Forums
New posts
Search forums
What's new
New posts
New profile posts
Latest activity
Internet Search
Members
Current visitors
New profile posts
Search profile posts
Log in
Register
What's new
Search
Search
Search titles only
By:
New posts
Search forums
Menu
Log in
Register
Install the app
Install
Forums
General Discussions
The Watercooler
Marg????
JavaScript is disabled. For a better experience, please enable JavaScript in your browser before proceeding.
You are using an out of date browser. It may not display this or other websites correctly.
You should upgrade or use an
alternative browser
.
Reply to thread
Message
<blockquote data-quote="Marguerite" data-source="post: 243176" data-attributes="member: 1991"><p>With every catastrophe our disaster preparation guidelines andadvice are being reviewed.</p><p></p><p>In past years, the advice has been to stay with your house if you feel you are fit enough to help fight the fire, you have the best chance of survival if you follow the rules. The flip side to this advice is that if you are gonig to leave, do it well ahead and get right out of the way.</p><p></p><p>They are now reviewing this advice. Many of the bodies were people in cars, trying to get away. They just didn't have enough time. And it wasn't lack of forethought - the fires took a week to go X distance. Then the winds suddenly whipped up (possibly aggravated by firebugs) and the fires covered another X distance in 10 minutes. Sometimes they changed direction at the same time.</p><p></p><p>The Monday morning news is on, they've extended it past 9 am. It's ghastly. The link above (thanks, Sheila - good Aussie name, that) has the update on death toll, it has been changing rapidly as I watch TV. When I turned it on this morning they were saying, 95 dead. Now it's 108. Names are starting to be released. </p><p></p><p>On the news, we're seeing reporters who are normally tough as nails, in tears. Our politicians, in tears unable to speak. Last night one reporter was talking to a woman who was describing how horrifying the fire was, as it charged onto their farmhouse. But when the woman was showing the reporter around the destruction, they found her pet dog, killed by the fire. They'd been unable to find the dog when they ran. That was when they both cried, the woman and the hard-bitten reporter.</p><p></p><p>The latest - roads are closed still, because each burnt-out carload is acrime scene. Half the state is a crime scene. Power lines are down, phone lines are down. And I remember from our own time "on the run" in '94, mobile phone towers are also out, we were told to stay off the mobile networks which made it even more difficult because we had no other means of being in touch. From what we've seen on TV and in photos - this is like what we went through. The only reason '94 fires in our area didn't kill more people, was luck, the shape of the land and the fact that much of what burned near us was uninhabited. Otherwise - the descriptions are the same, I'm finding my PTSD is trying to break out. Probably a good thing - I need to use every opportunity to try to deal with it constructively. But I think I need to find another network to watchn one with no continual coverage. I'm finding the human side of this just too distressing. There's a man who was on the phone to his wife, who was home with their two kids. Then the phone went dead, and the police won't let him up that road because it is still closed. He is pleading with them to let him go, he is only one person, he knows exactly where to look... the trouble is, that is what he thinks. He won't have any landmarks, he won't know where to look because her won't recognise where he is. That's what we found, when we first went back home. But listening to this man - more reporters in tears. And the other bystanders at that evac centre - a mess.</p><p></p><p>Mind you, I think the media are being very responsible. They're working with emergency servicves and helping with information (stay indoors if you're not in danger but keep safe from the smoke especially if you are in a high-risk group). They're also trying to note down any house still standing, trying to work out the address (possibly with the help of GPS) so they can let people know. Because a house still standing could also have people alive inside. A smart move.</p><p></p><p>Everything is falling into place. The totally astounding thing about all this - we are used to fire, in this country. We have emergency procedures in place. We're good at staying safe. These people haven't died because they were foolish, or they made mistakes. It's simply that this was just too big, too immense, too sudden and despite everything we could do, despite all the precautions put in place ahead of time, we've still lost these people.</p><p></p><p>If we had not put the services in place that we did, if we didn't have such brilliant rescue people (not to mention the many teams of firefighters) then you could add a zero or two to the 108 death toll so far.</p><p></p><p>The heat has eased today. it's cooler and overcast. Thankfully the cool change, when it came through, didn't have the expected high winds behind it. They are trying to use this to advantage, in their efforts to manage the fire.</p><p></p><p>I'll be heading down to the service station in a few minutes, when mother in law turns up to give me a lift. The fire brigade is over the road. I'll have a look, but I'm betting they'll be gone, either to help fight the fires in NSW (Peat's Ridge north of Sydney, or Merimbula down south) or over the border, to Vic.</p><p></p><p>I'll keep you posted.</p><p></p><p>Marg</p></blockquote><p></p>
