Sunday, February 08, 2009

Victoria Australia


Spare a thought or a prayer for the people in Victoria, Australia who are really suffering today.

‘Arsonists are responsible for some of Australia's worst-ever wildfires that have left at least 84 people dead, officials have said.

"These people are terrorists within our nation, they are the enemy within and we have to be increasingly vigilant about them," said Mike Rann, the governor of South Australia state on Sunday.

The death toll in the raging Australian bushfires has risen to at least 84, making it the country's worst fire disaster.

Police believe more bodies will be found in small towns razed by wildfires in the state of Victoria, the hardest hit area with more than 700 homes destroyed.’

10 comments:

Eryl Shields said...

I didn't know about this, so thanks Pat. I find it beyond belief that people would do something like this on purpose! I mean do they really think 'let's see just how much of Australia I can burn'?

Bobkat said...

This is so sad. I can't but help of all the animals that must have died too - both wild and domesticated. I feel for those that have lost their homes and family members.

Netchick sent me over to say hi and I'm always happy when she does.

Pat said...

Eryl: I hope they are mistaken. They do have many wildfires in Australia. We had a phone call this morning and in Queensland they have had a typhoon and massive floods.

Bob-kat: I did read somewhere that wild animals and birds sense when these things are going to happen and flee. I think that happened in the tsunami.

Anonymous said...

Thanks for publicising this, Pat. We need as many prayers/good wishes/good karma as we can get at the moment.

The death toll is now at 108. I have no words for this and no tears left.

Pat said...

Miss d: there is nothing to say except you are in my thoughts and prayers. Try to stay strong.

Mickle in NZ said...

Oh Pat, all day here with the radio news on the hour, every hour, the reported death toll has increased.

I'm with the Aus Prime Minister Kevin Rudd - if it is from arson then those responsible are mass murderers.

Those affected are in my prayers, thoughts and all current moments. We're so close here, just across the ditch (Tasman Sea) from Aussie. I feel so useless.

And yes, up in Northern Queensland there is ongoing flooding.

The fire risk is extremely high here in NZ too. We do have the hope of much needed rain forecast for the rest of the week.

Thank you for helping spread the word about this terrible time in Australia.

Sending care and huggles to you, Michelle in Wellington NZ

Anonymous said...

It's horrific. I heard someone this mornign calling it "mass murder."

I hope your family are not anywhere near there, Pat.

Pat said...

MIchelle; yes it's even closer to you in New Zealand. The news at lunchtime - its our lead item - was so sad there were tears on my sandwich. I just pray they get help and relief soon, but their lives will never be the same. I hope you get the rain - without the floods.

Sam: they are in the southern part of Queensland and so far - touch wood are OK - thanks for thinking of them.

Ché l'écossais said...

To be honest, I'm not sure about this whole arson rationale.
It's always nice to blame unseen perpetrators for everything, and use the dreaded "T" -rrorist word;
cf 1984 by George Orwell.
Brush fires in Australia are caused by a whole lot of things - the sun, discarded cigarettes, trains producing sparks on hot rails etc...

The idea that the country is full of mad arsonist "mass murderers", running around trying to burn the country down, strikes me as the most cynical political manipulation - especially coming from a teary-eyed Prime Minister, live on TV.

That said, I'm sure there are arsonists in Oz - just not a secret army of them.

Hope your loved ones are alright.

Pat said...

Che: that's more or less what my husband said.
The family are fine thank you. In Brisbane they were very lucky with cyclones and floods to the north and raging fires to the south.