This is a currrent event forum and if we can get our attention away from dillsville for a moment, thousands of people are stranded behind a wall of fire over an unprecedented distance. Hemmed in by mountains ablaze and with damage cutting power, roads and essential services there is no way out. We are all used to a crisis that passes within a few days, however resupply becomes a logistics nightmare

https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/australian-troops-prepare-for-bushfire-emergency-evacuations-by-sea/live-coverage/cf3d149ec9bbb9b7eb808e663eec8a28

A few news snippets don't do it justice and fail to convey the scale. I was in these towns only a few days ago and am very familiar with them but the places I know, have known for a long time, no longer exist. Even if they bring in ships the number needed will not be readily found, a fleet of cruise ships might do it but no docking facilities exist. So how do you resolve an emergency that hasn't been planned for?

Fire your government, because the fires should have been planned for, since it just happened a bit over a year ago ,though in less populated areas of the country. That's the thing with Mother Nature you can be prepared and still be overwhelmed and helpless.

Fire your government, because the fires should have been planned for, since it just happened a bit over a year ago ,though in less populated areas of the country. That's the thing with Mother Nature you can be prepared and still be overwhelmed and helpless.

Tal you cannot prepare for firestorm, these things create their own weather, even fire tornados. I could make great criticism of the local government in that area, many stupid green policies leaving bush corridors in developed areas, allowing subdivision in bush areas and not allowing trees to be cleared so they have vegetation right up to houses through populated areas but here you have a narrow strip of development along a coast and a heavily forested hinterland, with state forests and national parks up the wazoo. The drought is also to blame since this region is usually high rainfall

I don't think Mother Nature cares about blame and survival depend on how fast you get away from it since no one cared about buying building a habitat next to the jungle. Maybe they should have thought about that and had a sufficent firebreak when they built those homes, and communities and not counted on the rain to save them.

I don't think Mother Nature cares about blame and survival depend on how fast you get away from it since no one cared about buying building a habitat next to the jungle. Maybe they should have thought about that and had a sufficient firebreak when they built those homes, and communities and not counted on the rain to save them.

What you have is just stupidity, holiday development and now more stupidity as there is a tourist leave order in place with one road out which is periodically closing for smoke and other hazards. Vehicles are being escorted by police, seems the tourists cannot be trusted to behave in an orderly manner, huge queues for fuel and if you happen to have a diesel dinosaur you ain't going anywhere

You cannot have a sufficient firebreak from an ember attack, embers can land kilometres ahead of the fire and start new fires. When I was a firefighter I have seen brick and tile houses burning from the roof as embers are wind driven into the roof caverty

Yeah that wind factor is another Mother Nature effect we can't control, but a old texan once told ne that you just pay the insurance and run before it gets you. Keep in mind our solution for a nuclear attack was get under the desk and grab your ankles, which could work for a firestorm too. On the serious side, I'm watching Aussie farmers put down his injured cows.

how much of this is arson ?
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/27/australia/australia-fires-fireman-arson-intl-hnk-scli/index.html

Haven't heard that from anyone in regard to current Australia fires. (https://www.theguardian.com/australia-news/2019/nov/22/australia-bushfires-factcheck-are-this-years-fires-unprecedented)..yet, but it's got to be in the back of someones mind even with the ripe conditions and only needs a careless camper.

how much of this is arson ?
https://www.cnn.com/2019/11/27/australia/australia-fires-fireman-arson-intl-hnk-scli/index.html


An investigation is beginning to find anyone who is responsible for lighting a fire. I have heard one report so far of a fire deliberately lit but such events are an all too frequent outcome of foolishness. When I was a fire fighter it was a well known fact that the first day and last day of the school holidays had a high incidence of fires however thunder storms also cause fires, farmers being careless with machinery and repairs, campers and so on

Wow, just saw the local weather dude illustrate how firestorms create thunderstorms that actually makes more firestorms. Making fire is so easy.

