BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: Janie
Date: 14 Jan 13 - 08:15 PM

What Sinsull said....

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 14 Jan 13 - 11:07 PM

Crews make progress fighting major NSW bushfire

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 15 Jan 13 - 04:56 PM

Best wishes to the firefighters!

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Jan 13 - 07:08 AM

NSW bushfire victims return to homes in ruin Victims of a huge bushfire in north-west New South Wales are being allowed to temporarily return home to inspect the ruins of their properties.

But authorities say it is still unclear when the more than 100 evacuees will be able to permanently return home after the blaze destroyed 40 homes, more than 100 outbuildings and burnt through 42,000 acres earlier this week.

A watch-and-act alert is still in place for the bushfire, which is burning in the Warrumbungle National Park near Coonabarabran.

Crews are focusing their efforts on building containment lines ahead of expected warmer weather on Friday.

Another fire to the north-east has burned through 15,000 hectares of the Pilliga Nature Reserve and cut access to the Newell Highway between Coonabarabran and Narrabri. (read on)

Flickr group Australian Bushfires 2012-2013

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 16 Jan 13 - 05:09 PM

I heading off to the Illawarra Folk Festival in 2 hours (eeek, so much to pack!) I'll be back Sunday night.

Prime Minister to visit fire -torn Coonabarabran

sandra, Thursday morning

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: JennieG
Date: 16 Jan 13 - 10:40 PM

I have stopped watching TV coverage of the fires, and of the areas where fires have been burning. Some people are now allowed back onto their land to see what, if anything, still remains.....and the media are with them. Having a reporter thrust a microphone at a teary woman while the reporter asks "and how did you feel when you realised you had lost everything you own except the clothes you are wearing" is crass and insensitive. I don't care if it is considered "news".

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: GUEST,999
Date: 16 Jan 13 - 10:43 PM

Good for you, Jennie. I have come to despise the media because they remind me of scavengers with the morals of a cat in heat.

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: Joybell
Date: 17 Jan 13 - 04:12 PM

We're not watching either. On the emergency website I check the warnings for our area and places where friends and family live. Sadly there are things that reporters could do that might actually be helpful. There are so many silent victims -- the wildlife for example. Raising awareness of their needs now and after the fires might be useful.
Yesterday we shared our cool home with several hens and 4 baby Magpies. I put iceblocks in all our bird-watering dishes and sprayed any released birds I could get near. Such a small gesture -- it was over 40 degrees outside. Sadly my old-lady hen Fromage de la Lune didn't make it.
Joy

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: GUEST,999
Date: 17 Jan 13 - 07:24 PM

When the media runs out of shock stories they may get to that, Joybell. Sorry to hear about Fromage de la Lune. However, there are good people like you all over Australia, so where they are so too is hope.

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 17 Jan 13 - 08:02 PM

I'm sorry about your hen, too. It's good of you to try to cool down the other birds.

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: Joybell
Date: 18 Jan 13 - 02:25 AM

Thank you ChanteyLass and 999. Fromage was a French hen. I brought the French girls inside. The Rhode Island Red girls and the others seem to be able to cope better with the heat.   Our sweet big red hen Scarlet O'Henna is our oldest and was a good friend of Fromage -- a cranky old lady but they got along. They all seem a bit down today but at least it's cooler. The wild birds around us seem happy.
Joy

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: JennieG
Date: 18 Jan 13 - 04:55 PM

Joy, I'm sorry to hear about Fromage. I didn't realise that different breeds of chooks coped with the heat differently.

We went shopping the other day and bought a second bird bath for our back yard. The one we had was the scene of many a stoush and territorial dispute, it can get very entertaining....so far the new one hasn't been discovered by our feathered friends, but it will be. It took them a few weeks to discover the first one.

Cheers
JennieG

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 19 Jan 13 - 07:38 PM

Joybell, this Rhode Islander is glad to read that you own Rhode Island Reds and that they are handling the heat well.

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: Jack Campin
Date: 20 Jan 13 - 06:31 AM

Meanwhile, not so far away, Jakarta is getting bad flooding which looks likely to get worse. Look up "Banjir Jakarta" on YouTube (all the reporting I can find is in Indonesian, which I don't speak). There are scary videos of rescuers trying to get people out of an inundated shopping mall basement, hauling them out by rope.

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: ChanteyLass
Date: 20 Jan 13 - 02:41 PM

That sounds awful, too, Jack.

