A TODDLER drowned in a stormwater drain, a dozen residents had to be rescued from their vehicles and 1800 residents of a country town face being cut off for five days as storms ravaged NSW.

The three-year-old boy went missing in Bingara about 12.30pm yesterday and was found in a drain outside his home a short time later.

Flooded ... Ian Bailey and dog Scotty inspect the swollen Tycannah Creek, near Moree. Credit:Cate Bailey

The toddler's family and neighbours watched helplessly as emergency services tried to revive him but he was pronounced dead shortly after arrival at Bingara Hospital.