Australians return home after floods

About 5,000 Australians who evacuated their houses to avoid being swept away by rising floodwaters were allowed to return home Monday, while others downstream braced for the approaching torrent.

Authorities permitted the residents of Maitland, in the wine-growing Hunter Valley region, to go home as floodwaters from the swollen Hunter River subsided after peaking at 35 feet above normal height late Sunday.

Residents in the coastal city of Newcastle braced for the approaching deluge, which officials warned could cause some localized flooding.

"We're expecting ... possible evacuations," said council member Janet Dore.

Evacuation centers would be set up for residents concerned about the risk, but forced evacuations were unlikely, Dore added.

Prime Minister John Howard visited the storm-battered region on Monday, describing the area as "unrecognizable" after the region's worst flooding in decades.

"It is an illustration to me ... just how savage the storms have been and the tragedy of course is that there has been a loss of life," he told reporters.

Nine people were killed over the weekend as heavy rain and strong winds pounded the area from northern Sydney to the Hunter Valley, near the port city of Newcastle.

At the peak of Friday's wild weather, five members of the same family were swept to their deaths when a section of highway collapsed under their car, plunging them into a swollen creek.

Around 50,000 homes in the region were still without electricity Monday, as officials warned it could take days to restore power.

"We just want to tidy things up and we'll be in recovery mode for some weeks and months to come," Dore said. "It's been incredible _ it's been quite devastating."

The Bureau of Meteorology has said the weather was expected remain relatively calm in the region for the rest of the week, allowing the massive clean up operation to proceed uninterrupted.