BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019

Subject: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Bruce D
Date: 30 Dec 19 - 10:05 PM

Just in the news, Cobargo on the NSW South Coast and the site of the Cobargo Folk Festival, normally held in late Feb/Mar. The town has been destroyed by Bushfires.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Bruce D
Date: 30 Dec 19 - 10:14 PM

Also in Victoria, Nariel Creek the site of another Festival held at this time of Year is under threat, a couple of major fires nearby

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Bruce D
Date: 30 Dec 19 - 10:19 PM

From the Nariel Creek Folk Festival Facebook page, the Festival was cancelled and the campground evactuated.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: JennieG
Date: 30 Dec 19 - 10:50 PM

Not good to hear, Bruce. Canberra's NYE celebrations have been cancelled; fireworks were already cancelled, and I just read that the main event in Civic is off due to expected poor air quality from fires on the south coast and inland N.S.W.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 31 Dec 19 - 03:01 AM

I have a friend at Cobargo & have emailed her, tho I don't expect an answer if telecoms are down. Cobargo Folk festival facebook page has not been updated since 17th Dec, the festival site is a short walk out of town, but ...
Cobargo is/was a beautiful town
Two dead, multiple emergency warnings issued by RFS as blazes burn across state
You could hear it roaring like the ocean': Main street of Cobargo ravaged
South Coast - two dead, telecommunications expected to go down
Before & after photos show Australia’s devastating bushfire crisis
’inferno' ripped through Cobargo

RFS says “we may not be able to hold South-East fires over coming days” and another friend left her home in Bundanoon earlier today
sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 31 Dec 19 - 03:06 AM

Mogo Zoo saved from bushfire by staff, with one taking animals home

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: robomatic
Date: 01 Jan 20 - 06:18 PM

Thinking of you and your great country. I hope and expect the United States to render assistance during these disasters and continuing aide in the aftermath as well. You can count on us.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 01 Jan 20 - 09:24 PM

thanks, robomatic

I learnt yesterday that a friend's partner lives in Cobargo & lost his house. She asked him & he replied that he hadn't seen my friend & her partner around the evacuation centres & believes they evacuated as their property is in an unburnt area.

Telecommunications are down & police are escorting tourists out of fire areas ahead of more extreme conditions in the next few days.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 02 Jan 20 - 02:44 AM

Meanwhile across the border, only 4 hours away, the Nariel Creek Folk Festival was cancelled due to fires & most early arrivals evacuated. Some stayed to keep an eye on the site which was not damaged although local communities were burnt out, including the hall used for the New Year's Eve dance. Festival organisers have started a Go-fund me page to support the communities which have supported the festival for 50 years.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Chris Maltby
Date: 02 Jan 20 - 11:49 PM

You can find out more on the Nariel Creek Folk Festival facebook page.

We were at the festival and stayed during the fire because the site was well prepared and there were a number of very knowledgable and experienced people co-ordinating its defence.

It's very hard to get reliable information in those kinds of situations, and that includes from the authorities. Our decision to stay turned out to be a good one. The fire burnt up to the site but stopped there.

Not much sleep on the 30th December and we had a spectacular fire-show for New Year's Eve (and sleep).

We were able to leave on New Year's day and return home to Sydney.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Chris Maltby
Date: 02 Jan 20 - 11:52 PM

Here's a piece from Cobargo based folkies Zena Armstrong and Peter Logue.

Don’t dismiss our anger in Cobargo Scott Morrison, we are the ones living through a crisis.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Donuel
Date: 03 Jan 20 - 06:37 AM

I heard reports of the hundreds of millions of animals killed by over 200 huge fires down under. The human toll is not yet known?

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 03 Jan 20 - 09:36 AM

19 so far!
Maps show the sheer size and scale of the Australian bushfires ... The death toll is at 19 people and dozens are still missing ... It is estimated 500 million animals have died in the fires ...

