Power outages in Sydney, Central Coast, wind speed intensifies; SES NSW evacuation orders issued for Wamberal, The Entrance, Burril Lake, Sanctuary Point

Lisa Kelly woke at 2am to a flooded home in Burrill Lake on the South Coast.

The bed of her elderly staffy, Kia, was afloat in the dark after ankle-deep water inundated her studio.

“The winds have been wild. It’s been constant rain for 24 hours,” she said, adding that a combination of high tide, raging swell and a massive amount of rain seemed to have unleashed the flooding. Nearby Ulladulla copped 224 millimetres of rain in just 24 hours.

“I think those three things have culminated into this freak situation.”

Kelly and her partner tried to drive out onto the highway but were stymied by floodwater.

“It was probably about 50 meters of floodwater. We just had to sit and look at it until an SES truck drove through it towards us.”

They eventually managed to escape to a friend’s place in Ulladulla, where they’ll stay until conditions ease.

Two areas to the north and south of Burrill Lake are under “Shelter Now” emergency orders after the SES warned residents it was too late to get out.

“I really thought Sydney was going to be hit with the brunt of it, but the way that it sort of spiralled, we’ve ended up one of the worst-hit areas,” Kelly said.