NSW Premier Mike Baird is shocked at the devastation caused by flooding in the Hunter, saying it will be a long time before victims are back on their feet.
"Homes, cattle, this whole landscape has been completely and utterly devastated," Mr Baird said in Maitland after a helicopter tour of the region.
"I was in shock... at the size and scale of what we are confronting."
The state's worst storms in a decade have ripped through Sydney and surrounding areas this week with four deaths in the Hunter region.
"I don't think many of us can imagine circumstances where our life is literally washed away," Mr Baird said on Thursday.
"Personal possessions, all your memories are lost in an instant."
The clean-up bill will run into the hundreds of millions of dollars and would take time, he said at SES headquarters in Metford.
There are up to 2000 people stranded in the Hunter due to high waters.
Provisions including baby formula, food and medication were being being ferried to people who are stranded in Gilliston Heights, near Maitland.
"Patience is going to be a big part of the next few days and weeks," the premier said.
It will be a long time before storm-battered victims get back on their feet, he said.
The SES has responded to more than 14,000 requests for assistance since Sunday.
SES Commissioner Adam Dent urged bosses to remain flexible in coming days, despite the clearer skies.
"It's often when the rain stops and perhaps when less images are on TV that people take the focus away from our work, we still need to work for several days to come," he said.
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