Genenut 8 Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 Just quickly reading about the terrible brush fires down there in SW Australia and was just wondering if all our "down under" friends are okay? Link to comment
TelariTurunen 0 Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 yeah, I've heard about this too hope everyone is fine. Link to comment
Pyrobelle 0 Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 im living in melbourne, a big city, so im fine. some people living in the outer regions of Victoria arnt so fine. I havnt been watching the news that much but ive herd its pretty bad. thks for the concern tho guys, Link to comment
plastique_exploda 0 Posted February 8, 2009 Share Posted February 8, 2009 And I live on the north eastern coast about a 20 hour drive away from anything but it is very bad worse bushfires for that state ever in Australia's history. Link to comment
jimdingsdale 0 Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 I see the death toll so far is just over 100. Very sad. Link to comment
Pyrobelle 0 Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 we get bushfire season this time every year . . . but its hardly ever "world news" its the worst its ever been, my heart goes out to all those families and friends who have lost loved ones. Link to comment
stubbie 21 Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 The most devastating fires are in Victoria which is actually in the SE of Australia. I live in New South Wales which is the state above Victoria and we also have a lot of fires that are out of control. The closest one to Sydney, which is where we live, is in Peats Ridge which is about 60km's north, though that one is now under control. Whole towns have been wiped off the map in Victoria and that is where the death toll is. Most of the fires have also been deliberately lit. And as a side note. The state above us is Queensland and they are currently experiencing severe floods. 62% of Queensland is now disaster declared. Mother nature is sure giving oz a bit of a shake up. Link to comment
gogoblender 3,069 Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 woah just caught this post...I'm dang glad you guys are all okay. Spent a bit of time down under while working a few years ago, and couldn't top hearing about brush fires. Deliberately lit fires... I hope they get caught gogo Link to comment
Pyrobelle 0 Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 dont let my online alias get ANY of you thinking I would never light a fire on purpose in real life. in arcania on the other hand . . . well now thats a different story. *casts blazing tempest* Link to comment
Genenut 8 Posted February 9, 2009 Author Share Posted February 9, 2009 Thanks for posting guys, Has anyone heard from Funky or Jun or know if they live in the affected area? Sorry if I forgot anyone else down under I dont tend to notice where everyone is from most of the time. As to the theory now that atleast one if not more of these fires were deliberately set, I say the perfect punishment is to have them stand in the middle of the fires they set while they are still burning..... eye for an eye. *hugs* all Link to comment
cyclops 15 Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 (edited) I am quite safe as I live in Liverpool which is a suburb about 35 miles southwest of Sydney. But we've been having a very weird weather here. Saturday and Sunday the temperatures reached over 40 C followed by 2 days of 20 C temperature with rain. Edited February 10, 2009 by cyclops Link to comment
Anestty 0 Posted February 9, 2009 Share Posted February 9, 2009 (edited) My family and I are all fine - Living many thousand of kilometers from the current fires. Terrible over on the east coast :S I have seen people openly weep as the toll rises Don't know what else to add really Edited February 9, 2009 by Anestty Link to comment
Genenut 8 Posted February 9, 2009 Author Share Posted February 9, 2009 Glad to hear from you Jun and Anestty that you are both okay. *hugs* Link to comment
plastique_exploda 0 Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 Its absolutely horrible I had people at my work just crying today about it all and I live ages away. Even our Prime Minister was crying on TV over it...... But the kind of good news is that Australians have donated over 15 million dollars in 2 days to help the people affected even during these tough times GO AUSSIE SPIRIT! Link to comment
Anestty 0 Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 As Australia reels from a massive disaster - I see this Now keep in mind Koalas are wild and can be quite ferocious With so many people so terribly upset everywhere - I think this is special We will rebuild Link to comment
Pyrobelle 0 Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 ^^ awww cool pic. your right in sayin that koalas can be quite aggessive and hate human contact. @ Plastique 15 million in two days! wow go us. makes me feel like donating . . . if only I wasnt poor aussie aussie aussie !! Link to comment
FrostElfGuard 9 Posted February 10, 2009 Share Posted February 10, 2009 My heart goes out to all those affected by the megafires. Here is a link to NASA site where they show the difference from average tempartures for Australia. The north is in blue (due to being waaaay colder than average) and the south is red hot (from being much much warmer than average). http://earthobservatory.nasa.gov/IOTD/archive.php?cat_id=2 Link to comment
