Thread: How is everyone?

Hi Cindy - thanks for your good wishes. Australia is a continent approximately 85% the size of the US, but with only 22 million people, which makes it a wonderful place to live most of the time. Being so large we can experience floods and droughts, fires and frost.... and right now we are having crippling floods in our country's north as well as the tragedy occurring further south. Did I hear someone say Global Warming?

The Bad Tidings:

The bushfires are mainly in Victoria and New South Wales, two eastern states of the country. There has been terrible loss of human and animal life as well as extensive property losses. The extent of the fires while still ongoing is yet to be realised, but more than a million acres has been burned so far. This equates to the size of Rhode Island, but I stress that the fires are in no way, finished.

What is being called "The Kilmore Fire" started on Saturday around 5 minutes drive from our place - 40 homes have been reported as lost so far. Thousands of acres of land is burned and just 20-30 miles to the east, entire townships are wiped out.

It is estimated that so far, around a thousand properties have been lost.

Obviously relief efforts are continuing and the toll will increase, but for now we are thankful it isnt worse. Some fires will have been deliberately lit but I doubt this is the case for the majority.

Saturday saw the hottest day on record for the state of Victoria, with temperatures reaching 48 Celsius where we are and the scorching winds gusting up to 90 kilometres per hour. This equates to just under 120F on your scale and around 50 miles per hour.

The winds changed direction 5 or 6 times per hour which meant the fire fronts changed too, making the job of fighting them even more hazardous and resulted in people getting trapped with no way out.

So, it is a tough time - but Aussies know how to rally around each other and rebuild - we will need help and your good wishes are most gratefully received.

Thanks for your concern Cindy, and for the concern and good wishes of your fellow Americans.

I live in Brisbane ,which is well north of the fire zone. However I do know some of those areas.

The sad news is that the death toll is now confirmed at 108 and is expected to approach the 200 mark. Somwthing like 750 homes have been destroyed.Add to this the destruction of infrastructure and animal deaths and the whole scenario is horrifying.

Meanwhile 65% of Queensland, my state is covered in flood water.

to give some perspective, the area under water in QUEENSLAND is 70% larger than texas or three times the size of California

Well in Australia we don't do things by halves, its all or nothing, and when it's all boiled down we are a resilient mob and generous ,just pick ourselves up .dust ourselves off, and start all over again, hang in there friends

Thanks for the information. I hope that things will settle and that everyone will be safe. I will continue to follow what's happening and send positive energy and thoughts in your direction. Good luck to all of you and keep us updated.
Thanks again,
Cindy

Unfortunately a brother in law of a friend of mine has lost his life in the terrible fires in Victoria. His body was found this morning.

I am so sorry about your friend's loss of his brother-in-law. My thoughts go out to all of those affected by these fires and floods.
Cindy

Thanks Cindy
I am like Arthur and John and live in Queensland, rednecks as we are sometimes called.

We are all fine here

You have a our thoughts and prayer anyone in the areas effected

i live in Darwin Northern Territory, couldn't,t set fire to a thing up here , not quite flooded but the roads to the south were cut for a while and the super market shelf's started to look a bit bear ,the last thing we need now is a cyclone ,

sorry to hear about you loved ones

Your unfortunate situation is making the headlines here in the UK too. I lived in South Africa for many years and saw many big bush fires, but nothing on that scale.

We are hearing stories that some of these fires have been started deliberatley and if the culprits are caught, they will be facing mass murder charges. Bring back hanging, I say!!!

To all those folks in these areas, please just leave if there is even a tiny small chance of these fires getting anywhere near you. Possesions can always eventually be replaced, but you will never get your family back.

Good luck
Steven

Steven and Cindy thanks for your thoughts towards Australia(Victoria), unfortunately the death toll stands at 173 and climbing, sadly there are reports of looting! and as for the those who may have started the fires, unfortunately IF they get caught, we the community will be punished,! We will have to foot the bill for their security behind bars, their tv's behind bars, their health care and dental care behind bars, their gymnasiums and libraries, all for the next 25 years, wow, what a punishment! Amos

yes its terrible news of the deaths, the fires look horrorfying. lets hope everyones ok.
nice to see my pen swap partner's ok

I'm glad that someone started this thread. (Thanks Cindy). I was just coming to the site to make a post on this subject. The fires are all over the news here in Canada as well.

I just wanted to let all the Australians here know that people all over the world are thinking about you and hoping for the best for you and your loved ones.

Chris

Just remember that there are heart aches in the north of the country as well. The floods in Queensland have been rapacious. There have been a few deaths including a 5 year old boy.

This is not to take anything away from the pain and suffering that is happening in Victoria.

This is somehting that is beyond imagining. Who in the right mind could have forseen this sort of death toll from the fires. We are supposed to be a fairly bush fire savvy nation and from all the reports I am hearing these fires are so damn fast that there was nothing that could have been done.

When i saw the fires in California a few years ago I though "thank god that sort of fire doesnt happen here" .... now I am thinking how sad it was for the californians and how terribly sad I am for my own countrymen.

May what ever deitiy you believe in give you comfort in this time if you have been affected personally by these fires.

Spanner69