To ask you to pray for the thousands of people trapped on a beach by fires in Victoria?

[TheClaws]

There are 4000 people from the town of Mallacoota, Victoria, Australia, that is currently being destroyed by fire. They most likely won’t have homes to return to. They all have life jackets on ready to take shelter in the water as embers rain down upon them. Fire personnel have just - as I post - told them to get in the water. Can you imagine how they must feel?

Australia at the moment is burning across 4 states. Where I am it is 45c and the smell of smoke is heavy. It is a terrible summer for us.

What kind of idiot lights a fire on purpose. They should be tried for murder.

A person said to me recently "ScoMo is a piece of work" to which I replied, "I wish someone had cancelled the work order."

Scott (no true Scotsman) Morrison is still denying climate change and giving water mining rights in Queensland to China. Queensland is drought affected!

Scott Morrison is going to India to meet with Adani, the man who illegally took water from protected areas for his coal mining operations.

This is the leader of the Liberal Party who produced another gem: former Prime Monster Abbott stated that coal is clean energy. For such devout "Christians" they have a distinct lack of compassion.

twitter.com/alastairprior/status/1211818382007267328?s=09
This is so awful.

Absolutely terrifying and heartbreaking. I can't begin to imagine what it must be like. These are, I know, inadequate words.

I am praying right now and will continue to...

@WindyRose what a life-changing experience. I'm sorry you had to experience this.

Est. Animal deaths - 500 million.

Can’t imagine how frightened the people affected are. Thinking of them all and desperately hope the situation can be resolved

There are no words for the horror that people (and animals) have and are going through, Windyrose, her husband, the journalist and all the others caught up in this.

As one of the 88,000 evacuated in the Canadian wildfire of 2016 I understand all too well how these fires generate their own wind, which fans the flames. Water bombers couldn’t operate at night but the cooler overnight temperatures would cause the fire to slow. I’d imagine the crazy temperatures overnight in Australia don’t help.

We lost 3,200 homes. 3.5 years on only 50% have been rebuilt. The road ahead is a long and bumpy one for many.

We understand the difficulties caused by long distances. Our next closest city is a 4 hour drive. It took a couple of days for help to arrive.

Australia have their very own Trump. The courage of people like Windyrose’s dh (and herself too) brings a lump to my throat
The photos make MadMax films look like fucking Disneyland
It’s here, it’s happening, the Amazon is on fire, Australia is on fire. It’s facts. The Arctic is melting. 4K people are standing on a beach, burnt out of their homes.
Really don’t know what’s going to happen anymore. My daughter (19) says she’s not going to have children because the planet is fucked.

Would you agree that this should be classed as a state of emergency, and the army drafted in?

I think you are underestimating the sheer size of both Australia and the fires.

twitter.com/i/status/1211776989859733504
Video taken by a Mallacoota resident at 9.30am - not pm.

And this thread of tweets - showing some of the scale of the disaster.

twitter.com/leahmcelrath/status/1211795651643822081

I'm off to bed now. Thoughts are with everyone involved.

This is utterly terrifying. My thoughts are with everyone affected.

I really can't understand why they didn't leave yesterday when they were told to?

So scary, I would hate to be in their shoes.

The road in/out was closed. They also couldn't buy diesel if they needed it - at least that's my understanding from the local radio broadcasts I was listening to online

@Florrieboo I understand that Mallacoota was outside the evacuation area and so they weren't instructed to leave. By the time it was clear that the fire was heading their way the highway out was shut and the authorities decided it was safer to instruct people to stay put.

This is so terrible.

I'm not I'm underestimating, especially as I'm living in the middle of it all.

Down the road, and those friends and family who have faced fires, lost homes, been evacuated to beaches (nsw central coast, before Christmas) have been working hard to sort each other, but it's all been firemen, volunteers, police, council.

I was wondering if there was a role for the army in helping, not asking them to come in on whe charges and save the fucking day, so less of the patronising please.

Thank you to pp who let me know that the army had been involved in some areas.

Here is a good resource for all breaking fire news.

www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-31/victoria-bushfire-trapping-people-in-east-gippsland-live-blog/11833630

We had plans to go out tonight, but have decided not to. It would feel so wrong sitting on a beach with champagne while the rest of Australia burns around us.

There is some good news re saving Mogo Zoo and the animals, but also tragic news that two people have died in Cobargo, NSW.

Very latest news is Victoria’s snowy mountains on fire.
A watch and act message has been issued for the Alpine Region – a popular tourist spot in the winter for skiers and snowboarders.
An out of control bushfire at Alpine National Park near Mount Lovick is threatening people in Howitt Plains, The Bluff, Bluff Hut, Lovicks Hut, King Billy, Upper Howqua camping area and Pikes Flat camping area.

Beyond sad.

Prayers. Many Many Prayers.

We've been on a watch and act notice for most of the month.

Soft (((((Madd Hugs))))) all 🤯😥😥😥🦘🐨

It looks absolutely bloody terrifying. So glad your DH made it home, WindyRose.

Updated map - this is the size of the fire destruction over England for scale. (Guardian)

Thanks to everyone for their kindness.

Having been in the situation, it is difficult to know when to evacuate. Fire is unpredictable. You don’t want to leave your home unless you absolutely have to, but of course preserving those you love is the only priority. I packed our ‘go-bags’ last week with our essentials and valuables - passports, phones, food, water, pet carriers, things like that. What we actually needed was surprisingly small. We agreed we’d leave if the threat grew to Red (Emergency Warning). I always watch the roads carefully, as we only have one going in and out to our village - so if that is cut off, we’re in trouble. It has been cut off by flood for two weeks before - that wasn’t fun!

Thanks lborgia.