Thanks for the best wishes Bob and all , The trumpster and property is out of the line of direct
threat of the current fires , thank god, however and I am sure I speak for all Aussies on the board, it is certainly a worrying and trying time. Presently our bit of the State has had some blessed relief from the average 110-117 F we have received for the last three weeks straight or so . However it is tinder dry here , like the rest of the state and with temperatures set to rise again as the week progresses, its only going to take a small ignition to set things off. Myself and good neighbours have ensured our generators and fire-pumps are ready to go , it is only a lack of water that could bugger us up , we are currently waiting on 80,000 litres to arrive to ensure all our
tanks are ready for action ( our Dams are all dry due to receding groundwater in the drought and heat) Hopefully it will arrive soon , but we know the equipment and tankers are deployed , quite rightly , elsewhere.
The main danger for other places like our small towns is our fire crews are all 60 to 200 K's away doing their thing where they are desperately needed, so its up to us to NOT "keep the home fires burning "
There has been enormous tragedy and I am sure we all know of someone who has lost either a loved one , or suffered enormous personal loss.
The best part of living in Aussie , is our spirit however, its a harsh brown land , and we take it in our stride. This year , no amount of planning , or schemes could have dealt with this maelstrom, it is something to be endured and controlled at best
Big shout out to Gizmo who is closer to the bad stuff than me , check yer email KEV!!
Queensland, the pointy top right bit on the map , is reeling with devastating floods at the moment as well , talk about a land of contrast!!!
In short stats as at 9 pm tonight
-- 25 active fires/ fronts to be controlled
--Over 3000 sq kilometres burnt out
-- 900+ homes gone
--181 dead ( 50+ more missing presumed dead)
-- Interstate and overseas crews should arrive tonight to relieve some crews that have been fighting for days without breaks
