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"Absolute panic" amid Australia bushfires


Eldorado

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2 minutes ago, Habitat said:

Prime Minister Morrison has received a hostile reception from people living in fire-ravaged areas, my feeling is that people want the cheque book to come up, not sympathetic words. Some would be in a dire situation, if they lost all their belongings. It kinda put me in mind of that Hurricane Katrina mess in New Orleans, with hordes of people seemingly not getting prompt emergency relief. You'd think the politicians would have learnt from that, where Bush was harshly criticized for inaction.

Exactly what I thought, it was pretty stunning that Scott Morrison ever got voted in in the first place. And it looks like Australia will be looking for another Priminister very soon, it’s a pity, this one had almost been around long enough for us to remember the name. But he is a Dick who has shown very little empathy for the people of Australia and he needs to go

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8 minutes ago, Habitat said:

Prime Minister Morrison has received a hostile reception from people living in fire-ravaged areas, my feeling is that people want the cheque book to come up, not sympathetic words. Some would be in a dire situation, if they lost all their belongings. It kinda put me in mind of that Hurricane Katrina mess in New Orleans, with hordes of people seemingly not getting prompt emergency relief. You'd think the politicians would have learnt from that, where Bush was harshly criticized for inaction.

Maybe it's people's station in life that warp their way of thinking. Politicians and the wealthy don't think anything like most people either when they are elevated into positions of power and well being. They need to be taken down a couple of notches. 

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5 minutes ago, susieice said:

Maybe it's people's station in life that warp their way of thinking. Politicians and the wealthy don't think anything like most people either when they are elevated into positions of power and well being. They need to be taken down a couple of notches. 

I think he went out into the field in the hope of getting some good publicity, he had taken a lot of flak over a decision to take an overseas Christmas holiday, in the middle of the fire crisis. But that has backfired, it really does have the look  that he is reluctant to offer much financial help. and is more interested in his ambition for a balanced federal budget. he also no doubt antagonized a lot of the exhausted volunteer fire-fighters, by waving away suggestions they needed to be compensated, by saying "they want to be there". I'd say most would rather have spent Christmas holidays not being fire-fighters.

Edited by Habitat
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21 minutes ago, Habitat said:

I think he went out into the field in the hope of getting some good publicity, he had taken a lot of flak over a decision to take an overseas Christmas holiday, in the middle of the fire crisis. But that has backfired, it really does have the look  that he is reluctant to offer much financial help. and is more interested in his ambition for a balanced federal budget. he also no doubt antagonized a lot of the exhausted volunteer fire-fighters, by waving away suggestions they needed to be compensated, by saying "they want to be there". I'd say most would rather have spent Christmas holidays not being fire-fighters.

What a horrible way to talk to the firefighters who are putting themselves into so much danger. They sure aren't in Hawaii.

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This picture reminded a lot of us of the song we learned as kids about the kookaburra that sits in the gum tree. So much destruction of habitat. :( For people too. 

 

Image may contain: sky, tree, outdoor and nature

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Along a creek near me,  and I live in a suburban area, are a couple of areas of bushland, just a few acres each. There have been four fires through those patches in the last five years, not ferocious fires, but enough to make it unattractive to wildlife for a time. That is perhaps an indication of the firebugs that are about. The answer seems to be that once caught, they be saddled with a GPS tracking bracelet till further notice. If another fire starts, and the tracker tallies with the time and point of ignition, off to jail again.

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Just now, Habitat said:

Along a creek near me,  and I live in a suburban area, are a couple of areas of bushland, just a few acres each. There have been four fires through those patches in the last five years, not ferocious fires, but enough to make it unattractive to wildlife for a time. That is perhaps an indication of the firebugs that are about. The answer seems to be that once caught, they be saddled with a GPS tracking bracelet till further notice. If another fire starts, and the tracker tallies with the time and point of ignition, off to jail again.

I wholeheartedly agree. There needs to be some sort of a system put into place to keep track of people who have been caught setting fires like this. I hope these people are caught and sentenced harshly.

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Well, today's the day of highest risk (so far) for those of us in south-east Australia. It's set to be 42 degrees C (108 F) in Canberra today, with moderate NW winds (so blowing in from the hot Red Centre).

Here's a link to the NSW Rural Fire Service map showing predictions for fire and ember threats for today: https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/__data/assets/image/0008/148157/Fire-Spread-Prediction-Sat-4-Jan-2020.png

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In California a few years ago there was a fire fighter that was caught starting fires and then showing up to be the hero to help put them out.  Authorities became suspicious of him because of his need to be in the limelight and the fact that he showed up to fires that were not close to where he lived or worked.  I think he is still in jail, but am not sure.

If people are starting those fires then they deserve a really hot place to languish for a long time.

