As floodwaters inundate the New South Wales mid-north coast, residents are scrambling to take stock of the damage and prepare for the rising tide.

Horses and livestock were seen floating along rivers and washing up on beaches on Sunday, as the region faced a once in a lifetime deluge.

Greg Cox, who lives in Raymond Terrace north of Newcastle, was watching the water slowly rise around his property on Sunday morning.

“Once the water comes through … we just have to grin and bear it,” he said.

“The only thing we can do is to lift everything high off the ground, especially the more valuable stuff. We’ve put stuff on top of my ute, and on top of the beds, but that’s all we can really do.”

“At this stage, I would say we’re going to have water coming through the downstairs part of the house by this afternoon, when the tide comes in.”

The rain has battered the region for days, with the Bureau of Meteorology warning that another 100mm of rain could fall on Sunday.

The Bom has already issued 14 flood warnings across the state, including a major flood warning at the Hawkesbury River at North Richmond, and the State Emergency Services have responded to thousands of callouts as floodwaters continue to surge.