Australia On Fire!

[rrraven]

well, I saw a breakdown of the 200 somewhere and arson charge can be a lot of different events
a third was cigarettes thrown out of cars ,a third was people backburning in desperation without rfs there and it getting away on them ,and then pre teen fire bugs and campers lighting / not extinguishing camp fires in a total fire ban ,plus some genuine arsonists
so I don't see a conspiracy here unless you mean the blame shifting of pollies
our village is kinda landlocked by forest ,thick forest ,one fire on the west was started by lightning ,we saw it strike,another east and then south came around from a (legal) state forest log dump burn off that got away and the one from the north jumped a ,now permanently closed ,highway to join up in a mega fire
the amount of forest our RFS is responsible for is tiny compared to areas controlled by Parks and Wildlife (or as we call them sparks&wildfires) and forestry corp who have their own paid firefighters btw ,who don't communicate well with their counter parts in the RFS sadly
the only reason we did not suffer the same fate as down south is our locals banded together and formed the BLACK SWANS a support team for RFS with 12 utes with ibcs and pumps and hoses who worked 20 hour days along side the local RFS( who are mainly in their 60s and 70s) for about 2 weeks until forestry brought in their dozers and water bombers and people for serious containment lines
Fires Near Me rumba complex

 

[Jones]

@rrraven Glad to hear you're safe. It's also great to read that the community pulled together to help to improve the outcome.

 

[Thebull]

well, I saw a breakdown of the 200 somewhere and arson charge can be a lot of different events
a third was cigarettes thrown out of cars ,a third was people backburning in desperation without rfs there and it getting away on them ,and then pre teen fire bugs and campers lighting / not extinguishing camp fires in a total fire ban ,plus some genuine arsonists
so I don't see a conspiracy here unless you mean the blame shifting of pollies
our village is kinda landlocked by forest ,thick forest ,one fire on the west was started by lightning ,we saw it strike,another east and then south came around from a (legal) state forest log dump burn off that got away and the one from the north jumped a ,now permanently closed ,highway to join up in a mega fire
the amount of forest our RFS is responsible for is tiny compared to areas controlled by Parks and Wildlife (or as we call them sparks&wildfires) and forestry corp who have their own paid firefighters btw ,who don't communicate well with their counter parts in the RFS sadly
the only reason we did not suffer the same fate as down south is our locals banded together and formed the BLACK SWANS a support team for RFS with 12 utes with ibcs and pumps and hoses who worked 20 hour days along side the local RFS( who are mainly in their 60s and 70s) for about 2 weeks until forestry brought in their dozers and water bombers and people for serious containment lines
Fires Near Me rumba complex

It is great to hear stories of communities coming together like yours to save what they can in these extreme conditions.
I wanted to ask as it seems to show on the UK news channels that their is alot of ill feeling towards the Aussie prime minister. Is this felt through the majority of the Aussie population? Though our press as expected go down the climate change angle and global warming!

I’m so done with Greta, she needs to jump in a hole.

Yes she needs to crawl Into her hole and disappear.
What an awful tragedy for you all to go through. I hope the Aussie members can stay safe and Australia can get through this. The poor wildlife, I will pray for a miracle that the varied and wonderful species you have in your country can come back and make a full recovery in time. I hope that's not just wishful thinking.

 

[rrraven]

I wanted to ask as it seems to show on the UK news channels that their is alot of ill feeling towards the Aussie prime minister. Is this felt through the majority of the Aussie population? Though our press as expected go down the climate change angle and global warming!

yes no one likes him anymore ,the amount of nicknames say it all
SCUMMO
SLOMO
LIAR FROM THE SHIRE
SCOTTY FROM MARKETING
the list goes on ...shirts printed with the mural that appeared of him in a hawaiian shirt saying ''merry crisis'' and got painted over 2 days later raised 50,000 for the fireries in t shirt sales
but by the way some pollies declare their support for him as they tend to do before backstabbing there may be a leader spill in the future
which will be worse as Dutton ,who makes Goebbels look humane,want to be PM

 

[Ocean]

Spain is using goats to prevent forest fires.

 

[Ocean]

Thank you for posting the pics- some are truly heartbreaking :( #Australia on fire has been trending on Twitter and it has also been News posted on the Wildfires thread on the forum as well. Today, I received numerous emails from Aussie businesses, musicians and local artists who are donating to the Red Cross or other charities for the fires. It’s so good to see the country rally together to help the affected, but most of all, to acknowledge the RFS who are all volunteers and risk their lives to save others. I’ve said this before, they are absolute legends ❤


I’m so done with Greta, she needs to jump in a hole.