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: Joybell
Date: 20 Jan 13 - 07:19 PM

I'll pass your message on to Scarlet, Rhonda and Ramona, Chantey Lass. I don't imagine it gets all that hot there so I don't know why my girls are unaffected by the heat. Jolie Blon is taking over as boss-lady I notice.
Joy

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 21 Jan 13 - 12:50 AM

Heatwave smashes Australia-shaped hole in car window

not just fires - now we have Cyclone (hurricane) warnings in some parts of Australia

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 24 Jan 13 - 06:36 AM

Vic fire danger peaks in hot, windy conditions Hundreds of fire crews have been preparing for worsening fire conditions in Gippsland and Victoria's Alpine region overnight.

The weather bureau says conditions will be worse than first expected, with north to north-westerly winds pushing flames towards towns on the southern edge of the fire front above Walhalla.

Hundreds of fire crews will be on hand to secure control lines around the fire's 400-kilometre perimeter.

The winds are expected to peak at about 6am (AEDT) Friday.

A south-westerly change in the mid-afternoon could push the blaze into the Alpine National Park.

Fire authorities say under these conditions, the fire could jump over control lines.

Some residents have left early but many are choosing to wait until they are told to evacuate - a message they could receive in the middle of the night.

Meanwhile, a number of communities in the state's north-east remain on high alert as a bushfire continues to threaten several locations in the Alpine region.

Increased wind activity is predicted in the Harrietville area, where an out-of-control fire has burnt about 1,300 hectares.

In Quandong in Melbourne's west, a water-bombing aircraft was used to contain a grassfire on Thursday afternoon.

The blaze burnt through about 140 hectares near Ballan and Ripley roads.

Extreme heat fuels Victoria bushfire threat - see photos

Jan 2013 bushfire photos on Flickr

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: Joybell
Date: 24 Jan 13 - 06:59 PM

Yesterday in Western Victoria, where the fire danger is extreme, we had a calm hot day but no fires. The news is not so good for the East of the state. There's talk of rain next week. Hope it's true.
Joy

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 24 Jan 13 - 09:52 PM

fingers crossed for you, Joybell


Fire threat eases in Victoria (report updated 51 minutes ago ) The Country Fire Authority says winds are expected to ease throughout the day, as they continue to fight a large fire in Victoria's Alpine National Park.

A watch and act warning is still in place for the towns of Harrietville and Hotham Heights, while an advice has been issued for five nearby towns including Germantown and Smoko.

The fire has burnt more than 2,500 hectares and winds will reach up to 75 kilometres an hour in the fire zone late this morning.

Subject: RE: BS: 2013 Australian bushfire season opens
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 25 Jan 13 - 04:50 AM

Threat eases for NSW firefighters The NSW Rural Fire Service says a grass fire burning near Campbelltown in Sydney's south-west has been contained and has been downgraded to an advice warning.

Authorities had evacuated several homes and issued an emergency alert about the fire which burning near Campbelltown Road, Warrumbungle Place, Carnarvon Road, Kosciusko Place, Morar Place, Dunkeld Place and Central Park Drive.

About 40 hectares have been burnt and the fire was heading towards the M5.

Laura Ryan from the Rural Fire Service said crews got on top of the fire quickly.

"We did have fears for a number of properties in that area, but some quick work by firefighters supported by a water bombing helicopter has got that fire fully contained," she said.

"The fire is now out, firefighters are now on the scene mopping up the last remnants of that fire, and its officially listed as advice status."

Fire continues to burn near Coonabarabran The Rural Fire Service says rough terrain is making it difficult to establish containment lines around a large bushfire burning near Coonabarabran.

The blaze has destroyed 53 homes and burnt more than 55 thousand hectares since it started almost two weeks ago.

Spokesman Peter Jones says firefighters will again focus their efforts on the south western part of the fire where there was a flare up yesterday.

Meanwhile, north of the border, that other perennial threat in Australia, flooding is causing problems - Live: Cyclone Oswald brings flood chaos to Queensland The system has already wreaked havoc further north and Brisbane's dams are being drawn down in anticipation of huge rainfall totals this weekend.

Emergency crews have rescued several people from floodwaters across the state and are expecting a hectic weekend, with rainfalls of more than 400mm predicted for some areas, along with damaging winds of around 90kph.

This page is a blog & has pictures at top of page & all thru the site.

And as Joybell mentioned somewhere else, her part of Oz has been in drought for quite some time.

But that's Australia for you.

My Country by Dorothea Mackellar (1885 - 1968)

I love a sunburnt country,
A land of sweeping plains,
Of ragged mountain ranges,
Of droughts and flooding rains.
I love her far horizons,
I love her jewel-sea,
Her beauty and her terror -
The wide brown land for me!