Okay. This post is long overdue, but here goes. Recently, well, last Saturday actually, Melbourne had its hottest day every recorded, with some places hitting 47 degrees celcius. This, coupled with 90+ kmh hotwinds has triggered massive bush fires in parts of Victoria and New South Wales and exacerbated existing ones lit by firebugs.
This bushfire is the largest single catastrophe encountered by Australians with entire villages and communities destroyed by fires that travelled at 60mph. The official death toll stands at 181 dead with many more bodies of victims unrecovered. Hundreds more have been hospitalized with serious burns. 750 homes have been destroyed, leaving thousands across Victoria homeless.
Entire communities were wiped out in this fire, for example in a town called Strathewan, 30 people have been killed out of a total population of 450. These deaths affect the communities as a whole. This grief for loved ones is exacerbated by the fact that some of these fires were deliberately lit.
In the town of Yea in Victoria, thousands of families are living in tents, their lives, jobs and schooling put on hold due to these fires.
The scene of the fire is nothing short of horrific as workers and CFA firemen have been encountering charred bodies on the road. Many firemen also reported charred bodies sitting in vehicles in the middle of the road, their former owners unable to outrun the fire.
Most people living in the state of Victoria are touched by this tragedy. I remember going to a quaint little tourist town named Marysville which is about an hours drive from my home last June with my family. We stopped there during the skiing season to rent skis. The town was nice and homely looking, with historical artifacts and friendly people. However, I never expected that it would be the last time I would see the place. When footage of Marysville aired on TV, I couldn't recognize the place at all - all that remained were charred skeletons of houses.
This is just a short summary on the bush fires that is taking place in Victoria, for more reading, you can go to http://www.theage.com.au/national/blazes-across-victoria-as-bushfire-disaster-toll-rises-20090210-82ip.html .
I highly recommend you visit this site to see the extent of the suffering and destruction caused by the bush fires. You can also donate to the victims of the bush fire here. https://www.redcross.org.au/Donations/onlineDonations.asp
I know that most people won't have the means to donate. But I'm doing this as apart of community service and I hope readers can spread the news on the bush fires.
Sunday, February 8, 2009
Victorian bush fires
Dished out by Fai at 9:24 PM
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