Feb 10 2009
Latest Australian Bush Fires – Obama offers help to Australia - Australia Praying For Rain – Bush Fires Out of Control – Australian Arsonists Accused of “Mass Murder” - Australian P.M Appeals for Donations For the Victims
- A Vehicle Full of People Fleeing for Their Lives From the Advancing Wall of Flames -
Latest Australian Bush Fires – Obama offers help to Australia - Australia Praying For Rain – Bush Fires Out of Control – Australian Arsonists Accused of “Mass Murder” - Australian P.M Appeals for Donations For the Victims
As some of the Australian bush fires merge into one, it appears a daunting task for the exhausted firefighters to try to take control of them.
All their heroic efforts seem futile in the face of the great walls of flames which surge on with incredible speed taking everything in their path.
From the initial 400 fires, there are now only 5. But these 5 major fires are unstoppable forces of nature which are out of control with embers shooting out from them that can travel up to 25 miles to reignite yet another fire.
Update: 10/02: The 5 fires have now splintered off into 20 and the arduous job of containing them against the high winds and the impending hot weather that is on the way later this week, seems a nigh on impossible task for the army and firefighters who battle on against the odds.
It is now thought that some of the original fires were started by fire bugs, arsonists, and Prime Minister Kevin Rudd said that this was an unspeakable act of “Mass Murder”, and anyone responsible will be accountable and pay the price.
Some of the destroyed communities are now officially, crime scenes where investigation is ongoing. One early fire in particular; firefighters had battled to quell the flames, managing to put them out only to have the arsonist re-ignite the fire once again.
The charred, smoking landscapes where the houses once stood were once a thriving community and it seems hard to take that in as there is no evidence left to show for it. 5, 000 people are now homeless.
Many people have lost their homes, their friends, their children, their memories; in the worst human disaster that Australia has ever known.
In Australian Parliament today, the softly spoken Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd, put forward proposals of help for the immediate future of the victims which will cost many billions of dollars.
He stressed that not only have they lost everything material from their homes, they have also lost their “legal personality”, their identity, their sense of who they are. He appealed to the Australian people to send donations.
Many traumatised victims are in emergency shelters in Melbourne where they will wait to learn about their future. Grants are being given out to people who cannot return to their homes as there is nothing left to return to.
1, 200 sq miles of bush have been obliterated and armoured personnel carriers are assisting the 60, 000 exhausted volunteers and firefighters who are risking their lives in a bid to try and keep this catastrophe under control.
President Obama has stepped in and offered American help to Australia to fight the fires with New Zealand coming to Australia’s aid and sending forces to help tackle the blazes also.
A woman and her young family survived by hiding in a wombat hole and another survivor aptly described the horrific situation as a “Fiery Armageddon”.
Prime Minister, Kevin Rudd said in Parliament today that “February 7th will be etched in the National memory as a day of disaster, death and mourning”.
It is still an extremely dangerous and volatile situation, with the winds strong at 60 mph which are fanning the huge flames; some of them as high as 4 stories.
Over 200 people are now dead, over 800 homes lost, 5, 000 homeless and 1, 200 square miles of bush land totally devastated. Not to mention the destroyed wildlife of Australia which will take years to replace.
The magnitude of this peace time disaster has never been seen before in Australia’s living memory. They have now given the name of ‘Black Saturday’ to February 7th, the day the wild fires started.
I think the whole world is praying for rain for Australia and an end to this terrifying ordeal so that the people who have lost everything can start to re-build their lives and begin to put this horrific experience behind them . -
- Breaking News Australian Bush Fires National State of Emergency - Suspected Arson in Australian Bush Fires - 30, 000 FireFighters Battling the Victoria Fires - Over 100 Dead 600 Homes Destroyed 40 Fires Raging Out of Control across Victoria Australia -
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It’s so terrible what’s going on in Australia at the moment, and the fact that some of the fires were started by arsonists; what truly horrible people they must really be.
I hope they find the arsonists, they’re such sick people and deserve to be punished heavily for the mass death and destruction that they’ve caused.
Another brilliant blog post from you here! I didn’t realise Obama was offering help to Australia now. As always you’ve really put a lot into this post, and it just makes me so proud to read your writing. You really are a very talented writer. I’m so proud of you.