2009 Victorian Bushfires

[WESTERNdeitySIXmoths]

i accidentally closed the link, but you'll see a banner on the front page of news.com.au to relevant coverage, and the main article has a link to neat google maps thing that shows the spread of fire across the state. thusfar 35 people are dead, and apparently more are likely to die/be found dead, meaning that before this is over it could become worse than ash wednesday...

apparently kevin rudd said that "Hell in all its fury had visited", while 'john of port melbourne' says:

"It's a disgrace. A warning is not good enough. A plan should be put in place for the future to have the army on standby, in readiness to evacuate people. governments don't learn. We had ash wednesday, we saw what happened with Katrina in america. Like the economy they want to come in with a rescue package when it's too late. instead of appearing at numerous press conferences, they should have been readying help."

apparently national rhetoric will be oding on hyperbole pills in the coming days.

any thoughts on the fires? hopefully nobody here is affected... not that i wish woe upon non-cf members, but you know... i hope things only get better for our victorian friends...

editsies:

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25023335-1243,00.html

and a news bulletin on ch. 9 just stated that a firebug is apparently re-lighting fires...

 

[kuyura]

65 dead now.
We are about 30 minutes away from them.
Are they anywhere near you?

 

[Blessed-one]

if only it's natural? but more than half of fires in Australia were deliberately lit. I don't get how people could be such idiots...

 

[Nooj]

Idiots? More like murderers.

 

[danstar]

im over in perth, but hearing all this stuff it makes me sad, that some people can get enjoyment out of lighting fires and i just heard the death toll is at 96 now, i cant stop crying, i have friends who are half hour away from the fires i just want it all to be over

 

[foxsta]

It was only 2 months ago that I stayed in Marysville for a conference - a great time - and now its all gone! Very sad!

 

[nesian]

Shockingly sad. I hope people get out of the danger areaswhile they still can.

 

[Amhacajo]

My heartfelt prayers go out to all these people who are in Victoria who have been directly or indirectly affected by these fires. The first reports I heard were last night and had actually misheard the reporter talking about 66 houses being lost...well it wasn't houses..and I was shocked when I realised the truth of what he had actually said. The last report I heard was 108 people have now been confirmed as dead and the number is likely to rise. Devastating. Absolutely devastating

 

[peacechild4]

I am in Victoria but not close to the fires..

It really is so shocking that so many have died.. and homes lost.. not forgetting
to mention the native animals and pets and livestock..

LORD send us rain.. and I pray for the fire fighters and volunteers.. LORD give them strength.. and LORD for those who survive many with only the clothes on their backs.. comfort them and lead them through this devastation to better days ahead.. LORD that they know YOU are with them and will not leave them.. and that YOUR comfort will help them heal and recover.. amen

 

[Philothei]

Prayers for all my friends in Australia ... what a terrible disaster a cople of years ago we had the whole of the southern Greece on fire About 150 people dead We sympathize with you

I wish you catch the arsenists....We did not

Lord have mercy

 

[theFijian]

my parents live north of sydney so i thank god that they are safe. This is currently a massive news item in the UK at the moment and australia is very much in the thoughts of people over here.

 

[HisdaughterJen]

We've got a lot of news about it as well. It's heart-wrenching....the stories that are coming out about what people are going through. It sounds like it's moving so fast that people aren't getting out of the way in time.

There's a suggestion in the media reports that it is an Islamic Jihad/terrorist attack by a group that posted the arson jihad on the web:

oh, wow...I just went to get the link and the story has been removed...interesting...

Praying for you guys...

 

[WESTERNdeitySIXmoths]

the number of the dead is now 181... this is pretty brutal...

 

[peacechild4]

Does anyone here have family and friends affected by the fires? I was speaking to my sons friends mother.. and her husbands family farm was in the line of fire.. thankfully their house was saved!! They at the time had not been allowed to return home because there was no electricity..

Such a enormous scale of damage and loss.. that number of lives lost is just overwhelming.. Very hard to see the pictures of the people lost..

 

[bluemarkus]

wow, these fires seem to be intense ! its all cold and winter here in germany. i cant believe that these fires are supposed to be artificial ones, who would be so stupid as to do that ? hmmm probly somebody bought off by an insurance or something...

but evertheless i believe disasters always have their good sides also, sometimes in life we need a makeover, so that new stuff can happen.

all the best to OZ, best country in the world !

MB

 

[kuyura]

What is the good side for all the adults and children burned in my home state?

 

[peacechild4]

There have been remarkable stories of bravery and courage.. the communties coming together.. people having risked their lives to save others.. I am utterly amazed by the giving of Australians in economic hard times.. many are suffering from lack of jobs and not enough money to pay bills.. but yet Australians are giving from the heart and giving big..

A man in our city closed his children's clothing store and gave all current stock.. thousands of dollars worth to the bush fire victims.. My goodness.. Thank YOU LORD for that mans genorosity.. may every one give what they can..

 

[kuyura]

Yes, the giving has been wonderful, so much generiosity.

 

[Philothei]

the number of the dead is now 181... this is pretty brutal...

Lord have mercy

It is the most chilling feeling ever to know people were traped by the flames... I heard the fires are most of them put out. Now the bad part is taking care of these people who lost their homes..and worse their relatives
Prayers.

 

[kuyura]

The fires are still burning. Most threats have been downgraded, but that could change as there are still major fires burning in places.