Armageddon has come to Australia
I feel the need to write about the events that have unfolded in my home state of Victoria in Australia. I am deeply saddened by it.
It started yesterday. In Australia we have been in a heatwave of unbearable heat for the past 2 weeks. Temperatures everyday above (30C) 100F, a stretch of 5 days that were above (40C) 110F and yesterday it peaked at (47C) 117F.
Australia has been in a drought now for 15 years. Water supplies are dwindling, our dams only at 30% capacity, we time our showers and keep them at under 4 mins. We no longer have children running under sprinklers and having water fights. Water is a precious resource here. The goverment has requested we only use 155 litres of water each a day. We recycle our water, using the water from our washing machines to water the vegie patches, to tip into the toilet cysterns to reduce wastage, we place bricks in our toilet cysterns so they dont use so much per flush. Taps are turned off while we brush our teeth and shave. You get the picture.
So, the drought is hitting us hard. For fifteen years we have had little rain, which has caused the forrests to dry, the earth to harden, so that even when it rains.. the water runs off the earth rather than being absorbed. So… this past fortnight has been completely dry, and yesterday was like walking into an oven outside. Power grids shut down, airconditioners rendered useless without power supply.
The wind was blowing a gale, fast hot blasting wind. Wind that burnt the skin in the shade.
And then the fires began. Springing up all over the place. In the end, it seemed that half our state was ablaze at once. Tens of thousands of hectares bursting into flames. Some lit by sick twisted individuals. The forrests, dried out over the past fifteen years, practically evaporating, disintegrating within minutes. The fire sweeping across the land at hurricane speed, flipping cars, tearing apart houses. Chasing down the cars of those attempting to escape.
We have a type of tree here called the eucalyptus, the eucalyptus tree has the same qualities as petrol. When they catch alight, its like throwing petrol on a fire, and they are native here. The forrest populated mostly by those trees. All of these elements have combined to create the worst bushfires ever seen in our history.
Entire townships have been wiped out, not a tree nor building standing, everything blackened, everything dead.
The deathcount keeps rising… at first they estimated 40 people… and already we have hit 131 they are expecting it to grow to over 230. Mostly people found in cars, people who tried to escape too late. Then again, there wasnt time for warning, no time to pack treasured possessions, pets, anything. Families are filling the screens of the tvs here, they have lost everything. So far they have counted 650 houses lost.. yet, that is just today. The fires are still burning out of control, roads shut down so that people are not even able to reach homes to see if their wives and children have survived. To see if they have anything left.
Tonight as I sit here on my balcony, the sky is a deep black blue, with low lying clouds… the clouds are glowing and eeirie orange colour, reflecting the colour of the fires. Our world is glowing, from the wrong side up. Its supposed to be the sun lighting the earth, now we are lighting the sky!!
I am safe. I live far into a populated city area. I feel selfish sitting here.. typing on a computer, safe, with a spare bedroom, my healthy cats, my belongings. I have often thought of my situation. I am poor. I live below the breadline and usually have no money every second week. My possessions are almost entirely donated. My home is housing commission, funded by the government. I have nothing fancy. Tonight I feel like a millionaire, and am feeling guilty for the security I have.
There are thousands of people now homeless… not only homeless, but displaced entirely from the place they have known. The townships they treasured, the businesses they owned and ran, their schools burnt to the ground, kindergardens gone…. even the firestations have burnt to the ground. Everything they knew wiped out.
There is so much loss that I feel like vomiting. My heart aches and my stomach in knots. Its not just about human possessions and loss. Its about history erased. About our heritage sites decimated, historical buildings, and the anchient forrest trees that survived so long that have had the life charred out of them.
And also, the animal life. Its the wildlife, the Kangaroos, Koalas, Wallabies, Wombats, Small wild native rodents, lizards, snakes, birds, emus, cattle, horses, sheep, and so on and so forth. They will suffer the worst. We have emergency services for the humans…. and so few for the wildlife. And even more tragically… the wildlife that have been teetering on the verge of extinction… what effect will this have?
There was a woman on the news… she wasnt upset about the prospect of losing her house… no where near as much as she was distressed that the fire crews were holding her back from rushing into her house to rescue her cat.
I know what she feels…. I would do the same for my two. They are my family. My only family.
So where now? What comes next? After Armegeddon has hit? Where do these people go? We have a housing shortage her now already… where the hell are they going to live? children without homes, toys, stability?
This is so screwed up! I want to offer up my spare room…. my meagre possessions… I want to help!!
I dont know what more to write for now…. my heart is torn up… shredded… this is so horrible.
I will write more in the next few days… an update on figures.. lives lost.. Im just shaking my head.. how can people deliberately light fires? HOW?
If anyone wants to follow the stories… go to the link www.ninemsn.com.au
Also.. I KNOW any donations will be appreciated….. whatever anyone can do… anywhere…
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Armageddon has come to Australia
I feel the need to write about the events that have unfolded in my home state of Victoria in Australia. I am deeply saddened by it.
