I don’t normally write much about current events, if at all. But for those overseas who read my blog, Australia is seeing the worst bushfires ever.
South Australia where I live has been amazingly free from major fires, amazingly because we’ve had one of the longest heatwaves on record combined with our dryest January. But Victoria however is hell on earth and New South Wales is also experiencing terrible fires.
The fires are bigger and more fatal than Ash Wednesday (1983) and Black Friday (1939), over 84 people dead so far and they still haven’t been able to get into towns to look for bodies. The body count is expected to climb a lot higher, it’s expected to exceed 100 dead and severe burns victims aren’t going to survive and they still just can’t find so many people. Entire towns have been wiped out. Over 750 homes so far.
Still dozens of fires burning out of control. It’s all over Victoria, from the Grampians to the NSW border. Not just country areas, but close to the Victorian capital. Melbourne with fires burning just 50kms north in semi-urban areas.
The moon here at night is now ringed with red/yellow rainbows, which I admired last night but it wasn’t until today that I connected it to the fires.
The heatwave has been incredible. We’ve just had a cool change come in last night, but we’re expecting it to climb back to 40 by end of this week again. Actually it’s a bit worrying here as the winds have now picked up a lot, so any fire here would move quickly too.
But in victoria the fires have just blown through towns like a freight train, overtaking people fleeing in cars, there’s images of cars piled up burnt on roads where drivers have had no where left to go and the fires turned back on them as they fled.
The Army is now fighting the fires alongside firefighters and aircraft frm all states. Photos of firefighting helicopters look like toys against the towering flames.
If you want to help, every little bit makes a difference, visit the Red Cross website to donate. http://www.redcross.org.au/default.asp