[QUOTE="Marguerite, post: 243176, member: 1991"] With every catastrophe our disaster preparation guidelines andadvice are being reviewed. In past years, the advice has been to stay with your house if you feel you are fit enough to help fight the fire, you have the best chance of survival if you follow the rules. The flip side to this advice is that if you are gonig to leave, do it well ahead and get right out of the way. They are now reviewing this advice. Many of the bodies were people in cars, trying to get away. They just didn't have enough time. And it wasn't lack of forethought - the fires took a week to go X distance. Then the winds suddenly whipped up (possibly aggravated by firebugs) and the fires covered another X distance in 10 minutes. Sometimes they changed direction at the same time. The Monday morning news is on, they've extended it past 9 am. It's ghastly. The link above (thanks, Sheila - good Aussie name, that) has the update on death toll, it has been changing rapidly as I watch TV. When I turned it on this morning they were saying, 95 dead. Now it's 108. Names are starting to be released. On the news, we're seeing reporters who are normally tough as nails, in tears. Our politicians, in tears unable to speak. Last night one reporter was talking to a woman who was describing how horrifying the fire was, as it charged onto their farmhouse. But when the woman was showing the reporter around the destruction, they found her pet dog, killed by the fire. They'd been unable to find the dog when they ran. That was when they both cried, the woman and the hard-bitten reporter. The latest - roads are closed still, because each burnt-out carload is acrime scene. Half the state is a crime scene. Power lines are down, phone lines are down. And I remember from our own time "on the run" in '94, mobile phone towers are also out, we were told to stay off the mobile networks which made it even more difficult because we had no other means of being in touch. From what we've seen on TV and in photos - this is like what we went through. The only reason '94 fires in our area didn't kill more people, was luck, the shape of the land and the fact that much of what burned near us was uninhabited. Otherwise - the descriptions are the same, I'm finding my PTSD is trying to break out. Probably a good thing - I need to use every opportunity to try to deal with it constructively. But I think I need to find another network to watchn one with no continual coverage. I'm finding the human side of this just too distressing. There's a man who was on the phone to his wife, who was home with their two kids. Then the phone went dead, and the police won't let him up that road because it is still closed. He is pleading with them to let him go, he is only one person, he knows exactly where to look... the trouble is, that is what he thinks. He won't have any landmarks, he won't know where to look because her won't recognise where he is. That's what we found, when we first went back home. But listening to this man - more reporters in tears. And the other bystanders at that evac centre - a mess. Mind you, I think the media are being very responsible. They're working with emergency servicves and helping with information (stay indoors if you're not in danger but keep safe from the smoke especially if you are in a high-risk group). They're also trying to note down any house still standing, trying to work out the address (possibly with the help of GPS) so they can let people know. Because a house still standing could also have people alive inside. A smart move. Everything is falling into place. The totally astounding thing about all this - we are used to fire, in this country. We have emergency procedures in place. We're good at staying safe. These people haven't died because they were foolish, or they made mistakes. It's simply that this was just too big, too immense, too sudden and despite everything we could do, despite all the precautions put in place ahead of time, we've still lost these people. If we had not put the services in place that we did, if we didn't have such brilliant rescue people (not to mention the many teams of firefighters) then you could add a zero or two to the 108 death toll so far. The heat has eased today. it's cooler and overcast. Thankfully the cool change, when it came through, didn't have the expected high winds behind it. They are trying to use this to advantage, in their efforts to manage the fire. I'll be heading down to the service station in a few minutes, when mother in law turns up to give me a lift. The fire brigade is over the road. I'll have a look, but I'm betting they'll be gone, either to help fight the fires in NSW (Peat's Ridge north of Sydney, or Merimbula down south) or over the border, to Vic. I'll keep you posted. Marg [/QUOTE]
Insert quotes…
Verification
Post reply
Forums
General Discussions
The Watercooler
Marg????
Top