Disaster Zone One: Australia

[Reece]

Even where we live in the Mid North of South Australia the smoke is thick from the Kangaroo Island fires, almost makes me sick, a cooler day here today thankfully but by Wednesday it will be back near 40. Hopefully the Eastern states should get this cooler change by Sunday to ease conditions there.

[d@rk51d3]

Originally Posted by Reece

Agree 100% talk about bad taste!!

Thankfully a nasty local fire burning out of control for 2 weeks here in S.A. has finally been put out, though it will take a while to smother the remaining burning logs etc, doesn't take much for sparks to be thrown about with wind.
2 firefighters died in this one and quite a few houses lost. (not sure of the final count)
Going for a top of 37 today and 43 here tomorrow, getting kinda sick of it, the trees are showing stress and some of the big ones on our property are leaning over by about 30 to 40 degrees, hope it rains soon but doesn't look like it!!
Not a very nice start to a new year for many people, especially in NSW.

Edit:
NSW fire activity map:
https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/fire-info.../fires-near-me

Victoria and S.A.:
http://www.incidentalert.com.au/iav4/map.php

3 friends of mine lost everything in Lobethal, Reckon they had planned on simplifying, just not quite to this extent.

Also knew the fatality too.

[Dowly]

Japan's Himawari satellite shows the flaring of the fires today:
https://i.imgur.com/AGjXt4h.gifv


Video showing how quickly the fire can spread:
https://www.reddit.com/r/australia/c...re_across_nsw/


Stay safe!

[Skybird]

So much for German national caps and yearly limits to fine dusts...

[Jimbuna]

Temperatures surpassed 40C (104F) in some areas. In Penrith, west of Sydney, temperatures reached 48.9C. Some reports suggest it was for a time the hottest place on Earth.
https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-50992323

[Jimbuna]

The New South Wales Rural Fire Service has updated emergency warnings, telling those who have not evacuated at-risk areas: "It is too late to leave. Seek shelter as the fire approaches."
https://www.msn.com/en-gb/news/world...id=mailsignout

God help them!!

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

The deserts in the Middle East, and Death Valley can reach temperatures in excess of 55-60°C, I think 40° is still a bit away from that. But last year, we have had three days in a row in Germany where the 40° mark was crossed in places. Too much for my taste.

Have had my share of desert feel, must not want it again myself. I prefer relative cold. The temp in the ME area was the one thing I never got used to, and always suffered of. In Asia'S tropical regions, with their high humidity, it probably feels even worse.

[Jimbuna]

I was in Iran (Khorramshahr to be precise) in the late seventies and will never forget the deck of the vessel I was on was so hot you could literally fry an egg so standing still was not an option and lime juice and salt replacement tablets were regularly consumed yet in the evening it was so cold wearing a sweater was advisable.

[Falkirion]

I don't know how many other Aussies we've got here but I can't be the only one lamenting the horrible show of leadership that's been shown during these fires. All the blame being thrown around Canberra these days just makes me lose faith in the government. I don't think we've had a decent PM that actually led the country since Howard was PM way back in the early 2000's.


I hope the men and women fighting these fires can get on top of them soon. Saw a local blaze while I was taking my daughter on a car trip to get her to sleep over the weekend and it just makes me wonder just what my parents generation has left us to deal with as my generation (mid to late 80s) comes into the leadership roles in the system.

[Reece]

I would say the biggest thing wrong with a lot of people today, especially the PM, is the lack of wisdom, too many are too busy looking in the mirror admiring the view!!

[Onkel Neal]

Oh man, that looks bad

We don't have any people in this, do we? Tarjack? Cybermat? Reaves? Silverbeard? All ok?

[Mr Quatro]

Originally Posted by Onkel Neal

Oh man, that looks bad

We don't have any people in this, do we? Tarjack? Cybermat? Reaves? Silverbeard? All ok?

I think Reece is on the edge ... He has a pretty nice place down there too



https://www.commondreams.org/news/20...fBE_4ETNt4S0dU

[Reece]

We're ok here, I hope it stays that way, Summer ain't over for a long time yet!! Yesterday was most unusual, a top here of 17 and light rain all day, the trees sure needed it!!

[Jimbuna]

Broke my heart this morning



https://www.theanimalspage.com/mama-and-baby-koala/

[Skybird]

Originally Posted by Jimbuna

Broke my heart this morning
https://www.theanimalspage.com/mama-and-baby-koala/

That was a scene so desperate that it stung me last week. Got wet eyes.



I know a lady over here in Germany who is caretaking of baby red sqirrels falling out of the nest and takes care of squirrels who got found after being hit by car traffic or injured by predators, though mostly it is cars. She got a heavily hit female in late November and videoed about it. When I saw that little life-thing with cramped legs and closed eyes, serious head trauma, hardly breathing, it immediately klicked inside me, and from then on I followed the process of recovery from day to day and talked with that lady a lot. We were not sure at all the little thing would make it. It was a hard fight, her family told her to let her go, I said she should give her the time needed to fight for her life and that neural damages need time and so forth. Becoming conscious again, the animal had three days of cramps and was seriously contorting its body like a cork screw, it was a pain to look at in video. And then - it started to become better. Short before christmas we conluded that she had made it and she was put into the outside voliere. Today she is fully recovered and just will be kept over the winter, say early February or so, whatevr the weather allows, the decision is due to food concerns.


Great relief for me.



Animals, also little kids, can touch us so intensely. I am getting easily furious if humans handle them carelessly or show no sign of empathy for them and say "its just an animal". No. Its not just an animal. It never was, and never will be. Or as I read in one of my squirrel rescuers' signature over here: saving an animal does not change the world - but the world all of a sudden changes for that one animal.