The Quiet Disaster - Dog teams searching mudslide debris given two-day break as death toll hits 21

Here are terrible deaths and nearly 90 still missing, buried in goo. But it gets low priority coverage. The mudslide wasn't sexy enough for 24/7 coverage like Missing Jetliner Speculation or a moderate earthquake that gives rise to "The Big One" speculation. m/r

Dog teams searching mudslide debris given two-day break as death toll hits 21 | Fox News

March 31, 2014   FoxNews.com

Authorities in Washington state said Sunday that dog teams assisting in the search effort after last week's deadly mudslide would be given two days off as the official death toll increased from 18 to 21. 

The dogs can lose their sensing ability if overworked in the cold and rain.

"The conditions on the slide field are difficult, so this is just a time to take care of the dogs," said Kris Rietmann, a spokeswoman for the team working on the eastern portion of the slide, which hit March 22 about 55 miles northeast of Seattle and is one of the deadliest in U.S. history.

Dogs from the Federal Emergency Management Agency that arrived more recently will continue working.

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