival of Sport this weekend has been cancelled due to the severe weather.
This includes the Dragon Boat Challenge, The Waterfront Family Ride & Run & Outrageous Mini Games.
The Red Hot Summer concert in Kiama has been postponed from Saturday, March 5, to Saturday, April 3.
Elsewhere in NSW about half-a-million people have been told to evacuate their homes as disastrous floods continue. Some 130,000 households in the path of the overflowing Warragamba Dam were told on Thursday afternoon however that the water surging out of the dam won't be at the same rate as devastating floods in 2021.
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