Victorian fires: state of disaster ... 28 people missing

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: mg
Date: 03 Jan 20 - 09:40 PM

i read there were places that could no longer be evacuated as all routes were closed. So terrible..and to watch the people on the beaches being told to jump into the water if they heard alarms. folks..don't rebuild with wood...you have lots of sand and maybe rocks...there are ceramic houses that might work.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 03 Jan 20 - 10:47 PM

Building in a bush fire area - regulations but a lot of houses are older & not so well protected. Any thing re-built will conform to these regulations.

just heard on the radio - 23 confirmed deaths to date with over 1500 homes destroyed in current fire season which started in Sept, several months earlier than normal. Another naval ship is in action rescuing stranded people.
live blog on fires
sandra

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: WalkaboutsVerse
Date: 04 Jan 20 - 06:10 PM

Allowing for the current sad suffering, I still think one of the things colonisers of Australia did get right was to leave so many native trees in.

But, of course, there are risks attached to living close to those beautiful gum trees - largely because eucalyptus oil is so flammable.

What annoys me is the decision (because they grow fast) to plant them - instead of natives - in other parts of the world, such as Spain and the US, which also sometimes make the news with bad bush fires.

And there are many other reasons to plant natives - here.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: InOBU
Date: 04 Jan 20 - 08:23 PM

Thinking of all of you down under, and the terrible loss to you and the world. I see that several places I've loved from afar are in grave danger, the Otway Ranges and Eden. What more can I say, but holding you all in the light
Lorcan Otway

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Gurney
Date: 05 Jan 20 - 10:41 PM

The wind blew smoke from the fires all the way to Auckland NZ yesterday afternoon. We had orange skies and the smell of fire, and we had to put the lights on 3 hours earlier than usual. The South Island has been having the smoke for some time.
Pictures on the website of the NZ Herald.
Commiserations to the cobbers.   Chris.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Donuel
Date: 06 Jan 20 - 07:15 AM

I have seen the smoke go all the way to Patagonia in South America on google Earth. The consumption of Oxygen is staggering.

One person requires 2 pounds of Oxygen per day.
The fires have consumed thousands of years of Oxygen that all the animals and people would have used. On top of that it has eliminated plants that would have produced oxygen. By the way CO2 has been produced by the fire which grows global warming.

I don't know what this means but I know all things have limits.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 06 Jan 20 - 08:23 AM

thanks, Lorcan

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Sandra in Sydney
Date: 06 Jan 20 - 08:28 AM

love and respect shine though in a time of crisis

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: EBarnacle
Date: 07 Jan 20 - 11:57 AM

I just read online that quite a few people have been arrested for setting the fires. If convicted minimum sentence is 21 years in stir.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Helen
Date: 07 Jan 20 - 02:48 PM

No, EBarnacle, that's the maximum not the minimum penalty. To get the maximum there would have to be deliberate intent and huge damage. Your average fire-bug teenager or kid would get off more lightly (unintended pun).

Each state would have different laws but this is a summary of the NSW penalties:
Arson Offences (NSW)

This is a local story from late last year about a
volunteer firie sentenced for arson

I just did a Google search for "fireman sentenced for arson" and a lot of incidents came up and in one headline the words "the ultimate betrayal" appeared.

The local fireman and his brother received sentences of five years and 3.5 years and the ultimate betrayal was that the firie liked putting out fires so when there weren't any, he and his brother conspired to set them.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: EBarnacle
Date: 07 Jan 20 - 06:39 PM

Considering that people have died as a result of their acts, wouldn't the penalties go up?

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: robomatic
Date: 07 Jan 20 - 06:48 PM

Aggravated arson should be on the same level as sexual offences against minors. And that should be CAPITOL.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: leeneia
Date: 08 Jan 20 - 01:46 AM

I read in the Kansas City paper that the federal government hung back a long time because fire-fighting is traditionally done by states and volunteers.

I consider that criminal too. Changed conditions require new solutions.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Bruce D
Date: 08 Jan 20 - 07:09 AM

Leeneia, Australia has an different style of Government, to the USA. We have three levels of Government with well-defined roles.

The Federal Government is mainly responsible for things like Defence, Social Welfare, Foreign Affairs amongst other things, They are also collect the majority of the Taxes in Australia, which they then give a large portion of it to the various State Governments.

