Cyclone and flood-ravaged communities along the Queensland coast are returning to their homes and assessing the damage, but some residents say they feel they have been forgotten.

Meanwhile, authorities issued more evacuation orders in northern NSW this morning, as floodwaters from ex-Cyclone Debbie continued to move through. So far, two people have died in the aftermath.

Proserpine resident Colin Ridgway said he felt like he had to start all over again. His home of 20-odd years is destroyed.

"Oh, it breaks your heart, really. But not much you can do about it. It's gone," he said.

Colin Ridgway said his home was "just absolutely soaked". ( ABC News: Katherine Gregory )

He and his wife guarded their family home during the 260-kilometre wind gusts of Cyclone Debbie until police forced them to evacuate.

"They said, 'Your roof is leaving your house, you'd better come with us,' so they took us over. And lucky they did," he said.

"It's just absolutely soaked. When I came in here, there was two or three inches of water. And then the sewer sort of came in. So, it's uninhabitable in here."

Mr Ridgway said although the furniture was drenched, the photos and memories were "the main thing".

He said he was looking out of the windows during the cyclone, "watching the trees just bend and bend and a lot of them were leaning".

Colin Ridgway was trying to guard his house until the police forced him to evacuate. ( ABC News: Katherine Gregory )

Mr Ridgway said he was still waiting for the State Emergency Services and insurers to arrive and he just got through to the Queensland Government financial assistance phone line.

"Because we're insured we're not eligible for the thousands that might come for structural damage," he said.

The nearby tourist town of Airlie Beach is badly hit. It is still without power and water, and the surrounds are decimated.

But 50 kilometres north at Dingo Beach pub residents there say they have had it worse.

"We have not had any contact with anybody and we were left completely on our own," said Ross Smith.

Police told Colin Ridgway the roof was leaving his house, and took him with them. ( ABC News: Katherine Gregory )

"We didn't have the contacts that we had between all ourselves here, we wouldn't have survived."

Mr Smith said his remote beach town had been ignored.

"We had this tight-knit community, and nobody [has] come and seen us. Nobody," he said.

Today the army should be arriving in this region to offer assistance.

Deputy Premier Jackie Trad visited Dingo Beach and Airlie Beach on Friday.

Meanwhile, parts of the northern rivers in NSW have been declared a natural disaster zone, including the towns of Murwillumbah and Lismore, as the floodwaters continue to move south.

The Bureau of Meteorology said the floodwaters were expected to peak at Woodburn this afternoon. Many people are still trapped in their homes, and tens of thousands of homes are still without power.