Water search dogs join police operation after woman swept away in flood
Two Chinese nationals trying to get back to Sydney after a weekend in wine country attempted to drive through a causeway on Old North Road at North Rothbury as floodwaters surged through on Saturday night.
The women, aged 27 and 26, a dog and the small car they were travelling in were washed into Black Creek, near Cessnock. The driver grabbed the dog and made it to shore but her 26-year-old passenger did not surface.
Emergency services swarmed the area and a multi-agency search operation was launched, involving the NSW State Emergency Service (SES), the Rural Fire Service (RFS), the Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) and police, including water and rescue officers.
The search from the land and water, and from the sky with a drone, continued through the weekend. Police divers were tasked to help with the search when it resumed on Monday.
Five canines from the VRA NSW Search Dogs squad and their handlers were also tasked to assist.
Four of those dogs had been trained in water searching, the first of their kind in Australia. They are part of a wider canine team that assist the police in different circumstances.
Squad captain Sue Pritchard said the specialist capability had been deployed about 14 times since it became active one year ago.
The dogs are highly trained to find people in the water and on the shoreline, and can help narrow down search areas.
"They are truly amazing, and they have been very successful," she said, speaking generally about the squad.
They work in a range of conditions and have to be able to navigate debris and balance themselves on a boat.
Their training is intense and they have to be so finely tuned to what they are looking for due to the varying water conditions, temperatures, winds and currents. They can smell, detect bubbles, and may lick the water. Their partnerships with their handlers, who have to be able to read what the dogs are trying to say, is key.
"We need pretty resilient dogs," she said.
The team is made up of cocker and springer spaniels, coolies and a border collie. The volunteer handlers all come from different walks of life and can be called to go anywhere to help out.
Captain Pritchard said the team was just happy to be able to help families have their loved ones found as quickly as possible.
The search conditions were difficult on Saturday, with rescuers battling poor weather conditions and visibility.
Police confirmed family in Australia and China had been notified of the search and police were liaising with Chinese Consulate officials. The 26-year-old woman was in Australia working as an engineer and was visiting the Hunter.
A 40-year-old man also attempted to cross Black Creek when his car was swept into the raging waters and he was rescued by SES crews who found him clinging to a tree.
The incidents came as wild weather wreaked havoc along the east coast.
Shortland Esplanade remained closed to traffic near Nobbys beach on Monday as City of Newcastle crews worked to clear a weather-related landslip. No properties were affected.
The New England Highway was closed at Muswellbrook due to flooding but reopened just after 10am on Monday, August 4. Dozens of local roads across the Hunter council areas remained closed due to floodwater inundation.
A small section of Raymond Terrace, along the Hunter River, was under evacuation orders on Sunday night. Part of Hinton was isolated on Monday, while Hinton Public School and Hunter Trade College were non-operational. On Monday, the SES warned Clarence Town, Seaham, Muswellbrook, Denman, Maitland and Singleton to monitor conditions and stay informed on flooding in their areas.
Holiday-makers and locals on the Mid North Coast were hit with what one resident described as 'mini cyclone' conditions on the weekend, causing damage to structures.
The sun came out in Newcastle on Monday and conditions are expected to remain dry on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).
POLICE divers and specialty water search dogs have been deployed to the Hunter Valley as part of the multi-agency operation to find a woman swept away in raging floodwaters on the weekend.
Two Chinese nationals trying to get back to Sydney after a weekend in wine country attempted to drive through a causeway on Old North Road at North Rothbury as floodwaters surged through on Saturday night.
The women, aged 27 and 26, a dog and the small car they were travelling in were washed into Black Creek, near Cessnock. The driver grabbed the dog and made it to shore but her 26-year-old passenger did not surface.
Emergency services swarmed the area and a multi-agency search operation was launched, involving the NSW State Emergency Service (SES), the Rural Fire Service (RFS), the Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) and police, including water and rescue officers.
The search from the land and water, and from the sky with a drone, continued through the weekend. Police divers were tasked to help with the search when it resumed on Monday.
Five canines from the VRA NSW Search Dogs squad and their handlers were also tasked to assist.
Four of those dogs had been trained in water searching, the first of their kind in Australia. They are part of a wider canine team that assist the police in different circumstances.
Squad captain Sue Pritchard said the specialist capability had been deployed about 14 times since it became active one year ago.
The dogs are highly trained to find people in the water and on the shoreline, and can help narrow down search areas.