Tal we really don't want to know that right now

Sorry couldn't help it. It's just ironic an island on fire and having droughts and high temps that bring about these conditions. Seems a few extra long hoses from the ocean would have been tried by now.

Sorry couldn't help it. It's just ironic an island on fire and having droughts and high temps that bring about these conditions. Seems a few extra long hoses from the ocean would have been tried by now.

I'll put that comment up there with nutcase solutions, this is not just an island, it is a continent entirely surrounded by water as most are by the way. Do you know we have one pundit who thinks we are under attack from the devil so if that is so the way out is prayer

Continent or not, you need water to fight fires with, and pissing on your own roof is grossly inadequate. I wouldn't dismiss a nutty idea if that's the ONLY idea you got would you? Yeah I know kind of desperate for ideas right about now.

Continent or not, you need water to fight fires with, and pissing on your own roof is grossly inadequate. I wouldn't dismiss a nutty idea if that's the ONLY idea you got would you? Yeah I know kind of desperate for ideas right about now.
Tal many of these fires are a long way inland right now and the area is huge. This place doesn't have the water resources you have, many rivers actually flow underground. Send us some water bombers

https://www.fox7austin.com/news/us-sends-more-than-100-firefighters-to-help-battle-devastating-australian-bushfires

And

https://community.pearljam.com/discussion/278335/boeing-737-water-bomber-purchased-for-aussie-bushfires

Tal we are grateful for all assistance, the purchase of water bombers is too late they were needed months ago. I expect the politicians just couldn't get their head around what was happening. Afterall if you are holidaying in Hawaii, Bali, etc it is hard to gain perspective

Aw Clete. Those are perfectly good places to run and hide in. Everybody does it that can. I would if I could even without a firestorm to run from, or close enough to smell.

The firestorm these idiots were running from didn't include fire, they would rationalise they needed a much earned rest, that is if they know what work truly is

Now here is a fact I bet you didn't know, or maybe you did

https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/the-size-of-australia-shocks-america-in-bushfire-map-comparisons/news-story/164589ea8d6e2f339340cc45ae671ebf

Yes folks If this was happening in your backyard you might feel your nation was under threat

If Tom and Vac are right it's a shame a few idiots could endanger so many millions.

If Tom and Vac are right it's a shame a few idiots could endanger so many millions.

who knows why they do it, some are kids with fireworks, some are stupid people off the land who think they know how to control fire, some are malicious, some opportunistic, but they are all idiots and I hope a special place in hell is reserved for them

I'd settle for jail, restitution, and hard labor in a forrest, jungle or swamp.

I'd settle for jail, restitution, and hard labor in a forrest, jungle or swamp.
You feint hearted lliberal, you

Okay give me 10 minutes alone with the stupid b@stards.

Talaniman: You can get a lot of "work" done in 10 minutes! Problem is, that kind of "work" would have been the only solution required if you could have caught them when they were pups...when they get older, the sickness is too well engrained! Pyromaniacs are truly psychologically unredeemable people, sad but true.

There are a number of such afflictions upon the human race

arson is one issue land mismanagement is the other biggie ..
https://audioboom.com/posts/7472516-the-green-wildfires-of-australia-gregory-copley-defense-foreign-affairs

arson is one issue land mismanagement is the other biggie ..
https://audioboom.com/posts/7472516-the-green-wildfires-of-australia-gregory-copley-defense-foreign-affairs

Hi Tom, not sure what you are getting at. Fires have been a feature of that part of Australia for a long time. They are very prevalent in Victoria with a number of the worst outbreaks located there. Australia has a large number of national parks and state forests many in very inaccessible areas. These days Australia also has obligations to manage CO2 emissions and burning off releases emissions

control fires create fire breaks which in turn control wild fires and make them manageable .The envirowackos put a stop to that much like the idiots here prevent the clearing of underbrush and forestry management
Did you listen to the interview with Gregory Copley ? It is informative .

control fires create fire breaks which in turn control wild fires and make them manageable .The envirowackos put a stop to that much like the idiots here prevent the clearing of underbrush and forestry management
Did you listen to the interview with Gregory Copley ? It is informative .

