"In the beginning"

Disclaimer

The views expressed in this blog are not necessarily the views of the blog management, (on the other hand, they are not necessarily not the views of the blog management).

No effort has been made to stay within the bounds of the truth in this blog as it has always been the view of the management that the truth should never be allowed to stand in the way of a good story.

Saturday, April 04, 2009

More about Bushfires


Another bizarre turn to the Victorian bushfires in January; the coroners office has reduced the confirmed death toll from 210 down to 173, for those readers with strong stomachs, this was because the ash and bones recovered had been so scattered that they had been initially presumed to be the remains of more than one victim but had since been identified as a single victim, there had also been cases where animal remains had been wrongly thought to be human.
So on a scientific basis the death toll has been reduced however the sad fact is that there are still many people unaccounted for, if these people fled their homes or other sheltered points and were burned to death in the open the chances of ever finding confirmable remains is unlikely to say the least, we must remember the intense heat reduced bodies to piles of ash and fragments of bone.
No matter what the final outcome is these bushfires are still the greatest natural disaster that Australia has ever faced and for the sake of future generations it is hoped that title will never be taken away from them.
Just to repeat the already expressed views of everyone here in Australia; we owe a huge debt to the many thousands of volunteers who helped out during the horrific week that the fires raged. these volunteers ranged from those actually battling the blaze to those who fed and tended to the injured the tireless fire co-ordinators and wireless operators who directed operations and we should not forget the other services who were involved, the State Emergency Service (SES), the Army personnel, the Police Force, the Red Cross and all the Charity workers who contributed.
It remains to be seen whether we have learned from this disaster that we must take more heed of our surroundings and natures changing ways, in these fire prone areas greater care in the choice of building sites, building materials, house plans and most importantly a plan of action under perilous conditions, I believe an emergency fire resistant Bunker with an entrance clear of the house structure should be mandatory, the location of these Bunkers should be clearly marked on all council plans so that emergency crews could quickly check for survivors.

13 comments:

kenju said...

It was a horrible tragedy, Peter, and we can all hope that many lessons will be learned from it.

karisma said...

I will never forget theses times. Even weeks after all was off the news, my friends who live down there were still living in fear and being evacuated yet again when everyone else thought they were safe! The fear from a mothers mouth is so much more than what we see on the news!

I sent you two emails this week. If you did not get them please let me know. Looking forward to your visit! Hugs and smoochies xxxooxx

Pamela said...

In Oklahoma, my brother has a little storm cellar -- they call it their "fraidy hole."

You guys sound like you need an "ash-hole"

oh.. that doesn't sound like it was supposed to.

Cliff said...

Such an epic struggle for so many. You are correct, the planning in the future must be better.
I sure enjoyed the pic of Rex and Vicki with the seascape. She has a twinkle in her eye. You're a goodin for doing what you did.
Sorry to hear Merle is have some trouble.
If you spend much time with Warren I would suggest you both spend some time at an Easter Church Service to pay for any indiscretions you two might dream up and do.

Rachel said...

Ah what is Cliff thinking with that last part of his comment!! That you and Warren would be naughty?? Haha!

Those fires were horrible and I'm sure they have learned the hard way of what needs to be done. The bunker idea is a good one. I so hate to hear of fires anywhere. The people and their homes and all the animals. It's so sad. California has a lot of fires like that and I've read some of the awful stories and it's just heartbreaking. People try to outrun the fires and don't make it. So very sad. What an awful tragedy with the loss of so many lives.

willowtree said...

Holtie!! You just missed me, I was at the Tip and was only gone for about 20 minutes. The reason the comments are closed is because I moved from that site a couple of months ago.

If you had left your mobile number I could have called you back. (looked everywhere but I can't find where I have it, and it's not in the White Pages)

Puss-in-Boots said...

I've heard a lot of people agree with your idea of the fireproof bunkers and it's a sensible one. However, will Govt/Councils do anything about it?

Dave said...

Hopefully those people will be found alive with friends or family.

Such great work by so many in a time of need... real heroes.

Vicki said...

Hi Dad
Glad to hear the trip is going well.
Will you please ring me as soon as you can.
Love Vicki

linda may said...

G'Day Pete, Yeah the bunker idea is a good one I reckon. The other comment I wanted to add was, Don't we all want to live in an idealistic bush setting but the consequences are not always what we expected. I would sure love to live in a setting like that of some of the fire ravaged areas in Victoria, but....

linda may said...

G'Day again Pete, just read back through your blog a ways and found the bit about the Cobb & Co coaches. My maternal Grandfather used to build them when he was young. I thought it was in Broken Hill but I don't really know where. Did they build them there too?

Joy Des Jardins said...

Fireproof bunkers sounds like an amazingly good idea to me Peter. Now if only everyone would get on board about it...that's the problem. Many lessons should have been learned during this whole tragedy. Much love to you sweet guy... ~Joy

Walker said...

Reducing the number is a small consulation but its something to lesson the weight on some of the hearts of people in your country