The first death of northern NSW's flood crisis has been confirmed after the body of an elderly woman was found inside a home in Lismore.
The woman, believed to be in her 80s, was found inside a property on Ewing Street which had been inundated.
Sources say it is the first confirmed death from the emergency gripping northern NSW.
NSW Police said a concerned neighbour attended the home about 10:20am this morning and discovered the woman's body.
The woman is yet to be formally identified.
A crime scene was established and a report will be prepared for the coroner.
At 9pm, reports emerged that patients were being evacuated from Ballina Hospital as flood waters rose in the town.
NSW Health said 55 general medical and rehabilitation patients were being moved to Xavier Catholic College by ambulance with the help of the State Emergency Service (SES).
It said extra staff had been called in and were working alongside NSW Police, NSW Ambulance and the SES to ensure the safe transfer of all patients, whose families had been notified.
"A makeshift emergency department is being set up at Xavier Catholic College for anyone in the community in need of emergency care while the hospital is temporarily closed," the department said.
Also evacuated tonight was an evacuation centre set up at Ballina's Cherry St Sports Club.
Residents have been forced to go to Lennox Head Cultural Centre or Xavier College.
Ballina has been hit with severe floodwaters not seen for 68 years.
Ballina Shire Council and local SES crews have urged residents in low-lying parts of the town, and nearby Lennox Head, to take shelter in highest safe place available, warning a "life threatening event" is on the way.
It is now considered unsafe to evacuate.
Meanwhile there are serious fears for several people who remain unaccounted for in the Lismore area.
Ruby Ashburner told the ABC her friend's father, Stuart Bock, had not been seen since Sunday afternoon when he was walking to the town's CBD to help with sandbagging.
"He just hasn't reappeared yet, and so we're just really worried," a tearful Ms Ashburner said.
Later on Tuesday night NSW Ambulance paramedics were working to free two people from rubble following a landslide at Upper Main Arm, west of Brunswick Heads.
Emergency service workers were called to the scene on Motts Road at 4.15PM and the rescue operation remained underway into the night.
A spokesman said the severity of their injuries is still not known.
Earlier today, the state's Emergency Services Minister Steph Cooke said "we must prepare for the possibility that lives have been lost" in the floods.
Ms Cooke said "whilst I would love to think and I truly hope that we will not see any deaths from this event, I think that it is unrealistic that a disaster of this magnitude will mean that there are no lives lost".
Premier Dominic Perrottet said the State Emergency Service (SES) had carried out more than 1,000 rescues after receiving 6,000 calls for help so far.
Natural disaster declarations have been made for 17 local government areas (LGAs), opening financial support for residents in those areas.
The Premier said 40,000 people were currently subject to evacuation orders, and 300,000 people are affected by evacuation warnings.
"We will continue to do everything we can to get everybody to safety and to get these communities back on their feet as quickly as possible," Mr Perrottet said.
Up to 50 people have been rescued after they were stuck on a bridge in northern NSW overnight with thousands more homes predicted to go under in the record-breaking flood event.
The Richmond River at Woodburn was at 6.3 metres and rising when those stuck on the bridge were rescued this morning.
"We had no capabilities to get them off in the dark so we just had to make sure that they bunkered down and we went in this morning and got them all out," Woodburn SES Unit Commander Ashley Slapp said.
Mr Slapp said it is a "devastating" situation for the town, as hundreds of people shelter in the local public school.
"The capabilities of rescues have increased dramatically today, we have helicopters picking people up off roofs."
Rescues also resumed elsewhere after efforts were stalled yesterday due to dangerous conditions fuelled by hanging power lines and surging torrents of water.
