Victorian bushfires and heatwave thread

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Assuming he's guilty, I'd prefer to just chuck him in the most miserable jail cell the Victorian prison system has to offer, and leave him in solitary confinement so that he can be completely eaten up by guilt.

I'm normally a firm believer in rehabilitation ... but right now I'm reading the latest news stories about the fire and living from one dose of my preventative inhaler to another thanks to the smoke over Melbourne today. It's hard to step back and have some distance when it's so current and so close to home. Got the fucking jitters yesterday when a park in Ivanhoe went up, I believe from embers being carried on the wind but I'm not 100% on that. That's just a bit close to me for comfort. Luckily there was no property damage.
That park in Ivanhoe is about a dozen streets away from me, doesn't seem like much of a threat, although I am pissed that my morning walk was upset.
 
i went to mynt last night, a local nite club, and donations were taken, which was good to see, though i dont think all theyre takings for the night were donated.

jesus stratocaster. im so sorry to hear that . :sad:

the stories comming out of this tragedy are still amazing me .
the death toll hasnt been updated for 2 days.

there were reports that two men were captured for suspicious behaviour in the fire areas.


i am finally a little bit less depressed today , some of the aussie posse may know i have been really down this week with all that has been happening and quite affected by all that , but i finally made contact with some people i directly wanted to help-

i was terribly concerned that there were families with children who have special needs affected by the fires. this is something that resonated deeply with me as i have an autistic child of my own and have worked in the disability industry for 11 years.
i was just so anxious and emotional to think that there were children that had lost everything that makes there world tolerable out there. they would be suffering more than the regular children as their routines rituals and speical things are gone from their day. they also may have lost specialist equipment .

i finally made contact with someone from the diamond creek special school who have 4 families who have lost everything.
i have emailed my contacts in the disability industry to get things moving and i hope to raise some money to donate to them directly. i hope to organise some members of the belly dance community in geelong if i can to do something special too.

i was trying to pin down why i was so depressed by this tragedy, other than the obvious losses of life and what it has done to these people, i think i am fucking

FURIOUS with what it has done to this state. i have lived in Victoria my whole life, and i am passionate about the issues that occur here. it is a beautiful part of the world. and to think people deliberately caused something that has blackened so much of the state, killed so many, WIPED FUCKING TOWNS OFF THE MAP, threatening power, water and gas for everyone , killed so much livestock and native animals , it goes on and on for christs sake.

on the other hand it has moved the state as one, moved the whole country to open up and give so much, and so many people are working tirelessly to help, it is amazing.

i am even proud of our politicians and leaders , they really have stepped up and been there personally and politically to do all they can .


/end rant ...
for now i think

jen, you really are a wonderful person, i hope this all works out for you, i echo all the sentiments. :hug:s all round. having read that book about the autistic kid, i can now understand their plight.

Was watching the Today Show over breakfast this morning, and in between teh self congratulatory talk about Channel 9 holding the telethon last night, Wilko mentioned Shannon Noll playing a gig in a pub in one of the bushfire affected towns.

The nation cries as one "MY GOD HAVEN'T THOSE PEOPLE SUFFERED ENOUGH!!!!!!!" :scream:

:lol:

Thanks for the kind words everyone - sadly we lost our two close friends to the fires. Their families found out yesterday after the identification was made and we found out late last night. It's gut wrenching - but at least they died together.

In other news some jackass has lit fires near Lilydale and Ivanhoe so most of the eastern suburbs are quite hazy and you can smell the smoke. I dont think there is any great threat in those fires though. You have to really ponder the stupidity of people sometimes.

so very, very sad to hear, sorry :(

and to you stratocaster :(

holy fuck this is devastating. luckily, we don't know anyone directly who has been affected by the fires, though our cousins, who spent their entire lives growing up in marysville, are completely shocked.

:sigh:
 
my deepest condolences to you thatsnotmypuppy

I didnt realise how heavy the smoke was today until i finally went outside!
I was inside doing an online exam all day and then I decided to do some weights and a bit of boxing. I was listening to NLOTH2 and Boots as well as the 45sec clips and I was really really pumped on adrenaline, so I decided to go for a quick little jog just around the block even though I was stuffed.

As soon as I started I was struggling to breathe and could taste the smoke...
Terrible. Tried just to focus on u2 pumping in my ears
 
It was kinda surreal, there was an orange glow in the air today, and a smell of smoke, the wind has blown it to down to the South East.....
 
Thanks for the kind words everyone - sadly we lost our two close friends to the fires. Their families found out yesterday after the identification was made and we found out late last night. It's gut wrenching - but at least they died together.

In other news some jackass has lit fires near Lilydale and Ivanhoe so most of the eastern suburbs are quite hazy and you can smell the smoke. I dont think there is any great threat in those fires though. You have to really ponder the stupidity of people sometimes.