Arwenn, yes it is all truly heartbreaking, it has really affected me. I believe 25 people have perished in the fire.
An estimated 480 million animals have lost their lives.

It's almost apocalyptic.

Dozens of dead animals alongside the road.

 

[Jones]

It is great to hear stories of communities coming together like yours to save what they can in these extreme conditions.
I wanted to ask as it seems to show on the UK news channels that their is alot of ill feeling towards the Aussie prime minister. Is this felt through the majority of the Aussie population? Though our press as expected go down the climate change angle and global warming!

Here's an overview and timeline of Scott Morrisons handling of the bushfires. Agencies that were concerned about lack or resources and fire fuel overload on the ground were trying to raise issues with him and get his help back in September 2019. He apparently spent $190,000 on empathy training last year that in my opinion was wasted. There is quite a lot of ill feeling toward him here in Australia.

A national disaster

On the PM’s catastrophically inept response to Australia’s unprecedented bushfires

www.themonthly.com.au

 

[Ocean]

Outrage over advice to kill joeys orphaned in bushfires

A document advising first responders to kill baby koalas and kangaroos that survive the bushfires is causing distress among those working to save them.

The Victorian Response Plan for Wildlife Impacted by Fire directs that the rehabilitation of orphaned “milk dependent joeys” from these “common species” found in the fire zone is not supported.

Contrary to established practice, the plan urges against handing the animals to wildlife volunteers, stating “these animals require significant long term care and cannot be successfully returned to the wild.”

The government plan goes on to describe methods of euthanasia which include lethal injection, blunt forced trauma and shooting.

This is despite the same document also providing instructions on how to raise the milk dependent joeys.

Victorian government guidelines suggest orphaned koalas should be euthanised.
Across Australia many wildlife carers are successfully raising orphaned koalas and kangaroos, and are furious government staff and contractors entering fire-ravaged bushland are being told to shoot rather than rescue many joeys.

‘If they’re found on the fire ground they’re shot’
The Koala Hospital Port Macquarie is successfully raising a milk dependent joey named Keli who was found on the side of the road with a fungal infection.

Most orphaned animals are raised on a product made by Wambaroo which manufactures early and late lactation milk products designed specifically for koalas and kangaroos.

Rex Box Wildlife Shelter operator Nikki Medwell told Yahoo News Australia that it feels like the government are doing nothing to help native animals hit by the bushfires.

“Overabundant animals like macropods or koalas they don’t deem necessary to rescue,” she said.

“It doesn’t matter whether they’ve been burnt, if they’re found on the fire ground they’re shot.

“So that’s totally healthy, viable wildlife, including koalas which some are saying are on the brink of extinction.”

Milk dependent Keli was found on the side of the road suffering from fungal infection and is doing well in care. Source: Koala Hospital Port Macquarie

Number of animals euthanised unknown
The number of joeys euthanised was yet unknown.

A Victorian Department of Environment (DELWP) spokesperson told Yahoo News Australia the Response Plan guidelines remain open to interpretation.

DELWP said milk dependent joeys without fur, eyes closed, and ears down should be euthanised, but those with fur are assessed on a case by case basis.

A spokesperson issued a short statement highlighting that decisions are circumstantial.

“A range of factors shape whether injured wildlife should be rehabilitated or euthanised,” the statement said.

“This includes the duration of the rehabilitation period... The sooner wildlife can be rehabilitated and released, the greater their chance of survival.”

Two joeys suckle from bottles in Nikki Medwell's care.

Wildlife carers who have worked within fire zones have told Yahoo News Australia that the DELWP requires detailed records to be kept on euthanasia and rescues.

The DELWP spokesperson indicated that while records have been collected, they have not yet collated figures from the current fire season.

They were unable to provide figures for any previous fire seasons, just that approximately 1000 animals were assessed during the 2018-19 season.

 

[Jones]

Here's an article from back in November where Fire Chiefs, aware of the danger of the situation as it was unfolding, were urging Scott Morrison to get more water bombing planes. It mentions in the article that the planes don't have to be bought, they can be leased from other countries.

Former fire chiefs 'tried to warn PM ' to bring in more water-bombers ahead of bushfire season

Twenty-three former fire and emergency leaders say they tried for months to warn PM Scott Morrison that Australia needed more water-bombers to tackle increasingly severe bushfires.

www.abc.net.au

Apparently back in the 2009 fires, Russia offered Australia their firefighting planes - they can carry 42,000 litres of water and reload very quickly. That offer was turned down.

