Comments | ora_wai: There are no words

ora_wai

There are no words

Feb 09, 2009 20:55

Today I am grateful for small miracles. I am grateful that the weekend was sunny, that I didn't get burnt, that everyone seems to be on the mend. I am also (somewhat ashamedly) grateful that my family and friends live in Queensland, not Victoria. For this weekend, at least 131 people have died in bushfires in Victoria, with many perishing as they ( Read more... )

small blessings, fire, tragedy, australia

Comments 8

petunia846 February 9 2009, 10:31:09 UTC

I saw that on the news this morning. Horrible. Not much to say besides horrible.

ora_wai February 10 2009, 09:14:51 UTC

I can't even articulate how bad it has gotten since I posted this - they are expecting it to rise to over 300.

ankai February 9 2009, 12:57:15 UTC

I have been reading about it. Horrible.

And I have been sort of relieved that my Australian relatives live in Brisbane.

ora_wai February 10 2009, 09:16:19 UTC

I just don't know how to express how bad it is now, and how much at a loss I feel only being able to donate.

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ora_wai February 10 2009, 09:18:18 UTC

It's really bad now, and the stories are getting worse. I just don't know what to do anymore.

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ora_wai February 10 2009, 09:23:52 UTC

I guess it's that I feel that I am wishing it on the Victorians by wishing Queensland to not be on fire. Which is silly and illogical.

I don't understand the mindset of an arsonist, I just can't understand how they can't see the consequences. Apparently there are rumours that the arsonists (cos there are 40+ fires) were doubling back and relighting areas that the firefighters had dampended down. In the NE Victoria fires of a couple of years ago, the arsonist was a volunteer firefighter and wanted some action.

omoo February 10 2009, 02:25:54 UTC

The news here was talking about this all weekend. So horrible. At one point there were two journalists talking and one asked why they couldn't use water bommers (quite common here) and when the reply was 'there are no lakes in the area', I have to admit I was stunned. I've never lived anywhere where there were not large lakes within flying distance.

I'm glad you and your family are alright. And I second WCL, feeling relieved is an appropriate feeling.

ora_wai February 10 2009, 09:27:36 UTC

Yeah, there aren't very many lakes/dams and the ones that are around are really low because of the drought. NZ is sending our water helicopter (although heavens knows why we have the biggest one in the southern hemisphere instead of Aust) which has a 100m tube, so it can get into really tight spots that other water carrying helicopters can't. That should help a little, but there are so many.