I'm so sorry for your loss....My thoughts and prayers to your family and theirs.
 
I took some pictures of the red sun setting in the smoky gloom tonight ... I'll upload them soon.

That park in Ivanhoe is about a dozen streets away from me, doesn't seem like much of a threat, although I am pissed that my morning walk was upset.

I'm not too much further really. As much as the rational side of me knew it wasn't a threat to my person or property, it did nothing good for the side of me with frayed nerves.
 
OK, here we go, some photos from tonight. I took stacks, so I could upload some more.

The setting sun hangin' with an antennae and a tree trunk.

s640x480


It looks like a bomb went off or something in this picture.

s640x480


And my personal favourite of all the shots I took tonight.

s640x480


If you'd like to see them in a larger size, I have them uploaded in 1506x1204 (reduced from their original 3888x2592 to make uploading quicker):

http://pics.livejournal.com/axver/pic/001dcw2x (antennae)
http://pics.livejournal.com/axver/pic/001dbyyf (sun in the sky)
http://pics.livejournal.com/axver/pic/001dawc6 (tree)
 
Oh stratocaster, that's so sad. I read about those kids...so very sad. :(

:hug: so did i . . . I'm so very sorry

jesus stratocaster. im so sorry to hear that . :sad:

the stories comming out of this tragedy are still amazing me .
the death toll hasnt been updated for 2 days.

there were reports that two men were captured for suspicious behaviour in the fire areas.


i am finally a little bit less depressed today , some of the aussie posse may know i have been really down this week with all that has been happening and quite affected by all that , but i finally made contact with some people i directly wanted to help-

i was terribly concerned that there were families with children who have special needs affected by the fires. this is something that resonated deeply with me as i have an autistic child of my own and have worked in the disability industry for 11 years.
i was just so anxious and emotional to think that there were children that had lost everything that makes there world tolerable out there. they would be suffering more than the regular children as their routines rituals and speical things are gone from their day. they also may have lost specialist equipment .

i finally made contact with someone from the diamond creek special school who have 4 families who have lost everything.
i have emailed my contacts in the disability industry to get things moving and i hope to raise some money to donate to them directly. i hope to organise some members of the belly dance community in geelong if i can to do something special too.

i was trying to pin down why i was so depressed by this tragedy, other than the obvious losses of life and what it has done to these people, i think i am fucking

FURIOUS with what it has done to this state. i have lived in Victoria my whole life, and i am passionate about the issues that occur here. it is a beautiful part of the world. and to think people deliberately caused something that has blackened so much of the state, killed so many, WIPED FUCKING TOWNS OFF THE MAP, threatening power, water and gas for everyone , killed so much livestock and native animals , it goes on and on for christs sake.

on the other hand it has moved the state as one, moved the whole country to open up and give so much, and so many people are working tirelessly to help, it is amazing.

i am even proud of our politicians and leaders , they really have stepped up and been there personally and politically to do all they can .


/end rant ...
for now i think

:up: the reaction to the fires and the absolute sense of communities really reaching out to help is just unbelievably wonderful . . . I pray that the help is still there for these devastated communities once the headlines start to fade because this is when the people who have been left bereaved, homeless and broken will really need us

Was watching the Today Show over breakfast this morning, and in between teh self congratulatory talk about Channel 9 holding the telethon last night, Wilko mentioned Shannon Noll playing a gig in a pub in one of the bushfire affected towns.

The nation cries as one "MY GOD HAVEN'T THOSE PEOPLE SUFFERED ENOUGH!!!!!!!" :scream:

:lol: that's gold!

Thanks for the kind words everyone - sadly we lost our two close friends to the fires. Their families found out yesterday after the identification was made and we found out late last night. It's gut wrenching - but at least they died together.

In other news some jackass has lit fires near Lilydale and Ivanhoe so most of the eastern suburbs are quite hazy and you can smell the smoke. I dont think there is any great threat in those fires though. You have to really ponder the stupidity of people sometimes.

:hug: I'm so sorry for your loss :hug:
 
:(

extra :hug:S for you Ernie, MJ, strat & TNMP for your terrifying experiences, losses, and roiling emotions.

and more 20's C and lower winds........ to help

I hadn't heard just which group of USA firefighters were heading over till i saw the article posted.

again strength to all who are grieving, suffering, and fire-fighting & doing medical work etc.
 
I have a good friend who has been in Australia, traveling around the country for the last few months. Nobody had heard anything from her in a few days, but she posted on Facebook last night to say that she is okay. She'll be working with the Red Cross tomorrow (well, technically today, as it's already the 14th for you), answering phone calls for people who are donating.