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16 minutes ago, susieice said:

I wholeheartedly agree. There needs to be some sort of a system put into place to keep track of people who have been caught setting fires like this. I hope these people are caught and sentenced harshly.

"A woman who fled from a raging bushfire on the back of a horse has returned to her home to find it ransacked by heartless looters."

https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/police-issue-warning-to-looters-targeting-evacuated-homes/news-story/216d4dc199369552044b71d9ef99c059

:(

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Just now, Eldorado said:

"A woman who fled from a raging bushfire on the back of a horse has returned to her home to find it ransacked by heartless looters."

https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/police-issue-warning-to-looters-targeting-evacuated-homes/news-story/216d4dc199369552044b71d9ef99c059

:(

I was afraid we'd start hearing these kinds of stories. This happens a whole lot in California when they have fires. What is seriously wrong with people? :( This is the time for people to work together, not victimize the victims even more. :(

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1 hour ago, susieice said:

Yes. The article I linked mentioned the water-bombers going in. I'm thinking because of the weather change, they may have thought there was a chance of stopping the spread of the flames.

She mentioned that it was nighttime for her and that she had opened her house doors to let the cooler air blow through, but within an hour, her house was filling with smoke. 

Same with us.

A couple of days ago when it had cooled in the evening I opened the doors and windows to let the cool air in, especially as the breeze had suddenly picked up with a wind change. Within half an hour I had to shut the house up again, because the change had blown in more smoke. There was so much smoke in the house we could see the beams cast by the lights in some rooms, and I blackened a tissue when I used it to wipe a TV screen clean.

The interesting thing was that when the change blew through, it was preceded by a currawong (bird) squawking its alarm call.

The smoke has now become such a part of Canberra that it's seriously affecting many aspects of ordinary life. There were no postal deliveries on Thursday, and even some post offices were closed. Our local pool shop said they weren't making house calls. The Questacon Science Centre was closed. And the Canberra United football (soccer) team has had a game postponed because of the smoke, as has the Capitals basketball team - even indoors it's too smoky. The Caps haven't even been able to train due to indoor smoke.

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56 minutes ago, susieice said:

So much destruction of habitat. :( For people too. 

 

Once it's done and the rains come, regrowth might be amazing. (yeah, I'm being optimistic. Sue me)

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2 minutes ago, XenoFish said:

Once it's done and the rains come, regrowth might be amazing. (yeah, I'm being optimistic. Sue me)

I sure hope you're right Xeno!

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Arsonists are notorious for staying around to see the results of their handiwork. One can imagine that using cell phone data should be an aid to detection, if you get the same numbers popping up in the vicinity of different fires at different locations, it should help isolate the offenders.

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This is a good article from space.com that explains the effects of the fires and shows satellite photos of where the smoke is going. It appears to be starting to reach South America.

https://www.space.com/australia-wildfires-nasa-satellite-images.html

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43 minutes ago, Desertrat56 said:

If people are starting those fires then they deserve a really hot place to languish for a long time.

Yeah,tied to a tree on the South Coast.

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1 hour ago, susieice said:

This picture reminded a lot of us of the song we learned as kids about the kookaburra that sits in the gum tree. So much destruction of habitat. :( For people too. 

 

Image may contain: sky, tree, outdoor and nature

If he can find water he'd be enjoying the cooked lizards and snakes,a true Aussie battler.

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18 minutes ago, Habitat said:

Arsonists are notorious for staying around to see the results of their handiwork. One can imagine that using cell phone data should be an aid to detection, if you get the same numbers popping up in the vicinity of different fires at different locations, it should help isolate the offenders.

Here's an article explaining what's known about how fires start: https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-11-20/bushfire-ignition-source-how-we-know/11701132

 

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I've heard people wanting to move to Tasmania for the cooler, wetter climate,but with the changing weather it may become a tinder box with the dense scrub there imo.

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23 minutes ago, Peter B said:

Here's an article explaining what's known about how fires start: https://www.abc.net.au/news/science/2019-11-20/bushfire-ignition-source-how-we-know/11701132

 

I love the 37% of fires being described as "suspicious", in the pie graph. An academic in Victoria who has made the business of the origin of fires his specialty, says as many as half are likely to be maliciously lit.

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51 minutes ago, XenoFish said:

Once it's done and the rains come, regrowth might be amazing. (yeah, I'm being optimistic. Sue me)

It's very interesting to see the difference.  

After the 2003 Canberra Bushfires driving through Tidbinbilla - Stomlo - Cotter Dam area, you could still see the burnt trees but they looked like the were covered in vines.  It completely changed the way bushland looked.

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14 minutes ago, openozy said:

I've heard people wanting to move to Tasmania for the cooler, wetter climate,but with the changing weather it may become a tinder box with the dense scrub there imo.

They've had their fair share of fires in the past.

I wonder if the north with regular wet seasons would be better.  Somewhere around the Ord river if you're into agriculture. 

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