It is informative only to those that don't live here, commenting about Melbourne is talking about a microcosm, Canberra, the national capital has the worst air quality in the world at the moment, so you can expect federal politicians to be very focused on the problem, I consider it poetic justice as that city is a haven for "liberals" and greens who have exacerbated the problem. Make no mistake this is a weather created problem, something that wasn't mentioned. The drought has left many areas parched and tinder dry. This weather problem is not driven by climate change but the interaction of three southern hemisphere weather systems. The el Nino system, the Indian ocean dipole and the southern ocean oscillation and they have combined to create dry hot conditions this season.

https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/change-to-two-key-weather-systems-could-have-major-effect-on-the-bushfires/news-story/c9be6095be86ed1296f144c6902d36dc

What is happening is on a continent-wide scale, so talks of fire breaks are local management issues. Ember attacks during these events make fire breaks redundant. I have said before, some communities have rediculous vegetation management issues, tree preservation orders and so forth but it is a resourcing issue, there are not enough firefighting resources when you have events on this scale. You need multiple appliances a property and there wouldn't even be one a property

All you can do is learn from the experience and do better next time Clete. You already know that excuses don't work.

All you can do is learn from the experience and do better next time Clete. You already know that excuses don't work.

Not making excuses Tal, I don't expect these events to be visited on the nation again any time soon but we still have maybe two months of this fire season to go, once more unto the breach, dear friends or is that once more unto the beach, dear friends

Just read that the Australian fires killed well over a billion animals: I expect that the Dingos weren't among those numbers and their population will probably benefit from the fires in a weird "Unnatural" balance.

When your fire season is over, ours will begin except in certain regions, and for many that's tornado season.

When your fire season is over, ours will begin except in certain regions, and for many that's tornado season.


Yes Tal I get it you have natural disasters too, You have hurricane season, you have tornado season and our cyclone season has begun with two cyclones

Tal ;we have chaparral that no longer gets cleared from the fire zones ….they have the same problem with eucalyptus trees . Fires happen .That is natural .If left to their own they will burn until they burn out. OR humans can manage it .

Yes the trees are native and the forests vast but there is also scrub which burns hot and quick, rain will supress the fires, until the weather moderates we have to defend the towns any thought of getting ahead of the game is fanciful

Yes Mother Nature has always been here, but it costs humans MONEY to deal with her and even more to manage whatever she decides to do. I mean who's paying for those volunteers and the equipment they use? You are feeding them right? How about paying for clearing the brush when it's NOT burning?

Everything humans do has a cost to it, and Mother Nature can make it go up in smoke rather quickly.

Yes Mother Nature has always been here, but it costs humans MONEY to deal with her and even more to manage whatever she decides to do. I mean who's paying for those volunteers and the equipment they use? You are feeding them right? How about paying for clearing the brush when it's NOT burning?

Everything humans do has a cost to it, and Mother Nature can make it go up in smoke rather quickly.

Noone pays our volunteers Tal they are volunteers who offer their service willingly, they don't seek reward but our government has arranged a grant to those who have been engaged in the fight for a certain time. the equipment is provided by government and sometimes public donation. as to clearing interesting thought but I expect our leftists would be opposed and hold up proceedings with more useless demonstrations

Demonstrations are hardly useless when it accomplishes the goal of stopping you. Yes I have watched those donations come in from all over the world, and that's a help to the budgets I know, but that makes my point of somebody has to pay for surviving Mother Nature, since it seems to expensive for even the worlds best economies.

Demonstrations are hardly useless when it accomplishes the goal of stopping you. Yes I have watched those donations come in from all over the world, and that's a help to the budgets I know, but that makes my point of somebody has to pay for surviving Mother Nature, since it seems to expensive for even the worlds best economies.

