Morning. Over the past week, my colleague Rebecca Davis has been busy speaking to Australian families stuck inside Ukraine right now.

Too terrified to show you their faces, they share their stories with us here.

It's one of those weeks where you don't know where to look - between the war, the floods and COVID - it's a pretty harrowing news cycle right now.

We've waded through the headlines for you. Here are the biggest stories you need to know about this morning:

1. Thousands told to evacuate in Sydney as NSW endures 'tough night'.

Overnight, thousands of people in Sydney's west, northwest and southwest were ordered to flee their homes, as NSW's devastating floods move south.

The State Emergency Service received 3166 calls for help in 24 hours and overnight issued more than 20 evacuation orders, including areas such as Windsor, North Richmond, Camden and Milperra.

On Wednesday, Deputy Premier Paul Toole said the Georges River was likely to exceed the heights of the 2021 flood and residents were in for a "tough night".

"If you were effected by flood in 2021 get out now," he said.

Major flooding is expected at Menangle, North Richmond, Penrith, Windsor and along the Nepean and Hawkesbury River, which is expected to reach 14 metres this morning.

SES assistant Commissioner Sean Keans says an east coast low off Newcastle will bring heavy rain to the Hunter, the Central Coast and Sydney, the Illawarra and the South Coast this morning.

"That's going to bring with it up to 250mm of rain over a two to three hour period which can be really dangerous and it's also going to bring strong wind, so we are asking people if they can avoid unnecessary travel," he told Sydney radio 2GB.

More than 40 evacuation orders are in place across Sydney, with the Hawkesbury River expected to hit 14 metres this morning. #9Today pic.twitter.com/DljKDGcdjy
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) March 2, 2022

In Lismore, two women in their 80s and a man in his 70s were found dead in their flooded homes, while another man's body was found in a Lismore street. A fifth man died on the Central Coast last Friday morning after his car was swept away in floodwaters.

Water is starting to recede finally in Lismore, but nearby Northern NSW towns like Ballina are yet to see the worst.

2. Scott Morrison addresses flood crisis, which could cost Qld over $1bn.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison has addressed the flood crisis in Queensland and NSW while isolating with COVID-19.

In a video shared on Instagram, Morrison thanked those trying to keep Aussies safe and expressed his concern for flood hit areas including Logan in Queensland and the Northern Rivers and Ballina in NSW.

"Can I just thank everybody for their very kind wishes after I confirmed last night that I tested positive for COVID," he began the video.

"Over the morning, we've been straight back into the briefings on what has been happening with the floods, obviously very concerned about what is happening up in Logan right now where many homes have been impacted."

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Scott Morrison (@scottmorrisonmp)

The damage from Queensland's flood disaster could cost over $1 billion as thousands of homeowners begin to assess the scale of the destruction.

The Insurance Council of Australia says that more than 37,800 claims have been lodged to date, but it is still too early to pinpoint the overall cost.

More than 8000 volunteers have signed on to help with the massive recovery effort, with the state's mud army busy collecting flood-damaged items that continue to pile up outside homes and businesses.

3. Families reunited as WA hard border opens.

After almost 700 days, Western Australia has opened its hard border, welcoming Aussies around the country.

The state is the last to bring down its hard border but some travel restrictions remain in place, including the requirement for people to be triple vaccinated and complete a travel pass to enter.

The reopening comes after Premier Mark McGowan delayed easing border regulations earlier this year due to rising COVID-19 cases across Australia.

BREAKING: After nearly 700 days, the hard border has officially been brought down in WA, with fully vaccinated travelers now allowed to travel in and out of what's been a fortress state. #9Today pic.twitter.com/NKgsrRWOlY
— The Today Show (@TheTodayShow) March 2, 2022

WA Police Commissioner Chris Dawson said he expected an influx of travellers with almost 23,000 travel applications as of Wednesday morning.

One of those will be Labor leader Anthony Albanese, who has been eager to campaign in WA ahead of the federal election.

4. 500 Russian troops die as UN condemns war.

Russia has reported its military casualties for the first time since their invasion on Ukraine, saying nearly 500 troops have been killed and almost 1600 wounded.

Ukraine insists Russia's losses are far higher, with a military adviser to Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky suggesting the number killed is well over 7000.

On the battlefield, there are fears of a mass casualty event in Ukrainian city of Mariupol, near the Russian border, after "more than 15 hours" of shelling.

Deputy Mayor Sergiy Orlov told the BBC a riverside district has been "nearly totally destroyed".

"We cannot count the number of victims there, but we believe at least hundreds of people are dead. We cannot go in to retrieve the bodies," he said.

Horrible conversation with the deputy mayor of Mariupol. Says residential areas heavily bombed, including his father's neighbourhood.
"The situation is awful, we are near to a humanitarian catastrophe. We have been under more than 15 hours of continuous shelling without pause."
— Joel Gunter (@joelmgunter) March 2, 2022

Meanwhile, the United Nations General Assembly voted to demand that Russia stop its offensive and immediately withdraw all troops, with world powers and tiny island states alike condemning Moscow. The vote was 141 to 5, with 35 abstentions.

The countries to vote no were; Belarus, North Korea, Eritrea and Syria. Longstanding allies Cuba and Nicaragua joined China in abstaining.

5. The Queen returns to work while recovering from COVID.

The Queen has returned to work, just over a week after testing positive for COVID-19.

The 95-year-old monarch, who is fully vaccinated against the virus, undertook two virtual audiences on Tuesday.

"Her Majesty The Queen today conducted two virtual audiences via videolink from Windsor Castle," royal officials wrote in a statement.

🤝Today The Queen held Audiences with incoming Ambassadors via video link from Windsor Castle to Buckingham Palace.

🇦🇩 His Excellency Mr. Carles Jordana Madero, Ambassador from Andorra.

🇹🇩His Excellency Mr. Kedella Younous Hamidi, Ambassador from Chad. pic.twitter.com/S33bwfCnTM
— The Royal Family (@RoyalFamily) March 1, 2022

The Queen cancelled events last week after she was said to have been suffering mild cold-like symptoms.

And that's it, you're all up to speed. We'll bring you more of the biggest news stories women are talking about throughout the day.

- With AAP.

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