More about the bushfires

[cleolinda]

I am SO BEHIND on links and entries and answering comments (and work ) and things, which is not really unusual and probably the story of my life, but so it goes. At any rate, a number of people have sent in links pertaining to the Australian bushfires, and I wanted to post those, but at a point when they wouldn't get lost amid the regular linkspam. So here we are.

From purple_smurf: "This explains why these fires are different, and why the death toll is so high. (For the record, 46C = 114.8F.)"

Every year, it happens. Houses burn, livestock are lost, and people turn to each other and say that it sounded like a train, that the fire moved as fast as they could run. That they lost the house but the kids are okay. It's horrible, but it's normal.

None of this is normal.

.... The radiant heat [this time] has been described as like Dresden. Houses were exploding into flame ahead of the firefront. While normal ember attacks give you a decent length of time for the house to stand before it is unsalvageable (the eaves and under the house start smouldering, small fires begin, but it's usually after the front has past that the house really catches light), this time large properties were gone in minutes.

From foxo11: "Here's the link to the people who are known to have perished in the bushfires. The number is still rising." Three hundred is the number being discussed now, as victim searches begin.

From e_chan_21: "In regards to the bushfires, I wonder if I could turn your attention to this. It's a journal entry written by my brother, writer Andrew Hutchinson, about my eldest brother Ben. Ben has lost everything in the Kinglake fires but refuses to leave the town while there is still recovery work to be done. There are other entries in my lj about the bushfires, but I find that Andrew's entry pretty much sums things up." It actually made me cry, by the way.

My brother is still out fighting the Kinglake fire. He's been working virtually non-stop since it began. I think he's trying to keep busy so he doesn't have to stop and think about it. About the town being burned to nothing. The dead bodies in the paddocks. In the burnt out cars along the roads. About his house, his stuff, all gone. And the one thing that always stands out for me with my brother Ben is that he's a good person. He would do anything to help out anyone. He has always put himself out to assist others. His entire life is dedicated to taking care of his young daughter and helping the local CFA. He would sacrifice his personal happiness to achieve this, without any hesitation. Yet he's the one who gets the bad deal. It's always such a confusing equation, in that you want for good things to happen to good people.

Meanwhile, kaymbee reports, "I've been working at one of the relief centres for survivors and donations in my hometown Wallan for the past week - all my posts are here. And if nothing else, please pass on this article from the Herald-Sun, the more widely read state newspaper: Where the hell is everyone? - an account of the last few hours in Marysville."

From g_woman82, regarding Sam the koala: "People can also make donations to Wildlife Victoria and also the RSPCA to try and assist the animal carers too!"

And iamshadow has more links to help the helpless: Triple R Equine Welfare Inc ("scroll to the bottom for the 'donate' button"); Animal Aid; Wildlife Rescuers; WRAP - Wildlife Rescue and Protection Inc; Healesville Sanctuary. "Also, ABC forums have an excellent list of Things you can do to help, including donations of money, but also listing donations of time from skilled volunteers (such as electricians), temporary housing, blood donations and donations of non-perishable food and clothing."

And, once again: You can donate to the Australian Red Cross here.

ETA: The volunteer-run Bushfire Survivor list, to reduce strain on the Red Cross missing persons line by letting people check for friends and family themselves.

ETA: From jwaneeta: Sweet God almighty, it really does sound like a freight train.

Comments

[diddakoi.livejournal.com]

Australia... ;_;

[thelovely2.livejournal.com]

I have friends in Australia... I feel like having a panic attack.

*cries*

[serenity-winner.livejournal.com]

I can't believe how badly this has escalated. I mean, you hear fire and you think oh, they'll put it out. But it's not that simple. :(

[robinmc.livejournal.com]

None of this is normal.

I read that whole post and I can't even...fuck. That got to me more than anything I've read so far about these horrific fires, even more than the picture of Sam the koala, and that nearly tore my heart out. Thanks for the Red Cross link.

[alexthedevil.livejournal.com]

I actually meant to link you to this one earlier, so I'll just throw it in the comments:

A reporter's tale of surviving the fire - "How we cheated the flames of death" (http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25026912-2702,00.html).

The author is actually the uncle of one of my friends who lives about 10 minutes away from him (she's fine, the fire didn't go anywhere near her), and he lived in the same street as my best friend who I mentioned last week, who lost her house and her brother.

It's amazing - everybody in Melbourne knows someone who was effected, whether they lost their homes and/or loved ones, or whether they were simply just concerned because their friends' houses were under some form of threat.

Last I've heard the amount raised was an astonishing $77 million though, I'm not sure whether that includes the corporate donations or not.