Let us start with the lefties who started the problem in the first place, they should pay the higher taxes they want. You think we should listen to rabid university students who want to demonstrate and shout insults instead of doing something practical to help. Do they stop driving their cars? Drinking their bottled water? Wasting energy travelling to demonstrations? We are being condemned for a northern hemisphere problem. The whole southern hemisphere contributes only a small percentage of so called emissions so even if we achieved 0 emissions immediately it would do nothing to solve this so called crisis.

Wake up, you are being scammed!

Acheiving emission targets Clete, means you have raised efficiency, burn clean, with less waste and save money with developing alternative energy sources. That's no scam that's a benefit. If your neighbors don't do it then they will pay a higher cost for energy, and wear silly looking useless paper masks. It's that simple. What did you think was meant?

Acheiving emission targets Clete, means you have raised efficiency, burn clean, with less waste and save money with developing alternative energy sources. That's no scam that's a benefit. If your neighbors don't do it then they will pay a higher cost for energy, and wear silly looking useless paper masks. It's that simple. What did you think was meant?

Nonsense, there are millions of rooftops in this nation and maybe yours, which have solar panels. Is this efficient? These panels will last maybe 20 years and will have to be replaced, "renewable" has a different meaning in this context, so my nation meets its targets by having individuals invest in power generation instead of the more efficient method of a power station with a longer life. the scam lies in convincing the householder that this is a worthwhile investment by using the mirage that their power costs have reduced. All they have done is moved the cost from one provider to another. from the utility company to the financier. the same with wind which is not a reliable source but an intermittent generator. Is it renewable? yes you will be replacing these assets

No different than buying a new car, washing machine, glasses, or any other necessity or luxury. The great news for both our countries is you can chop wood for the fireplace and make your own candles if you want nothing to do with the new fangled stuff and feed your horse organic hay if you choose. Maybe technology will have advanced to better solar panels by then.

No different than buying a new car, washing machine, glasses, or any other necessity or luxury. The great news for both our countries is you can chop wood for the fireplace and make your own candles if you want nothing to do with the new fangled stuff and feed your horse organic hay if you choose. Maybe technology will have advanced to better solar panels by then.

The question isn't whether we will have more efficient solar panels, I am an investor in a company which is developing a paint which will convert every building into a generator without the need for bulky panels, this does not overcome the problem of what to do at night or the problem that the not invented here syndrome is very evident.

You and I don't want to go back to the stone age Tal, life is very hard foraging for food

Thank you for your concern, please know that we have had wide spread rain and violent storms over the area affected by bushfire and so the emergency appears to be over now the lives that have been disrupted may get back to normal sometime in the future. the media regale us with sad tales of those with shattered lives and lament the damage brought by the storms

Apparently charities have reaped millions of dollars out of bush fire appeals and have not distributed the money, the Red Cross even admitting only 30% has been distributed. When the public contribute to appeals they expect the donations to directly benefit those affected, not be salted away in the coffers of large charities, but there are thousands desperately in need of help and bureaucracy has taken over, this isn't only in Charitable circles, but government assistance has been slow also with only a trickle of the funds made available catually reaching victims

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-01-23/bushfire-aid-row-continues-as-red-cross-attacked-again/11892062

https://www.news.com.au/finance/business/charities-slammed-as-bushfire-victims-await-donated-funds/news-story/76725bf6a704af943e8451ad1df0cc8d

You sound more like us every day Clete. Me thinks you have arrived at the reality of buearocratic red tape. It's a huge job though finding victims and assessing their just due.

You sound more like us every day Clete. Me thinks you have arrived at the reality of buearocratic red tape. It's a huge job though finding victims and assessing their just due.

It is not hard to find them, they are not thin on the ground, extra resources have been put into the regions and yet, crossing the T's and doting the I's is the order of the day and these charities have the effrontery to say they are holding back the money to help later. The need is now, when people have no homes.\

Every resident in these regions is affected and there is enough private donations to give a grant to every person of $200 without red tape and still have more to give. For example; my son has to take handiman jobs to make ends meet, his business is affected and his wife is on short shifts. No power, no telephone and the charities are waiting for needs in the future. load of crap