"They are truly amazing, and they have been very successful," she said, speaking generally about the squad.
They work in a range of conditions and have to be able to navigate debris and balance themselves on a boat.
Their training is intense and they have to be so finely tuned to what they are looking for due to the varying water conditions, temperatures, winds and currents. They can smell, detect bubbles, and may lick the water. Their partnerships with their handlers, who have to be able to read what the dogs are trying to say, is key.
"We need pretty resilient dogs," she said.
The team is made up of cocker and springer spaniels, coolies and a border collie. The volunteer handlers all come from different walks of life and can be called to go anywhere to help out.
Captain Pritchard said the team was just happy to be able to help families have their loved ones found as quickly as possible.
The search conditions were difficult on Saturday, with rescuers battling poor weather conditions and visibility.
Police confirmed family in Australia and China had been notified of the search and police were liaising with Chinese Consulate officials. The 26-year-old woman was in Australia working as an engineer and was visiting the Hunter.
A 40-year-old man also attempted to cross Black Creek when his car was swept into the raging waters and he was rescued by SES crews who found him clinging to a tree.
The incidents came as wild weather wreaked havoc along the east coast.
Shortland Esplanade remained closed to traffic near Nobbys beach on Monday as City of Newcastle crews worked to clear a weather-related landslip. No properties were affected.
The New England Highway was closed at Muswellbrook due to flooding but reopened just after 10am on Monday, August 4. Dozens of local roads across the Hunter council areas remained closed due to floodwater inundation.
A small section of Raymond Terrace, along the Hunter River, was under evacuation orders on Sunday night. Part of Hinton was isolated on Monday, while Hinton Public School and Hunter Trade College were non-operational. On Monday, the SES warned Clarence Town, Seaham, Muswellbrook, Denman, Maitland and Singleton to monitor conditions and stay informed on flooding in their areas.
Holiday-makers and locals on the Mid North Coast were hit with what one resident described as 'mini cyclone' conditions on the weekend, causing damage to structures.
The sun came out in Newcastle on Monday and conditions are expected to remain dry on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).
POLICE divers and specialty water search dogs have been deployed to the Hunter Valley as part of the multi-agency operation to find a woman swept away in raging floodwaters on the weekend.
Two Chinese nationals trying to get back to Sydney after a weekend in wine country attempted to drive through a causeway on Old North Road at North Rothbury as floodwaters surged through on Saturday night.
The women, aged 27 and 26, a dog and the small car they were travelling in were washed into Black Creek, near Cessnock. The driver grabbed the dog and made it to shore but her 26-year-old passenger did not surface.
Emergency services swarmed the area and a multi-agency search operation was launched, involving the NSW State Emergency Service (SES), the Rural Fire Service (RFS), the Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) and police, including water and rescue officers.
The search from the land and water, and from the sky with a drone, continued through the weekend. Police divers were tasked to help with the search when it resumed on Monday.
Five canines from the VRA NSW Search Dogs squad and their handlers were also tasked to assist.
Four of those dogs had been trained in water searching, the first of their kind in Australia. They are part of a wider canine team that assist the police in different circumstances.
Squad captain Sue Pritchard said the specialist capability had been deployed about 14 times since it became active one year ago.
The dogs are highly trained to find people in the water and on the shoreline, and can help narrow down search areas.
"They are truly amazing, and they have been very successful," she said, speaking generally about the squad.
They work in a range of conditions and have to be able to navigate debris and balance themselves on a boat.
Their training is intense and they have to be so finely tuned to what they are looking for due to the varying water conditions, temperatures, winds and currents. They can smell, detect bubbles, and may lick the water. Their partnerships with their handlers, who have to be able to read what the dogs are trying to say, is key.
"We need pretty resilient dogs," she said.
The team is made up of cocker and springer spaniels, coolies and a border collie. The volunteer handlers all come from different walks of life and can be called to go anywhere to help out.
Captain Pritchard said the team was just happy to be able to help families have their loved ones found as quickly as possible.
The search conditions were difficult on Saturday, with rescuers battling poor weather conditions and visibility.
Police confirmed family in Australia and China had been notified of the search and police were liaising with Chinese Consulate officials. The 26-year-old woman was in Australia working as an engineer and was visiting the Hunter.
A 40-year-old man also attempted to cross Black Creek when his car was swept into the raging waters and he was rescued by SES crews who found him clinging to a tree.
