Authorities say the community of Wedderburn in central Victoria are feeling relieved today after a man and his dog were rescued from a vehicle trapped in flood waters.
Sergeant Benjamin Huisman said he was off-duty when he came across the incident.
“It was an extremely close call,” Sergeant Huisman said.
“[The driver] was heading home and unfortunately chose to drive through the flood waters.”
“The water was about 3-4 feet deep and flowing extremely fast. It rose up very quickly, before sweeping his car into the creek.”
“He was up to his chin in floodwaters and his dog was in there with him.”
Sergeant Huisman said that after assessing the situation, he reported to the police station to grab a radio and headed back down to the site to assist community members trying to rescue the man.
“Members of the community assisted in getting him out, with the help of SES,” he said.
“They threw a rope to him, then waded into the flood waters and dragged him out onto dry land.”
The driver was treated for hypothermia, Sergeant Huisman confirmed, but will otherwise be fine.
The driver’s dog is also safe and well.
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“Under no circumstances do police, SES or fire services want people driving into floodwaters,” Sergeant Huisman said.
“You don’t know what damage has been done to the road, you don’t know how fast the water is travelling and you don’t know how deep the water is.
“You could put your own life at risk, and also those that are there to assist.”
More severe weather to come
Victorians are being warned to brace for more wild weather as storms persist across the state this evening.
A severe thunderstorm warning issued by the Bureau of Meteorology just after 3pm warned of damaging winds and heavy rainfall accompanying isolated storms.
The warning follows on from Tuesday’s severe weather, which saw large parts of Victoria being faced with torrential rain, destructive winds, hailstones and widespread electrical outages — with around 28,000 homes losing power.
The SES has responded to more than 980 call-outs for assistance within the last 24 hours.
The Bureau warns that the risk of severe storms could carry on into Thursday, with southern and central areas of New South Wales and north-eastern Victoria most likely to be affected.