Three people have died and another is missing after major flooding in New South Wales (NSW) left more than 50,000 people under evacuation warnings.

The record rainfall, now declared a natural disaster, was caused by a slow-moving area of low pressure and is greater than any in living memory for some residents, according to the Commissioner of the State Emergency Services.

More than 2,000 emergency service workers are attending rescues, including of people who were stranded on rooftops overnight.

“We’re far from out of the woods,” NSW Premier Chris Minns said, urging residents to pay close attention to emergency broadcasts as more heavy rain is expected in the coming days.

Separate searches are underway for missing people on the Mid North Coast. One woman went missing after her car was trapped in floodwaters. Another man was reported missing after walking near a flooded road, and failing to return home.

More than 100 schools have been closed because of the floods, which have left thousands of homes and businesses without power. Evacuation centres have been opened for those fleeing the flooding.

NSW police say 22 people have been rescued by helicopter, including 18 winched from flooded homes and roads, and four rescued from a bridge. Four dogs and one cat were also rescued with their owners.

Taree, a city on the Mid North Coast, has been among the worst affected. On Wednesday, flooding at a major river in the area surpassed 6.3m (20.6ft), beating an almost century old record for its highest level.

Authorities confirmed the body of a 63-year-old man was recovered on Wednesday afternoon at a property in Moto, near Taree. The fatality was later identified in an ABC News report as David Knowles. Local police have started an investigation into the incident.

Prime Minister Anthony Albanese sent his condolences to the man’s family in a post in X, calling his death “devastating”.

On Thursday morning, the body of a man in his 30s was found in floodwaters near Rosewood on the Mid North Coast. It followed earlier reports of a man stuck in floodwaters while driving in the area.

Later, NSW police said its officers had recovered the body of a 60-year-old woman who got into trouble at Brooklana, about 30km (18 miles) from the city of Coffs Harbour.

Further north, a fourth person – a 49-year-old man – is still missing at Nymboida, about 40km south of the city of Grafton.

By Friday, some areas are predicted to receive another 300mm (12 inches) of rain.

Nearly 10,000 homes are at risk of flooding in the state’s Mid North Coast.

“We are bracing for more bad news,” Minns told reporters at a press conference.

“It’s very difficult to get supplies into some of these isolated communities,” Minns said, adding that the prime minister has pledged his support for any help needed from the federal government.

Minns also urged those who are in “prepare to evacuate” areas to leave if they can, while acknowledging some won’t be able to.

“They may be elderly, they might be infirm, they might have young children. But if we can get the majority of people out of harm’s way, it makes everybody’s job a lot easier.”

The NSW State Emergency Service (SES) said it has responded to more than 300 flood rescues in the 24 hours to 05:00 local time (20:00 BST) – and more than 500 rescues since the flooding began.

“We’ve seen continual rainfall and very fast flowing rivers, which when combined with flooded roads have made it very difficult to access some isolated people,” NSW SES Assistant Commissioner Colin Malone said.

He added: “While dozens of rescues have been completed overnight, they continue to be received, and the New South Wales SES and our partner agencies have helicopter resources, boats and high clearance vehicles responding when it is safe to do so.”

Jihad Dib, NSW Minister for Emergency Services said that the state government continues to “throw every single thing we’ve got” toward rescue operations.

“These aren’t the records that you want to break, but we’ve seen more rain and more flooding in the mid and the north coast than we’ve ever seen before,” he said.