My thoughts and prayers are with you all, especially those of you who have lost loved ones. This is just so horrible and devastating. :sad: :hug:
 
thatsnotmypuppy - my deepest sympathies for you loss, i am sending some prayers you way and for their families. :hug: :heart:



man the smoke is stinking out geelong today , very hazy here, and we are at least 2 hrs away. staying indoors is a good idea as an asthmatic by the look of it .

listening to abc radio and there are estimates of over 1 million dead native animals. that rips my heart out. the vets up there are really struggling at the moment . animals previously easily found could be moved onto the endagered list .

melbournes water catchment will be reduced by 20% for up to 50 years as those trees catch and filter the water and were so old.
the carbon emissions were equal to a whole years industrial output.

the environmental effects of this are just horrific.


ax they are good photos, shame about the circumstances that created them .
 
:(

extra :hug:S for you Ernie, MJ, strat & TNMP for your terrifying experiences, losses, and roiling emotions.

and more 20's C and lower winds........ to help

I hadn't heard just which group of USA firefighters were heading over till i saw the article posted.

again strength to all who are grieving, suffering, and fire-fighting & doing medical work etc.

thanks dazz, much appreciated. :heart:
 
I have a good friend who has been in Australia, traveling around the country for the last few months. Nobody had heard anything from her in a few days, but she posted on Facebook last night to say that she is okay. She'll be working with the Red Cross tomorrow (well, technically today, as it's already the 14th for you), answering phone calls for people who are donating.


My thoughts and prayers are with you all, especially those of you who have lost loved ones. This is just so horrible and devastating. :sad: :hug:

thank your friend for helping out :up:
 
That park in Ivanhoe is about a dozen streets away from me, doesn't seem like much of a threat, although I am pissed that my morning walk was upset.

one thing i would say is never underestimate the threat .

driving through parts of suburban melbourne yesterday along the nepean hwy i couldnt believe how brown and dry everything was .
 
Last night, the moon was orange! :ohmy:

I took some photos of that too ... it was apparently at its best as it rose, and I didn't head out until around midnight or so. I wish I had a tripod, since handshake has made my photos a bit less good than I'd ideally like them even with image stabilisation, but I'll see if I can pick out a decent enough one to upload.
 
death toll has risen to 189 .

and is set to rise again.



more fires were deliberately lit in the lillydale and anglesea areas yesterday. Anglesea is not even an hour away from here.


Sending off some thomas trains, books and lego to a little boy with Autism who has lost all his stuff.
 
^ That is so kind of you, mysterious jen.

My deepest condolences to you, thatsnotmypuppy, stratocaster and COBL_04. I'm so sorry to hear of your terrible experiences and losses. My thoughts and prayers will be with you all.
 
listening to abc radio and there are estimates of over 1 million dead native animals. that rips my heart out. the vets up there are really struggling at the moment . animals previously easily found could be moved onto the endagered list .

This is just so sad... I am going to try to start a fundraiser for the animals affected by the bushfires at my school. As you said Jen, the emergency relief vet clinics are really struggling, and now may not be able to afford to go on without funding (one clinic spent $50,000 in treatment costs alone last week)...

There are also a number of appeals to help the bush-fire affected animals, if anybody is interested...

Donations - ourcommunity.com.au

RSPCA Victoria: News / Heat Wave
 
Don't like the way the media is treating this.....almost encouraging people to follow the crowd in demanding the suspected Arsonist to be tortured.....not cool.

Also don't like how excited the media seem to be getting about the death toll. It's irrelevant at this stage, stop treating it as some kind of magic figure we should all keep an eye on. People, animals and communities need help.
 
This is just so sad... I am going to try to start a fundraiser for the animals affected by the bushfires at my school. As you said Jen, the emergency relief vet clinics are really struggling, and now may not be able to afford to go on without funding (one clinic spent $50,000 in treatment costs alone last week)...

There are also a number of appeals to help the bush-fire affected animals, if anybody is interested...

Donations - ourcommunity.com.au

RSPCA Victoria: News / Heat Wave



i dotnated to the our community .com site, they were one of the groups appealing for help on abc radio. they are all volunteers going out into these hot zones collecting these poor animals
 
the media has a supression order on the 'suspected arsonists" face, so they have gone after his ex girlfriend instead. they better not screw up his right to a fair trial and mess it up for everyone, then no one will get justice.



And today as sad as it was to hear reported the death toll reached 200.
for me it was a moment of reflection.

the media as always will make all of it into a fucking circus.
 
Don't like the way the media is treating this.....almost encouraging people to follow the crowd in demanding the suspected Arsonist to be tortured.....not cool.

Also don't like how excited the media seem to be getting about the death toll. It's irrelevant at this stage, stop treating it as some kind of magic figure we should all keep an eye on. People, animals and communities need help.
Agree. People seem to have forgotten that the person in custody is ALLEGED to have committed crimes. He has not faced a trial yet, and his culpability has not been established.
 
Damn, 200 already.

I hope this will be over soon, and that your media will stop demonizing people. It's fine that they want to blame someone, but please wait until after the trial.
I'd hate to see what this guy's life would be like if he turns out to be innocent!
 
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