There were moves afoot at the beginning of last year to bring back Indigenous Cultural burning practices, so hopefully this is something that continues to grow.

Indigenous cultural burning to return to Victoria after 170 years

The practice of Indigenous cultural burning will be reintroduced in central Victoria for the first time in almost 200 years in collaboration with Forest Fire Management Victoria.

www.abc.net.au

 

[Gawan]

Originally posted in the wildfire topic:

Yes, Aussies, take care everyone and stay safe !

Here is a good summary by Paul Joseph Watson of the fires in Australia and some causes.

And yes, as written in a comment on Sott, the Aborigines once used controlled fires that fires don't spread that far. And I'm not entirely sure if it can be only blamed on arsonists, because the government stopped controlled fires since 2009 (as stated by Watson), plus earth changes may also take its effect on this one.

Another analysis by Adapt 2030 and that the news leaves out "the first week of 2020 25+ locations in the country [Australia] set their all time lowest cold record for January".

 

[Agron]

Here is a good video on Koala ext. issue by Tony Heller. He has a good and intelligent approach to all this. I dont go to PJW for anything at this point, I have a hunch hes from the same camp as Alex Jones. He might give relevant info but his negativity and malice should be obvious.

A few telling comments from about the topic there too:
user Shane Von Harten:

The koala population has been plumiting for years and green regulations are 100% to blame. Loacally the greens prevent clearing around koala colonies during fires to protect the koalas because too many trees might be knocked down. The Pilliga state forest in NSW used to be thriving with koalas, I've been going into the forest for over 40 yrs, and I haven't seen a single koala in more than 15 yrs. Previously you could see up to 30 in a day. Greens have destroyed Australia

user cargumdeu:

The Green Lobby in Australia have a lot of blood on their hands at this moment in time. Designating trees as 'carbon sinks' and preventing their felling, banning controlled burn-offs in the colder months, those in the know (real Environmentalists) could see this coming and warned of it.

Good comment on Aborigines and "controlled burns" by Ken Pickett:

The aboriginals didn’t do burns for any altruistic or land management practices . They did it to encourage new green growth and to open out the forests so they could hunt more easily. Don’t believe this mystical Dreamtime aboriginal native forest and land management BS that is being promoted by the Greens. They were opportunistic hunters, nothing more. When the game ran out, they moved on and burnt and hunted somewhere else.

So if the main reason for such devastation are green politicians who are usually lefties/social democrats it makes sense they want to shift the blame elswhere and would blow it out of proportions while at it. They own the media so its not an issue for them (or so they thought). Remember that a good reason to have these fires is more cleared land for development and big ag. And as we see A LOT of people warned that this would inevitably happen and they still passed those laws.

 

[Beorn]

And yes, as written in a comment on Sott, the Aborigines once used controlled fires that fires don't spread that far. And I'm not entirely sure if it can be only blamed on arsonists, because the government stopped controlled fires since 2009 (as stated by Watson), plus earth changes may also take its effect on this one.

According to a NSW Fire Service Inspector "I can confidently say the majority of the larger fires that we have been dealing with have been a result of fires coming out of remote areas as a result of dry lightning storms. In Victoria, where about 1.2 million hectares has burned, only 385 hectares — or 0.03 per cent — have been attributed to suspicious circumstances."

There have always been a few firebugs around but why are the fires so bad this year? It seems to be a combination of weather events (changing weather patterns?) and lack of preparation. In September 2019 the BOM was predicting record stratospheric warming over Antarctica resulting in reduced rainfall, warmer temperatures and increased fire risk in Australia for the next few months. Considering this is in line with what they were expecting with the "global warming" charade you'd think they'd be better prepared.

 

[Ocean]

Aircraft are being used to drop thousands of kilograms of carrots and sweet potato to hungry wildlife stranded amid the Australian bushfire crisis.



Planes Drop Thousands Of Kilograms Of Carrots And Potatoes For Starving Animals

 

[Ocean]

"I can only describe it as a mass extinction event"

An equestrian centre owner and volunteer firefighter has described the situation in Australia as “like the end of the world”.

‘It feels like the end of the world’: Australian equestrian’s plea for support during devastating fires

‘It feels like the end of the world’: Australian equestrian’s plea for support during devastating fires - Horse & Hound





An equestrian centre owner and volunteer firefighter has described the situation in Australia as “like the end of the world”.