It started yesterday. In Australia we have been in a heatwave of unbearable heat for the past 2 weeks. Temperatures everyday above (30C) 100F, a stretch of 5 days that were above (40C) 110F and yesterday it peaked at (47C) 117F.
Australia has been in a drought now for 15 years. Water supplies are dwindling, our dams only at 30% capacity, we time our showers and keep them at under 4 mins. We no longer have children running under sprinklers and having water fights. Water is a precious resource here. The goverment has requested we only use 155 litres of water each a day. We recycle our water, using the water from our washing machines to water the vegie patches, to tip into the toilet cysterns to reduce wastage, we place bricks in our toilet cysterns so they dont use so much per flush. Taps are turned off while we brush our teeth and shave. You get the picture.
So, the drought is hitting us hard. For fifteen years we have had little rain, which has caused the forrests to dry, the earth to harden, so that even when it rains.. the water runs off the earth rather than being absorbed. So… this past fortnight has been completely dry, and yesterday was like walking into an oven outside. Power grids shut down, airconditioners rendered useless without power supply.
The wind was blowing a gale, fast hot blasting wind. Wind that burnt the skin in the shade.
And then the fires began. Springing up all over the place. In the end, it seemed that half our state was ablaze at once. Tens of thousands of hectares bursting into flames. Some lit by sick twisted fucken arseholes. The forrests, dried out over the past fifteen years, practically evaporating, disintegrating within minutes. The fire sweeping across the land at hurricane speed, flipping cars, tearing apart houses. Chasing down the cars of those attempting to escape.
We have a type of tree here called the eucalyptus, the eucalyptus tree has the same qualities as petrol. When they catch alight, its like throwing petrol on a fire, and they are native here. The forrest populated mostly by those trees. All of these elements have combined to create the worst bushfires ever seen in our history.
Entire townships have been wiped out, not a tree nor building standing, everything blackened, everything dead.
The deathcount keeps rising… at first they estimated 40 people… and already we have hit 131 they are expecting it to grow to over 230. Mostly people found in cars, people who tried to escape too late. Then again, there wasnt time for warning, no time to pack treasured possessions, pets, anything. Families are filling the screens of the tvs here, they have lost everything. So far they have counted 650 houses lost.. yet, that is just today. The fires are still burning out of control, roads shut down so that people are not even able to reach homes to see if their wives and children have survived. To see if they have anything left.
Tonight as I sit here on my balcony, the sky is a deep black blue, with low lying clouds… the clouds are glowing and eeirie orange colour, reflecting the colour of the fires. Our world is glowing, from the wrong side up. Its supposed to be the sun lighting the earth, now we are lighting the sky!!
I am safe. I live far into a populated city area. I feel selfish sitting here.. typing on a computer, safe, with a spare bedroom, my healthy cats, my belongings. I have often thought of my situation. I am poor. I live below the breadline and usually have no money every second week. My possessions are almost entirely donated. My home is housing commission, funded by the government. I have nothing fancy. Tonight I feel like a millionaire, and am feeling guilty for the security I have.
There are thousands of people now homeless… not only homeless, but displaced entirely from the place they have known. The townships they treasured, the businesses they owned and ran, their schools burnt to the ground, kindergardens gone…. even the firestations have burnt to the ground. Everything they knew wiped out.
There is so much loss that I feel like vomiting. My heart aches and my stomach in knots. Its not just about human possessions and loss. Its about history erased. About our heritage sites decimated, historical buildings, and the anchient forrest trees that survived so long that have had the life charred out of them.
And also, the animal life. Its the wildlife, the Kangaroos, Koalas, Wallabies, Wombats, Small wild native rodents, lizards, snakes, birds, emus, cattle, horses, sheep, and so on and so forth. They will suffer the worst. We have emergency services for the humans…. and so few for the wildlife. And even more tragically… the wildlife that have been teetering on the verge of extinction… what effect will this have?
There was a woman on the news… she wasnt upset about the prospect of losing her house… no where near as much as she was distressed that the fire crews were holding her back from rushing into her house to rescue her cat.
I know what she feels…. I would do the same for my two. They are my family. My only family.
So where now? What comes next? After Armegeddon has hit? Where do these people go? We have a housing shortage her now already… where the hell are they going to live? children without homes, toys, stability?
This is so screwed up! I want to offer up my spare room…. my meagre possessions… I want to help!!
I dont know what more to write for now…. my heart is torn up… shredded… this is so horrible.
I will write more in the next few days… an update on figures.. lives lost.. Im just shaking my head.. how can people deliberately light fires? HOW?
If anyone wants to follow the stories… go to the link www.ninemsn.com.au
Also.. I KNOW any donations will be appreciated….. whatever anyone can do… anywhere…
MortallyWounded
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