The incidents came as wild weather wreaked havoc along the east coast.
Shortland Esplanade remained closed to traffic near Nobbys beach on Monday as City of Newcastle crews worked to clear a weather-related landslip. No properties were affected.
The New England Highway was closed at Muswellbrook due to flooding but reopened just after 10am on Monday, August 4. Dozens of local roads across the Hunter council areas remained closed due to floodwater inundation.
A small section of Raymond Terrace, along the Hunter River, was under evacuation orders on Sunday night. Part of Hinton was isolated on Monday, while Hinton Public School and Hunter Trade College were non-operational. On Monday, the SES warned Clarence Town, Seaham, Muswellbrook, Denman, Maitland and Singleton to monitor conditions and stay informed on flooding in their areas.
Holiday-makers and locals on the Mid North Coast were hit with what one resident described as 'mini cyclone' conditions on the weekend, causing damage to structures.
The sun came out in Newcastle on Monday and conditions are expected to remain dry on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).
POLICE divers and specialty water search dogs have been deployed to the Hunter Valley as part of the multi-agency operation to find a woman swept away in raging floodwaters on the weekend.
Two Chinese nationals trying to get back to Sydney after a weekend in wine country attempted to drive through a causeway on Old North Road at North Rothbury as floodwaters surged through on Saturday night.
The women, aged 27 and 26, a dog and the small car they were travelling in were washed into Black Creek, near Cessnock. The driver grabbed the dog and made it to shore but her 26-year-old passenger did not surface.
Emergency services swarmed the area and a multi-agency search operation was launched, involving the NSW State Emergency Service (SES), the Rural Fire Service (RFS), the Volunteer Rescue Association (VRA) and police, including water and rescue officers.
The search from the land and water, and from the sky with a drone, continued through the weekend. Police divers were tasked to help with the search when it resumed on Monday.
Five canines from the VRA NSW Search Dogs squad and their handlers were also tasked to assist.
Four of those dogs had been trained in water searching, the first of their kind in Australia. They are part of a wider canine team that assist the police in different circumstances.
Squad captain Sue Pritchard said the specialist capability had been deployed about 14 times since it became active one year ago.
The dogs are highly trained to find people in the water and on the shoreline, and can help narrow down search areas.
"They are truly amazing, and they have been very successful," she said, speaking generally about the squad.
They work in a range of conditions and have to be able to navigate debris and balance themselves on a boat.
Their training is intense and they have to be so finely tuned to what they are looking for due to the varying water conditions, temperatures, winds and currents. They can smell, detect bubbles, and may lick the water. Their partnerships with their handlers, who have to be able to read what the dogs are trying to say, is key.
"We need pretty resilient dogs," she said.
The team is made up of cocker and springer spaniels, coolies and a border collie. The volunteer handlers all come from different walks of life and can be called to go anywhere to help out.
Captain Pritchard said the team was just happy to be able to help families have their loved ones found as quickly as possible.
The search conditions were difficult on Saturday, with rescuers battling poor weather conditions and visibility.
Police confirmed family in Australia and China had been notified of the search and police were liaising with Chinese Consulate officials. The 26-year-old woman was in Australia working as an engineer and was visiting the Hunter.
A 40-year-old man also attempted to cross Black Creek when his car was swept into the raging waters and he was rescued by SES crews who found him clinging to a tree.
The incidents came as wild weather wreaked havoc along the east coast.
Shortland Esplanade remained closed to traffic near Nobbys beach on Monday as City of Newcastle crews worked to clear a weather-related landslip. No properties were affected.
The New England Highway was closed at Muswellbrook due to flooding but reopened just after 10am on Monday, August 4. Dozens of local roads across the Hunter council areas remained closed due to floodwater inundation.
A small section of Raymond Terrace, along the Hunter River, was under evacuation orders on Sunday night. Part of Hinton was isolated on Monday, while Hinton Public School and Hunter Trade College were non-operational. On Monday, the SES warned Clarence Town, Seaham, Muswellbrook, Denman, Maitland and Singleton to monitor conditions and stay informed on flooding in their areas.
Holiday-makers and locals on the Mid North Coast were hit with what one resident described as 'mini cyclone' conditions on the weekend, causing damage to structures.
The sun came out in Newcastle on Monday and conditions are expected to remain dry on Tuesday and Wednesday, according to the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM).
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