A man believed to be in his 50s has died after his car was washed away on the Gold Coast, as the city's flood emergency continues to unfold.
An emergency alert was issued for residents in Tallebudgera Valley and Currumbin Valley as the city bore the brunt of heavy rain overnight.
Police were called to Currumbin Creek Road near Stackpole Street around 3am today, to reports of a car in floodwaters but were unable to locate the vehicle.
A spokesperson said the car may have been driven up to 40 metres into floodwaters.
A team from Surf Life Saving Rescue located the submerged vehicle about 10 metres from the roadway just before 11am, where the bodies of a man and a dog were located.
While weather conditions have eased across the Gold Coast, authorities have warned that flooding still presents a risk and have urged people to avoid unnecessary travel.
Roads cut off, more flooding expected
Access to low lying areas of the Gold Coast has been cut while multiple swiftwater rescues have occurred.
Further north and there are major flood warnings in place for the Albert and Logan Rivers.
Queensland Police are investigating reports of a car being washed away by flood waters at Yatala.
Almost 80 roads have been closed or cut off, while an additional 60 roads in the hinterland are shut.
All schools and beaches have been closed.
Evacuation centres have been established at Ormeau Community Centre and Reedy Creek Waste and Recycling Centre.
Rescues underway
Gold Coast Police Acting Chief Superintendent Rhys Wildman said there have been a number of swiftwater rescues this morning.
"We had a male and female at Currumbin, one was in a tree and the other on the roof of their dwelling," he said.
"One self-rescued, so to speak; they self-evacuated out of the tree as the water dropped and the other was rescued."
Swiftwater rescues have also occurred in Tallebudgera Valley and Palm Beach.
Queensland Fire and Emergency Services South-East assistant commissioner Kevin Walsh said requests for help have increased this morning, with 9,000 SES jobs and 565 swiftwater rescues across the state so far.
"People who are either trapped in vehicles or are seeing rising floodwaters in or around their home," he said.
Assistant commissioner Walsh said people should avoid travelling.
"Because the ground is absolutely saturated, if we do get some stronger winds, one of the issues is falling trees because the root systems are so compromised," he said.
'It had risen so fast'
Elanora resident Shirley Seear was forced to leave her lakeside home on Angelica Street early this morning.
She managed to rescue her cat and evacuated with her husband and daughter as floodwaters began lapping at their property.
"I've never ever seen anything like this," Ms Seear said.
"It had risen so fast; it's going to come in the house.
"Leaving all your things, that’s the heartbreaking part, I put stuff up as high as we could."
Tanya Barwick and her two children are crossing their fingers their home will be spared, as floodwaters rise around them.
"It’s like a waterfront block at the moment," Ms Barwick said.
She said flooding of a similar nature occurred in the area "in 2005 ... but I haven’t seen water like this since then".
She said wasn't expecting the situation to be "quite this bad".
“On Nineteenth Ave the houses are inundated with water,” she said.
“There was a lot of people walking up with bags and suitcases [and] kayaks helping them out.
“A couple of tow trucks were towing cars they were trying to get away with, so it's a bit crazy.”
Flood dangers remain
Acting Chief Superintendent Wildman said that while conditions are expected to ease as the weather system tracks south, floodwaters will remain for some days.
"We expect that the flash flooding element around Tallebudgera and Currumbin will subside," he said.
"We're looking now at more the Logan, Albert Rivers.
He said police have been directed to "have a very hard line" with motorists caught driving through flooded roads.
Logan River is expected to exceed flood levels seen during Cyclone Debbie in 2017.
Conditions to ease
Dean Narramore said light to moderate isolated rainfall expected in some areas, but the band of torrential rainfall is moving further south into NSW.
"Then the heavy rain focus will shift into far north-eastern New South Wales," he said.
"Even though the sun might come out this afternoon, [it] does not mean the threat is over.
"All that rain that has fallen the last few days will continue to make its way through creeks and streams into our rivers."
Mr Narramore said rainfall across the Gold Coast has ranged from 300 millimetres to 600 millimetres in some areas.
"Pretty much every river in south-east Queensland from the Sunshine Coast all the way down to northern New South Wales is experiencing major flooding," he said,
Education Minister Grace Grace said some schools may be unable to reopen on Tuesday due to water damage.
"Some definitely will remain closed depending on our assessment on the level of damage," she said.
Meanwhile, the Gold Coast Airport has closed for commercial and general aviation.
"Please check with your airline about the status of your flight if you are booked on a service in or out of the Gold Coast today," Queensland Airport chief operating officer Marion Charlton said.