Caroline Taylor of Serenity Park Equestrian, Victoria, has been donating this season’s hay to horses in need, and working round the clock to help those affected by the bushfires blazing across the country.

“My country is on fire,” she said. “My profound love of all animals and nature has been torn from my soul into pieces as the conservative estimate is that 480 million wildlife and other animals have been horrifically burned to death in the fires. I cannot stop crying.

“The smoke has covered the state and outside my home I cannot see my own horses in the paddock because of the thick smoke blanketing us. The smell of smoke is overpowering and creating fear as people believe there is a fire near when in fact they are several hours’ drive away from us. I have not seen the sun for two days because the sky is dark with smoke.”

Prof Taylor, who has lived and worked in the UK, said some rain had fallen last week but “it barely touched the surface”, and was the first fall since November.

Temperatures were due to soar again and “catastrophic conditions” predicted.

“This level of warning is the highest and means fires will be indefensible should they happen and we will not be able to rely on help should a fire break out,” she said.

“People in affected areas or areas likely to be affected are urged to evacuate now. If they choose to stay and defend, they are on their own. So many have evacuated and left pets and other animals behind that they could not take with them.”



Prof Taylor spoke of news footage taken in a town in New South Wales destroyed by fire, which showed thousands of burnt bodies, of kangaroos, wallabies, sheep, cows and horses.

“Thousands of them, on the roads where they tried to get shelter; lying next to farm fencing they had burst out of or got caught up in,” she said. “Lying side by side in their hundreds.”

Prof Taylor said friends and relatives’ homes have been destroyed, as “shocking 70-foot flames cremated everything in their path”.

“It is like the end of the world,” she said. “A friend fled his home and could not catch his horses so opened up all the gates and is hoping they are still alive. He is not allowed back to his property but aerial photos showed his house and all his sheds have been burnt to the ground. He has no word still on his horses.”

Prof Taylor said a volunteer colleague said people would like the equestrian world to send messages of support, to “help us feel hope and to stop the feelings of despair and helplessness and hopelessness”.

“We are only at the very start of summer,” she added. “We have another 10 to 12 weeks of hot weather and it feels like we are all going to burn to death.”

Prof Taylor has donated a fifth of her hay stock and is worried that should this winter be dry, she may struggle next year. She is also donating feed for animals who have survived the fires but face starvation as their homes are burnt, and urging others to string up cut apples near burnt trees, and put out shallow bowls of water and seed.

“Our wildlife carers and equine and animal helpers are screaming for medical equipment and aid and medicine, and it’s like a pit with no bottom because as quickly as we donate, the goods are gone,” she said. “I feel angry at the stupidity of so many people who deny the disgusting impact humans have on the world and refuse to see the urgency of climate change and how we are stuffing up the world.”

Prof Taylor said more hay, feed and medicine for animals is needed, as well as hundreds of bottles of water as tanks have been destroyed or water stocks compromised.

“My country is on fire and the beautiful animals and flora have been burnt to death in what I can only describe as a mass extinction event,” she said. “An estimated 480 million animals. My soul feels destroyed as I feel inside the terror they each felt and the pain of their death.

“My friend who lost his house said he could hear the terrible rumble of the fire and the screams of animals in the bush and the roar of the fire and its vibration through the ground.

“Fireballs roll and bounce. The intensity of bushfires takes away the oxygen up to 300 metres away; it is called the death zone. Animals cannot outrun it. People in the past have jumped into steel water tanks only to boil to death. People have jumped in dams and rivers and swimming pools to get away – some survive but many still die.

“My country is one fire and I know why so many of us desperately want the world to send us messages of hope and love and understanding of our grief at the excruciating horror – the ecocide that killed our animals and our flora and our people and has so far burned 300 homes just in Victoria alone in one week. We need these messages to help ease hearts bursting with grief and to help us feel we are alive, and we are not alone.”


Prof Taylor said she would be very grateful for supportive messages on the Serenity Park Facebook page, and is also in need of items such as medicine, and cotton rugs.

“We have so many burnt horses who need cotton rugs,” she said.

 

[Agron]

Wow, immediately a flood after such devastating fire:

in some locations it was a one-in-100-year event.

Struth: Flash flooding hits Gold Coast, Brisbane as storms sweep Queensland, Australia

Dangerous storms described as a one-in-100-year event have swept through South-East Queensland overnight and into the morning, dumping heavy rain and causing flash flooding in parts of Brisbane and the Gold Coast. The SES has responded to more...

www.sott.net

Hang on tight Aussies!!