Thinking about those affected by the Australian fires

[ms spock]

I hope all the Australians here are safe

We've been surrounded by smoke for months we have just accepted it now. Which is not good.

 

[ms spock]

I read earlier the impact on wildlife has been pretty horrific, koalas especially. It’s heartbreaking people would add to this deliberately.

The arson attack stories are total BS. They account for 1% of the fires started. It's the water that has been sucked out of the bores. Usually the trees would have that water to draw upon. That water has been siphoned off that's why everything is going up like a powder keg. There's nothing for the to draw on like the would in a normal drought. But we aren't having a normal drought the fire season started really early back in September. Some of my friends have been on almost continual deployment.

A friend just texted me to cancel tomorrow because he is still deployed in NSW.

Those people that did hazard reaction - including a guy that lived 30 years in that community. It all burnt again anyway.

It's a different type of fire, which goes to a different type of height, which have different types of behaviours.

Sometimes they do back burning to try to create a barrier around an out of control fire. It's done by folks with many years of experience.

The overwhelming amount of total BS and fake news is most concerning and I don't know how you would work it out if you weren't part of the effect communities.

The fires were 12 kilometres away from us at one point. We were ready to go. It's just part of the increasing temperatures and Climate Crisis. One of our most richest women in Australia has invested millions of dollars promoting Climate Skeptics and folks are really livid about that. But fight the battles that you can. That's what I am kind of trying to do.

Thread by @jagungal1: I see that the #AustraliaBurning crisis has officially reached the 'drink uncle' stage, where people loudly proclaim that we could have avoi…

 

[ms spock]

On evac planning... it’s worth packing a cooler full of ice, & frozen water bottles, in case the car overheats and you have to pull the hot air from the engine into the passenger compartment to keep moving. Hot winds outside, Heater blowing on full blast = heat exhaustion & delirium very quickly. The last 4 forest fires I was in 3 of the vehicles overheated after less than an hour. All 3 newer cars, computers couldn’t process the info coming at them, and crapped out. Easy peasy, lemon squeezy... soak your head & shirt & seat, stick ice in your bra and pockets , and repeat when you dry out. The worst was every 10 minutes or so, 60C melts and evaporates fast. Some lasted half an hour to an hour, more in the 50C range. I’d have been a hot mess without the cooler.

That's most useful.

 

[ms spock]

I remember volunteering every week at the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie, saving them one at a time.

You folks are fantastic! This is one to definitely to donate to @barefoot! I will put this on my email list I am sending out.

 

[ms spock]

The impact on our animals I can't even face. I remember volunteering every week at the Koala Hospital in Port Macquarie, saving them one at a time. And now the habitat in that region has been decimated..

Folks are doing 24/7 I have been to a couple of training workshops on burns./wound management. We are only helping a tiny amount of the animals but there's good folks going at it all the time!

 

[Sideways]

Rain! Lots and lots of rain, in a whole lotta places:)

Are all the problems solved? No. Long way off there yet. But for the places where they got rain, it's hard not to feel good:)

 

[ms spock]

It's so good!

 

[Freida]

Yay!!!!

 

[blackemerald1]

I know rain feels great & if it's dousing fires ok.
But it's not near me :(

 

[Sideways]

Dang, sorry to hear that @blackemerald1 . Hopefully it moves over your way soon.

 

[ms spock]

So many folks can't stop crying about the animals they are rescuing and so many of them are dying. It's really distressing. Folks are really losing it big time.

 

[blackemerald1]

@Sideways it's the wrong time of year for regions this far south to receive significant rains.

So it would be inclimate weather if my region were to receive rain of the proportion North or Northern Australia should be expecting to receive.

The only issue is we're so incredibly dry from the drought. Years of drought.

We're nowhere near seeing the end of the fires yet. There are fires popping up here there & everywhere plus the big mega fires of course. They will continue to burn for another couple of months till the season turns. If it does.

It seems the media just want to concentrate on the 'recovery' phase now. That's ok it needs to begin where it can. But that's not all that's happening.

From what I've seen the Aussie spirit is alive & well. Plenty of volunteers, medical aid & consumables to assist. Lots of financial aid too.

As a country we're extremely lucky to have the resources we do have. The generosity of our neighbours far and near is amazing.

People all over the world have given their time and money to help. So that's bloody great!!

Plus the Defence forces are doing a fantastic job. From landing into remote regions with food & evacuation to walking through burnt regions picking up or burying dead animals. They've been clearing & making safe thousands of kms of roads. Bringing water into places. And a thousand other jobs. Too many to mention but I for one & grateful for them all.

And also bringing a real 'can do' mentality. Exactly what is needed right now.

The doom & gloom mongering needs to stop. We all know what has befallen us. Or still might. There's plenty of people around that feel they must catastrophise this. Nothing is gained by talking up the magnitude of what is going on. There's no need. The enormity of what has happened defies the imagination. We're in this together, getting the work done.

There's a time & place for talking for sure but actions speak louder than any words with events like this. Especially right now.

The people that are losing their ability to regulate themselves should stand back. Sending in resources to deal with them reduces the overall capacity of the enormous workforce that can do it, is doing it & what's more is doing a fine job.

We're still burning. Still at a big risk of burning. That's the reality. It's not over.

I'm still getting fire alerts & the ABC is breaking into local news with emergency warnings. So I've been leaving & returning several times now.

I think too that some people have forgotten that many people doing the work, have done this before. This country will always have bushfires & floods. Because it always has. It will never be tamed. Not really.

We keep building & living in the most magnificent, magical places. But they're only that way because mother nature rules. Out of our inherent arrogance we set to defy her & then we're slapped down with her unfathomable power.

But we do it again!