Hundreds of people have been rescued from floodwaters that have isolated dozens of towns in Australia’s most populous state New South Wales and forced thousands to abandon their homes, as record rain continues to inundate the country’s east coast.

A child wades through floodwaters on a residential street near the swollen Nepean River as the state of New South Wales experiences widespread flooding and severe weather, Sydney, Australia, March 21, 2021.

Around 18,000 people had been evacuated from flooding in New South Wales as of Monday and emergency services fear up to 54,000 people could be displaced with rain forecast to continue until Wednesday.

A State Emergency Service (SES) rescue team uses an inflatable raft to bring a local resident to safety from flooded homes as the state of New South Wales experiences widespread flooding and severe weather, Sydney, Australia, March 21, 2021.

A view of the flooded Old Hawkesbury Road near Pitt Town and Windsor, New South Wales, Australia, March 22, 2021.

People gather on a flooded path near the swollen Nepean River as the state of New South Wales experiences widespread flooding and severe weather, Sydney, Australia, March 21, 2021.

A still image taken from a video shows a flooded area following heavy rains in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia, March 20, 2021.

State Emergency Services (SES) volunteers transport a dentist by boat from the suburb of Windsor to North Richmond across floodwaters, so that he can attend to patients unreachable by car, as the state of New South Wales experiences widespread flooding and severe weather, Sydney, Australia, March 22, 2021.

A local resident and his dog are brought to safety by a State Emergency Service (SES) rescue team in the midst of widespread flooding and severe weather across the state of New South Wales, Sydney, Australia, March 21, 2021.

State Emergency Service (SES) volunteers help a dentist onto a boat to transport him across floodwaters from the suburb of Windsor to North Richmond, so that he can attend to patients unreachable by car, as the state of New South Wales experiences widespread flooding and severe weather, Sydney, Australia, March 22, 2021.

A still image taken from a video shows a flooded area following heavy rains in Port Macquarie, New South Wales, Australia March 20, 2021.

A man wades through floodwaters on a residential street near the swollen Nepean River as the state of New South Wales experiences widespread flooding and severe weather, Sydney, Australia, March 21, 2021.

A partially submerged car is seen abandoned in floodwaters in the suburb of Windsor as the state of New South Wales experiences widespread flooding and severe weather, Sydney, Australia, March 22, 2021.

A child is carried to safety by a State Emergency Service (SES) member after a marine rescue boat rescuing a family from rising floodwaters in the suburb of Sackville North capsized in strong currents, as the state of New South Wales experiences widespread flooding and severe weather, Sydney, Australia, March 23, 2021.

Police officers and road workers are seen in front of a submerged structure visible in floodwaters in the suburb of Windsor, as the state of New South Wales experiences widespread flooding and severe weather, Sydney, Australia, March 22, 2021.

A family and their dog rescued by a State Emergency Service (SES) crew make it to safety after being trapped by rising floodwaters, as the state of New South Wales experiences widespread flooding and severe weather, in the suburb of Sackville North, Sydney, Australia, March 23, 2021.

Widespread flooding is seen as a State Emergency Service (SES) rescue crew evacuate a person by boat after rising floodwaters trapped residents, as the state of New South Wales experiences widespread flooding and severe weather, western Sydney, Australia, March 23, 2021.

A flooded Parramatta river is seen on March 22, 2021, as Sydney braced for its worst flooding in decades after record rainfall caused its largest dam to overflow, and as deluges prompted mandatory mass evacuation orders along Australia's east coast.