fishers, surfers and casters

The death toll following bush fired is nearing 300. The event has been called the single most tragic peace-time event in our country’s history. Fires are still burning close to my home, but far away enough for me to feel safe for my family. I have an office in Seymour, about an hour drive’s south of home, and it is closed, as staff are either protecting their own home or helping out survivors in community centres.

The helplessness I feel has not debilitated me yet, but is a low constant hum in my daily thoughts. I have offered my counselling skills to the Red Cross in Bendigo, through a friend who has been overworking at centres in Bendigo and Redesdale. She says she may call on me once the fires are over and people start rebuilding. Since I’m working in the state’s far north right now, I have an empty house in Shepparton and have offered it to any seeking refuge – painfully ironic that there are thousands of refugees living in Shepparton who have come from foreign lands, and now we must open up the town to refugees from neighbouring communities – and a great opportunity for considering “Who is a refugee?”

Not a lot more I can do. But I can feel.

Click here if you’d like to help those affected by the 2009 Victorian bushfires.

Another update…

84 people confirmed dead. Over 700 homes destroyed. The blazes go as far west as Horsham and as far east as Beechworth.

This is the worst fire in Victoria (and the whole country I think) ever. Worse than Ash Wednesday of 1983.

God be with us.

(On a related note, I went to wikipedia just now to check if this fire is really worse than the 1983 one, only to find out the entry has already been updated…

The Ash Wednesday fires were a natural disaster that occurred in south-eastern Australia on 16 February 1983. Within twelve hours, more than 180 fires fanned by winds of up to 110 km (68 mph) per hour caused widespread destruction across the states of Victoria and South Australia. Years of severe drought and extreme weather combined to create one of Australia’s worst fire days in a century. The fires were the second worst bushfire disaster in Australian history – only the 2009 Victorian bushfires claimed more lives.

…I was only a small child when I heard reports of this fire in my home state of South Australia, but I still remember how sad everyone was. I’m feeling some dark days are upon us)

Fires swarmed most of Victoria today. I got a text from a friend who has told me she’s having a very hard time. She works for the Red Cross in Bendigo, which is one of the state’s larger cities. The fires reached within one kilometre of its CBD. She and her partner have been volunteering with survivors and fighters. She’s told me she has seen things she would rather see again.

A neighbouring town of Redesdale also got some fire, which alarmed me as I have friends there. I called them and they were okay, but were concerned for me as they heard power in Shepparton would be cut to increase supply to affected areas.

Take our electricity, man. You may need it more than us. Knocking on wood right now but Shepparton appears safe at the moment. It’s a little hard to breathe at times for the smoke, and the sun looks really weird – like it’s ominous for something. But we are really lucky so far.

I have a meeting tomorrow morning in Melbourne, but I hear I may not get there, as fires have ravaged an area just south of the Great Dividing Range, where the highway runs through.

If you’re reading this from overseas, please spare a thought for this humble little continent. The bottom half of Australia is being threatened by bushfires following the longest and harshest heatwave on record. (Melbourne hit 115F today, though it was hotter inland, and windy!!). The top half has had two major floods in seven days.

We are living up to our reputation.

If you’re reading this from the UK, we are thinking of you under all that snow, with both compassion and severe envy.