[sesquipedeviant.livejournal.com]

I really appreciate you making this post.
Could you PLEASE tell your friendslist about legless123's volunteer-run Bushfire Survivor list (http://www.daftdoggy.com/bushfire/Summarysmry.php?grpperpage=ALL)? Anyone can send in updates about known survivors, simple things like:

Bartlett Maddison St Andrews
12 years old. Reported in The Age today as survived but in the Royal Childrens Hospital. Her parents and young sister are reported as not surviving. Check this link (http://www.theage.com.au/national/hospitals-staff-shock-over-girls-death-20090212-859i.html).

Bartlett Grace Marysville
Reported by Faith Brown to be at Marylands Country House with Martin Bainbridge & Michael McNamara.


This is a hugely important resource. It reduces the strain on the Red Cross, and the stress of the people trying to get through.

As Legless says (http://legless123.livejournal.com/116518.html):

"I've talked to people who spent over 48 hours solid ringing the Red Cross missing person line and getting the engaged tone. Hang up, hit redial and repeat."

[iamshadow.livejournal.com]

This is a brilliant idea. I don't know anyone who's unaccounted for, but I know of someone who got out okay (though she lost her home and some of her pets) and she doesn't appear to be on that list yet. I've passed the link on to her friend in case she wants to add her name.

[sailorcoruscant.livejournal.com]

One of my favourite yarn stores in Victoria is asking for people to knit squares that she will make into blankets for the victims.

Her request is copied here. (http://www.sailorcoruscant.com/weblog/2009/02/blog-post.html)

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Or how far that will go to rebuild, for that matter.

[sushixpack.livejournal.com]

I can't even comprehend how bad this has gotten. D:

[iamshadow.livejournal.com]

Just in case you want to clean up the links a bit - the link for Wildlife Victoria and Wildlife Rescuers is the same website. Not a mistake, just duplication. :)

I also wrote about the realities of growing up under the threat of bushfires, though my post is less about facts and more nostalgic than blamebrampton's was. You don't have to add that to the linkspam; it's just another view if people here are curious. It's unlocked, and comments and questions are fine so long as people are polite.

The weather, the fires, and Australia in general (http://iamshadow.livejournal.com/284401.html)

[jwaneeta.livejournal.com]

The article Where the hell is everyone? may be the most powerful piece of journalism I've ever read.

[particle-person.livejournal.com]

I sent the Australian Red Cross some money, but their form asks for an address, but it doesn't let you list your state properly if you're not Australian. I hope it goes through properly.

[girlthethird.livejournal.com]

It really is. Especially the part about those in Melbourne having no idea. We really were completely unaware of the extent of the destruction and chaos until around Monday.

[callmesyd.livejournal.com]

Seriously.

The concept of a fire so hot that things are erupting into flame ahead of it, moving faster than a speeding car, with smoke so thick and toxic that birds are dropping dead out of the sky, of it sounding like a freight train... goddamn terrifying.

[watersusurrus.livejournal.com]

Thanks. I'm lucky, all my friends got out of Marysville safely. But this has shocked our whole community.

[jwaneeta.livejournal.com]

http://media.smh.com.au/?category=Breaking%20News&rid=46144

I grew up in southern California, where you see a lot of fires. But when I saw a photo on the BBC site of a horse killed by radiant heat -- untouched by any flame, but killed stone dead by a blastwave of heat -- I realized this was no ordinary awful fire. It's something new. This is a level of destruction that's simply unimaginable to me.

This vid -- shot by a lucky guy who saw the firestorm race past his house, sparing him -- sort of captures the roar. I've seen fires, I've heard fires, but I've never seen or heard anything like this.

[genmaicha.livejournal.com]

Very much agreed.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

Wow.

[callmesyd.livejournal.com]

Oh, God, that ROAR. It's like two of my worst fears rolled into one - raging fires AND booming thunder - and then cranked up to eleven.

This is utterly crazed.

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

The more stories I hear/read about the fires, the more I start to hate the internet.

[evilbearhunter.livejournal.com]

Jesus Christ! That is beyond terrifying.

[wolfsilveroak.livejournal.com]

So do I. I think that's what makes it so damned hard to read about.

[cleolinda.livejournal.com]

The internet? Why?

[e-chan-21.livejournal.com]

Bartlett Maddison St Andrews

Oh jesus, that's the girl that my brother and other CFA members from Kinglake fire brigade in St Andrews. Her house had already gone up in flames and her parents and sister had already died. We've been getting updates from her grandfather and it looks like she is going to be okay.