OT - Update on Victorian Bushfires

[Rus Ler]

G'day Fellas,
Thanks for all your prayers and thoughts for the victims of the bushfires, heres an update.
181 confirmed dead but likely to top300, the Army has been brought in for search and recovery of bodies.
Over 1,000 homes destroyed.
Estimated 1,000,000 wild and domestic animals killed.
Over 1,000,000 acres burned out.
News reports this morning that Looters and Arsonists are active in the area - these scum should be shot on sight!
On the up side, Community fundraising for the victims has reached $75,000,000 and growing.

A bit of background on last Saturday:
temperature was around 46 degrees celsius - 115 fahrenhiet
humidity 5%
wind was blowing at 70-80 kilometres/hour with gusts up to 120 km/h
liken this to opening the door on a fan forced oven
Firefighter have been called in from around the country and New Zealand - I am also a trained Firefighter but as I am on Strike Team duty in my local area(Rural brigades take turn about - 4 brigades one week and 4 the next) I have been waiting around home feeling fairly useless, but all strike teams were stood down last night due to better weather. I am 300 km south west of the worst affected areas but Strike Teams have been flown in for 60 hour shifts then replaced with fresh crews.
Having said that, there are still 21 bush fires blazing across the state of Victoria.
So please keep us in your prayers and thoughts as there is still a tough road ahead for the survivors
Here are some pics of the devistation
http://news.ninemsn.com.au/slideshow_aj ... e=bigfires

Cheers,
Rus Ler

[gamekeeper]

What we have seen on TV looks bloody awful. My heart goes out to you guys.

[mescalero1]

Stunned, only way to describe it.

[Old Time Hunter]

Double stunned.....prayers to all sent again

[Sixgun]

We sure hope everything works out for you boys. You appear to be doing it all alone. Is what burns my a_s, is that if Australia was a third world country, every stinkin European nation would be demanding the U.S. do something.--------Sixgun

[rjohns94]

prayers to you and your country.

[kimwcook]

Awful stuff. Prayers up.

[Bruce Scott]

We sure hope everything works out for you boys. You appear to be doing it all alone. Is what burns my a_s, is that if Australia was a third world country, every stinkin European nation would be demanding the U.S. do something.--------Sixgun

International aid is coming.

Indonesia is giving $US 1 million and providing police forensic specialists to help ID bodies. PNG has pledged $AU 2 million for both flood and fire victims and NZ is sending 100 fire fighters. Singapore has offered helicopters and the US has 35 specialists awaiting final deployment orders. France and Japan have asked how they may assist and Thailand will also provide financial assistance.

[C. Cash]

More prayer going up for our Austrian brethren......

[Borregos]

Thanks for posting this information.
Weather conditions like that are really hard to imagine
Looters should be shot on sight and any arsonists caught should suffer a real slow death I think.

[Ysabel Kid]

Thanks for posting this information.
Weather conditions like that are really hard to imagine
Looters should be shot on sight and any arsonists caught should suffer a real slow death I think.

+1

115 degrees... as if it wasn't hot enough fighting those fires!

Shoot the looters and torch the arsonists. Bet if you did that you wouldn't have any more problems with either!

[Rusty]

I couldn't even look at all the pics. That's just rough. I heard that one family did disobey Gov't orders and cut it's own fire break around it their house. They were fined $50K but their house is still there.

I guess I better get out my chain saw tomorrow.

[Jaguarundi]

Godbless and Godspeed recovery.

[winchester1886]

Hopefully heads in high places roll over this, this is mass murder by politicians that were to yellow and gutless to stand up to bloody greenies, Victoria has always been a screwball state at the best of times, here in N S W they still back burn so we never have the fires they do.

[Rus Ler]

Thanks for your thoughts and prayers.
Updated loss of housing is now over 1800 and more than 7000 people displaced.
My home town of Warrnambool with a population of 25,000 has just sent 4 semi trailer loads of goods away today with hay and fodder(which is in short supply due to 7 years of drought)to follow shortly, all donated from the community.
Just had a pager message tonight that we are to be deployed from Sunday into the fire ground north east of Melbourne due to unfaverable weather conditions are forecast.Hopefully the worst is over.
Volunteer Firefighters are the ones in Yellow Protective Gear and the Red Trucks. Every community has a Fire Brigade and Emergency Responce Crew well equiped with a Govt. supplied truck, we are well trained and supplied. There are thousands of us all over the state ready to drop everything to attend situations like this, its just very frustrating when you are on call in your own area and can't be released to help just in case We suffer the same fate.
Just on the news bulletin "Police have arrested an Arsonist from the Gippsland and Churchill fires."
I hope they throw him to the mob
Cheers,
Rus Ler