Superstorm has NSW in its sights - The Australian

A toddler rescued by helicopter from floodwaters in Biloela. Picture: Channel 7 Source: The Daily Telegraph

A child and two women were airlifted to safety after their ute was surrounded by rapidly rising floodwaters. Picture: Channel 7 Source: The Daily Telegraph

A camera on a rescuer's helmet captured the heart-stopping, and dangerous, operation. Picture: Channel 7 Source: The Daily Telegraph

A TODDLER was put in a bag and winched to safety as raging floodwaters threatened to sweep him and two women from the back of their ute yesterday.

The rescue, captured on camera by the heroic rescuer who was lowered down to the stricken vehicle at Biloela, central Queensland, came on a day of drama as a huge storm cell battered the Sunshine State and dumped torrential rain on most of the country's east coast.

After the terrified boy was lifted to the helicopter hovering above, footage showed him being taken out of the waterproof bag minutes before the two women were rescued.

Elsewhere in Queensland, an elderly man's body was found in floodwaters at Burnett Heads and there were fears for two other people who went missing during the day.

And the wild weather isn't confined to north of the border - northern NSW and Sydney have been put on alert as the huge storm cell, formerly tropical cyclone Oswald, surges south.

That was the message from the SES, busy preparing for an onslaught of destruction.

NSW is on red alert for flash flooding, damaging winds of up to 130km/h and huge seas similar to those that have caused havoc across Queensland - including reports of up to six small tornadoes - since the low pressure system made landfall on Cape York Peninsula six days ago.

SES spokesman Phil Campbell said the worst of the weather for Sydney was expected to arrive this evening between 5pm and midnight, bringing damaging winds of more than 100km/h, heavy seas and flash flooding.

"If it's Brisbane's turn to cop it (last night) then it's Sydney's (tonight)," he said.

However the focus early today will be the north coast and northern rivers where the SES yesterday flew in 53 flood rescue specialists in readiness with "quite a lot" more on standby in Sydney.

Queensland Premier Campbell Newman yesterday called for army helicopters to help in Bundaberg, where 300 homes and 100 businesses were expected to be inundated by floods overnight. Some homes had only just been rebuilt following devastating floods two years ago.

Police Commissioner Ian Stewart said officers had recovered the body of an elderly man at Burnett Heads but, with next of kin yet to be advised, he would not reveal further details.

In Gympie, a 27-year-old man is missing after being swept away trying to cross the swollen Widgee Creek. A man and a woman he was with were rescued. There are also fears for a woman who drove into floodwaters at Pacific Haven near Maryborough.

Five small twisters tore roofs from houses, brought down powerlines and uprooted trees as they ripped into Bargara, Burnett Heads and Coonarr near Bundaberg, leaving some 20 people injured. Another tornado was reported at Mooloolaba.

More than 60,000 homes were without power across southeast Queensland late yesterday, with that figure expected to rise.

Bundaberg was cut in half when two bridges were closed as the Burnett River rose to 7.2m, but mayor Mal Forman said it was expected to peak at 9m tomorrow, resulting in the worst flooding since 1984.

Two helicopters saved a couple who were left clinging to a log in rising water after their boat capsized at Pacific Haven, southeast of Childers, which had been cut off. The woman was winched to safety, while the man was able to wade to the bank and return to their home.

The aircraft carried out another rescue in the same town of an elderly man with mobility issues and his wife, who were both winched to safety from their home.

In NSW, the SES fielded more than 210 calls for assistance yesterday, including a person trapped by rising water in a caravan at Crookwell and two people trapped in cars in separate incidents at Tenterfield and Orange.

The Fire and Rescue NSW helicopter was also called to rescue campers stranded by rising water near Grafton shortly after 11am.

The Bureau of Meteorology issued a severe weather warning for heavy surf and coastal erosion for Sydney, northern rivers, mid-north coast, Hunter and Illawarra regions.

More than 200mm of rain was recorded in the 24 hours to 9am yesterday at Upper Rous River in the far north.