Seventeen people have now died due to recent severe rain and flooding in Australia. The poor weather conditions have disrupted recovery and cleanup efforts.

Australia's most populous city, Sydney, along with other areas braced for more severe weather on Sunday after devastating flooding.

Seventeen people have died from the flooding nationwide so far, which was caused by heavy rainfall.

Flood warnings for Queensland and New South Wales

The Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has issued warnings of severe thunderstorms coupled with major flooding in the state of New South Wales (NSW).

"We are facing, unfortunately, a few more days of ongoing wet, stormy weather which will be quite dangerous for residents of NSW," BOM meteorologist Jane Golding said at a briefing. The severe weather was expected to begin clearing from Wednesday.

There have also been warnings of storms and flooding in the state of Queensland, which has recorded the deaths of 11 people during the past week's floods.

Severe storms halt recovery efforts

More than a year's worth of rain fell during the course of the week in southern Queensland and northern New South Wales.

The subsequent flooding has caused widespread damage and forced mass evacuations in some parts of Sydney.

Bad weather has halted recovery and cleanup efforts.

Some locals have been critical of government's response, saying there hasn't been enough emergency personnel helping to deal with recovery efforts.

On Sunday, Defense Minister Peter Dutton said he was "absolutely satisfied with the defense response."

"We've come in force, and we will increase the numbers dramatically," Dutton said. He has committed to providing 5,000 troops on the ground.

Communities in affected areas have been warned to keep up with the latest developments and forecasts, and follow the advice of emergency services.