Anestty 0 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 From the pic I posted earlier - I heard an interview with the guy today - amazing, stunning and so rare - I find it uplifting and shows a good example of the Aussie spirit Link to comment
Funkilicious 1 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Thanks for posting guys, Has anyone heard from Funky or Jun or know if they live in the affected area? *hugs* all Thanks for thinking of us Genenut, I am a city girl so *knocks on wood* I can only read about it like yourselves. My Parents phoned on Sunday (they live in Melbourne) and made me aware of one person that we know that hasn't been accounted for as yet, so prayers are with him. It is hard to fathom exactly what these poor people faced with the fire storm front racing 20 kilometres in 5 minutes, survivors have said that it sounded like jet engines so you can imagine the panic people were in, very hard decisions were made "should they stay or should they go?" You just dont realise how fickle Mother Nature can be, and we thought we had it tough with the heat wave that preceded the event. Link to comment
Anestty 0 Posted February 11, 2009 Share Posted February 11, 2009 Thanks for posting guys, Has anyone heard from Funky or Jun or know if they live in the affected area? *hugs* all Thanks for thinking of us Genenut, I am a city girl so *knocks on wood* I can only read about it like yourselves. My Parents phoned on Sunday (they live in Melbourne) and made me aware of one person that we know that hasn't been accounted for as yet, so prayers are with him. It is hard to fathom exactly what these poor people faced with the fire storm front racing 20 kilometres in 5 minutes, survivors have said that it sounded like jet engines so you can imagine the panic people were in, very hard decisions were made "should they stay or should they go?" You just dont realise how fickle Mother Nature can be, and we thought we had it tough with the heat wave that preceded the event. That's a great post guys, some of the figures are staggering. 1 fire alone was a 1000 km long front, four stories high, the energy released equivalent to 500 Hiroshima's, the worst for me was 3 members of a family hiding in a bathtub of water, with wet towels, feeling the water would save them. Instead the intense heat boiled the water. Trees and houses exploding, and people unable to outrun the fire in there cars, causing many deaths, One town of 500 people losing one hundred ( not confirmed ), and yet it continues as we speak, and of course lets not forget the folk in Queensland doing it just as tough, through floods no less :/ So far in the fires they say it could reach 300 people dead. Worse than Bali, worse than anything ever in peace time. It is heartening all the offers of assistance and calls from other countries, friends and foe. I really hope your friend is ok Link to comment
Genenut 8 Posted February 11, 2009 Author Share Posted February 11, 2009 So Sorry to hear about your friend Funky:-( I hope all turns out okay Im very happy to see the amount of support being given to help those affected by the fires. I have a friend who lives in San Diego CA and I know last year he gave us a few heart skips when the fires were so out of control as he lives very near where they were. He was fine but I know the feeling of not knowing for a while. I hope they catch those who have started the fires (the press here states at the moment only 1 is know to have been deliberate but another one hasnt been determined yet) and throw the book and the kitchen sink at them... Thanks everyone for checking in ... *hugs* Link to comment
Funkilicious 1 Posted February 17, 2009 Share Posted February 17, 2009 Sorry to have to post and so sorry it has taken me longer to get back to the post but unfortunately the person we knew, perished saving his animals. So many heartfelt stories are being told and those that perished will be remembered with a National Day of mourning on the 22nd of Feb 2009. A couple of particular stories that bring a tear every time I hear it are of three people thinking they were ok in a bathtub but knew that their time had come aone, and were able to phone their families to say goodbye before they perished. Another of a Father trying to flee the fires, he put his two children in the car and quickly returned to his house to gather either another child or belongings (not sure on which) to return and find the car in flames, this all happened in a matter of seconds. The death toll, is still rising each day as areas are being cleared. Link to comment
Schot 407 Posted February 18, 2009 Share Posted February 18, 2009 Wow, that is a catastrophe. The winds were so powerful that it was pushing the blazes so quickly across the land. One victim of the fires said it was as if a fireball had been hurled down from the mountain and that there was very little time to escape. My thoughts go out to those who have and are suffering. I'm so glad all of you are ok. Link to comment
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