SES St Georges Basin distributes 40 tonnes of sandbags to residents preparing for flooding

Localised flooding is forecast for parts of the Bay and Basin area, amid the heavy rain lashing the South Coast.

Low-lying areas of Sussex Inlet and Sanctuary Point are tipped to be in the firing line, though SES St Georges Basin unit commander Chris Wheeler is confident they will get through it relatively unscathed.

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So far, at least 2000 sandbags have been distributed from the St Georges Basin HQ - equating to roughly 40 tonnes of sand.

Mr Wheeler said the process has been relatively efficient, because the community knows the drill during extreme wet weather.

"There are some areas of Sanctuary Point that are of concern - they do go underwater because there is [Tomerong] creek at the back of them, and the water comes running down the hill," he said.

"But at the moment it's under control, the residents know it's going to happen to them every year."

While the locals are familiar with a bit of flooding in the Basin, the sheer volume of rain around the region has astonished even the SES volunteers.

The current east coast low over the region is drenching land which is already saturated with rain.

"You can't pour any more water into a wet sponge," Mr Wheeler said.

"It just runs off it and that's what's happening now. Water is running off the land, and a creek that was once a meter or so wide is now as wide as this block."

Mr Wheeler referenced the block of land where the SES St Georges Basin Unit stands on Tasman St.

Around the Bay and Basin, locals have spent the past few days sandbagging in preparation for the deluge.

They made SES HQ a bustling, yet orderly, hive of activity.

For the volunteers, it was a textbook flood preparation: sending out sandbags, and assisting community members with leaking rooves and fallen trees.

Mr Wheeler said they were grateful for the community's response to the severe weather.

"The biggest thing we would like to do is thank our community, for the response they've been putting in to preparing their own properties" he said.

"Hundreds of people have come in for sandbags, so I would really like to thank them."

The St George's Basin Unit remains optimistic that the community has gone through the worst of any flooding today.

Local intelligence indicates the flood and high tide peaked a little below initial forecasts, and weather predictions for Friday are looking promising.

SES volunteers will remain on active duty today, but may stand down to being simply on-call tomorrow.

Mr Wheeler said the volunteers will always be around to assist locals in need.

"I'm hoping I can stand the crews down tonight... but we will play it by ear, because things can change within an hour," he said.

"Hopefully once today's jobs - fixing some leaking rooves and sandbagging - are out of the way, I can say to them 'put your feet up and have a rest'."

If you need SES support, call 132 500.

In a life-threatening emergency call 000.