Australian and Tasmanian Fires

[joechimp]

Lets all have a good thought for our Australian brothers and sisters living in the midst of those catastrophic fires raging in their country.

[tschommer]

Absolutely. I don't even want to imagine what they're going thru.

[Nok]

I've been watching this on the news. They're calling it a super-heatwave and the meteorologists have had to introduce new colours to the weather maps due to the incredibly high temperatures. It's no wonder everything is burning like that. I read that more than 100 people are unaccounted for in Tasmania too, which has been suffering the same problem.

[jimwilk]

We Kiwis here feel for our "cousins" across the Tasman at this time. Some experienced NZ rural firefighters left yesterday to help out in Tasmania. Fair enough, they helped us here at the time of the Pike River Coal mine disaster and the Christchurch Earthquake.

One amazing story concerned a family - two grandparents and their five grandchildren spent hours up to their necks in water under a jetty in a successful attempt to escape the firestorm. Eventually, the grandfather was able to reach shore and retrieve a dinghy which he used to ferry the entire group around the point and away from the fire.

Link: http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2259468/Australia-wildfires-Moment-terrified-family

Jim

[TerryH]

Thanks for starting this thread.  As an ex-patriot aussie i have been watching this disaster closely.  I have no family or friends in the areas currently effected.  Let's hope that the fires can be contained soon and not become more widespread.

[greywolf]

My brother down the coast nearly got caught badly the other day. They were in the "catastrophic" danger zone and were told to evacuate, but the fires moved so fast the roads were cut before more than a few folk got out!  The message then came to bunker down & prepare to fight. He said that is the scariest message he has ever received.

Fortunately for our family, the firestorm came close but they suffered no real damage other than a shed in the field.

He said it was like the "big waves" you see in Hawaii & such places, just rolling through paddocks and bushland; but waves of fire, not water!

46 degrees but no fires here. They do call us "the great brown land". Still, we are Aussies, we will give all we can of ourselves and our possessions to help those who face devastation in this and then we will rebuild and carry on.

Thanks for your thoughts.
Greywolf.

[and then..]

No fires yet in my end of the country.  My full sympathies to those caught up in the fear and damage wrought by these awful fires.  I'm grateful for my fellow country men and others when I hear of the generous efforts lent by firefighters and citizens from unaffected areas - though it sickens me to see the rating seeking media hovering like vultures waiting for statistics of human fatalities.   Soon all will have their opportunity to contribute.  As soon as the damage costs are assessed we will all no doubt be paying higher premiums on our insurance policies - everywhere! 

[sammy2fish]

My oldest son has a friend (Canadian) that moved to Australia about 5 years ago.  He married a girl out there.

They have so many fires out there in the last number of years.  I hope & pray that this isn't going to become a norm.

[and then..]

They have so many fires out there in the last number of years.  I hope & pray that this isn't going to become a norm.

More than 50,000 bushfires occurred in Australia each year over a decade to 2005-06, a new report has found.

http://www.watoday.com.au/wa-news/australia-scorched-by-50000-bushfires-a-year-report-20091126-jtfs.html

That's the norm!

[Tony]

I live in Suburban Melbourne, so am not threatened, however it is very stressful to see such damage, people lose homes who will take five years to get back to where they were yesterday. Not to mention the animals. In fact incomprehensible.

I've no idea if Global Warming is a factor. The native Aboriginals used to burn off and manage the Bush, obviously fires have always been there.

Lightning starts most bushfires, but people actually light them too.

A tug boat worker has captured spectacular images of a gigantic wall of dust and water roaring off the Western Australian coast.

[joechimp]

I saw that image on the news. It is really an incredible sight. Imagine what you would feel seeing that live.