Our State Government (which in general manage an area of 10 to 20 of your states), are responsible for Hospitals, Schools, Universities, Emergency Services, major Roads (except for funding of Major Highways), and other services, and of raft of other things, like Building codes, Electricity supply, Water and Sewage, National Parks (except of Ayres Rock and Kakadu are all run by the States), Forestry and management of land, waterways etc.

The third level of our Government is Local Government, these are responsible for collection of rates, local roads, Garbage collection, recycling, Building permits, local rules on land clearing, Hazard reduction burns, and other local issues. They also in many case, believe that they have a bigger say in the issues outside of Roads, Garage and Rates. I.e. Nuclear Disarmament, Climate Change, Illegal immigration, and many more issues Many of these local Government (Councils) are run my people who are either Socialists or Greens or even both.

Under the Australian laws, the big Pollical Parties can only be involved in State and Federal Levels, Local Government is meant to be free of any major political parties.

In the case of this Bushfires Emergency, the States had the control of how and where the employ both the Volunteer firefighters and the professional firefighters (the Professional Firefighters are responsible for towns and Cities). The Volunteer firefighters form thousands of small fire brigades across the county, they are in general provided equipment by state Governments but are not paid for their services.

The Federal Government couldn’t under the Australian Constitution intervene, in a state matter until asked by the State Government, they had to wait for the State Governmets to declare a State of Emergency first

Fighting these fires hasn’t been about lack of resources, money etc, many of the fires have been burning for months now. I saw the central Coast fires start in October and had to avoid area of Queensland and Northern NSW in September because of some of these fires. Many have been deliberly left to burn, for months now.

The major cause of the intensity of these fires is the fuel load on the forest floor, in many areas its been 10 to 20 years since the last major fire or Hazard Reduction Burn, Yes there is a major drought in Australia and a hotter than normal summer (Tropical Rain in Northern Australia has only just started. There are two weather causing events in the Indian Ocean and Great Southern Ocean which is disruplting our normal weather patten along with a weak La Nina in the Pacific. That what driving the drought and Australia’s hotter than normal temperature (we still haven’t reached our hottest day recorded in the 1860 & 1896 or 1939). CO2 levels have nothing to do with it.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: keberoxu
Date: 08 Jan 20 - 05:12 PM

Cuteness alert!

Tinny Arse the rescued koala

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Mrrzy
Date: 09 Jan 20 - 03:55 PM

Rereading The Thorn Birds. Horrifying.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: beachcomber
Date: 11 Jan 20 - 08:03 AM

I have a close relative in the town of Hastings, Victoria and I am worried that this area may, eventually, become fire endangered also. I am in regular contact but my fear is that I am being deliberately given comforting news that the danger there is minimal.
Is this a fact, can anyone say at this stage ?
The town has quite a lot of trees and shrubberies in it and it's environs.
I am in tears, reading and seeing the posts on here, and my heart goes out to the unfortunate sufferers of this horrendous phenomenon.
I hope that nature will provide the answer, just as it sent this awful conflagration.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Helen
Date: 11 Jan 20 - 02:10 PM

Hi beachcomber,

You can check on this map of fire hotspots:

Sentinel Hotspots

If you scroll into the map on the location of Melbourne, the hotspot markers decrease in size and you can see the map and locations more clearly.

Hastings is just below and a little to the right of Melbourne, which is just above Tasmania.

It looks like Hastings is a long way from the other fires in Victoria, which are on the East coast and also close to the NSW border at the north.

You can keep checking this map for updates. I think at this stage that you don't need to worry. Most of the fires are in rural areas, in bushland and grasslands.

There is a hotspot at the place called Mordialloc but it appears to be an unrelated house fire, from a quick Google search.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: beachcomber
Date: 12 Jan 20 - 03:18 PM

Thanks Helen, that map certainly puts my mind at rest as to the imminent danger or otherwise, to Hastings town. You are very kind.

Subject: RE: BS: Cobargo destroyed - Aust Bushfires 2019
From: Helen
Date: 12 Jan 20 - 05:10 PM

Thanks beachcomber, you're welcome.