Great Victorian Fire of 2009: Donate.

[Prestwick]

I know this might be slightly late in the day but there is a lot of grief going on in Southern Australia at this moment in time and they need all the help they can get to get through this and rebuild.

So, please try and donate just a little to the Australian Red Cross or any other Australian charity out there right now. I've dropped some money in a donation and you can too!

http://www.redcross.org.au/default.asp

 

[melon]

This is terrible. As of 1am this morning there were 176 confirmed casualties with that number likely to be already over the 200 mark while I write this. There have been pictures of car crash pileups as they have attempted to outrun the fires but after crashing everyone was incinerated.

One of the more saddening and horrific stories told was from a Doctor who told of a family in their car, all of whom perished except one who was brought in to emergency unconscious with severe burns and suffering smoke inhilation. An absolute miracle, although they most likely are on the edge of life themselves. I can't even begin to imagine what it would have been like for that lone survivor to not only suffer the injuries but see their family perish from smoke, heat and flames around them.

Thousands of people are homeless with several small towns being completely destroyed as well as farms and all the lifestock on the land perishing.

Australia's worst natural disaster in recorded history.

 

[Prestwick]

The money donated to the Red Cross will help provide emergency shelter, care and support for communities made homeless by the maelstrom of fire and for the victims of the blazes which swept through their houses, villages and towns. As well as that, with this money the Red Cross can help provide support in the form of good meals, a nice cup of tea and more to the thousands of firefighters, servicemen and law enforcement out there right now risking their lives to save what they can.

If you haven't donated already, please do so now. Your donation will go a long way to providing some sort of restbite.

http://www.redcross.org.au/default.asp

 

[ak47]

it is australia biggest loss of life disaster since anzac day
have u seen the pics - some of the flames are higher then the new york skyline
they reckon if a flame was 35m high - u cannot get within 150m of it, without getting singed to death from the radiant heat and embers
they had howling 100kmph winds which is rediculous if there is no fire!!!!!
it was also 45 degrees that day - if u chuck in the heat from the fires - seriously, its just epic heat, inferno hell type stuff -
i cannot imagine any of this, let alone all at once - its out of this world

 

[ak47]

check out this pic

i cannot fathom - its like the end of the world

 

[melon]

This sums up the desperation and horrific consequences of not being able to outrun the fires...

 

[getofmeland]

Praise has to go to the Fire Fighters, who are also members of the public putting there life on the line to try and save other peoples life.

The extent of the fire will not even be known for weeks, lets just hope the worse is over.

We are thinking of you Australia!

 

[Fa'atau82]

This is horrific. That pic looks like a volcano has just gone off. As a natural disaster it is tragic, but learning that the fires are often started by arsonists makes it even more difficult to accept this.. how (i have no words for the sickness of the arson) you can even contemplate setting alight to what is already tinder for amusement or personal entertainment.. i don't really know what to call it. It's terrorism of the highest degree.

I mean obviously in those conditions this will happen naturally and that's bad enough, but i can't find words to describe someone who create arson in these conditions.

Australia needs to address this issue immediately, and the issue of figuring out how to prevent the fires becoming so bad. I know they have officers who patrol the region for arsonists, but obviously that hasn't worked in this case.

 

[QLD]

i cant believe some people actually started these fires
if we ever find out who did, i will hunt them down http://www.news.com.au/heraldsun/story/0,2...5005961,00.html

someone lit that fire, responsible for 21 dieing.

like ak said - combine that with the extreme heat Victoria has faced over the past week and your asking for trouble

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

the trick to preventing massive forest fires of this scale is proper forest management... aka harvesting of older growth etc... forest fires, believe it or not, are actually very good for the forest and are the forest's way of replenishing its stock.

The problem with these massive fires is that the old growth forests where debris from tress is falling all over the place, and the forests are being overmanaged. What I mean is that by trying to prevent all the small forest fires which are actually healthy for the forest we have created a massive problem whereby otherwise small forest fires are now huge behemoths because of over management of the forest resources.

We have the same problem in Western North America, luckily, the climate is not nearly as dry as Australia.

Tragic loss of life but it is born out of the product of over management of forests.

 

[Canadian_Rugger]

I'd imagine the government is going to make a containment line but the trouble is with such a large fire how do you cut a containment line into the growth thats large enough to stop the fire jumping the line.

 

[ak47]

we do containment and management in most cases i know that
its just with winds up to 100kmph and flames over 35m high - it jumped everything
combine that with massive heat wave, and in massive drought - ie dryer land then ever before - you have this issue
its like all the boxes have been ticked to beat containment and management, which would only happence once in a century if that
i have heard a few reports that flames were travelling approx 70kmph and cars were trying to outrun them, but failed due to the roads not being straight - ie they bend alot which means reduced car speed, and turning back into or adjacent to the flames.

 

[Prestwick]

Sometimes even the best fire management can't stop are wildfire/bushfire when the conditions are perfect. Like in Western America when their wildfires break out or in the South of France/North of Italy. All existing precautions with forestry management and firebreaks simply can't withstand the ferocity of 40mph winds and searing temperatures.

A lot of respect must go out to the firemen of the Fire brigades out there in Victoria who have probably been working non stop for over two weeks now.

 

[redunderthebed]

We have had similar fires not on that scale thank f**k but we have being lucky on several occasions not to get the town burnt to the ground.Like canadian rugger said lack of managment of bushland granted what prestwick said is true but it can help a fair bit.

But yes my thoughts are with those who have lost property and love ones and good luck to those who have to pick up the piece and rebuild.

A very sad story which is just going to get sadder i fear.

I'am a pauper but i might put a bit of money to help them out.

Oh and three cheers to the firemen and women who have risk their lives to defend life and property legends one and all!.