UPDATE 30th Mar - 173 confirmed dead in VIC bushfires

[Scarfman]

Re: Update 12th Feb - 181 confirmed dead in VIC bushfires

She's a halfwit. She's only there to troll angry / insane letters to the Herald.

 

[Pfitzy]

Re: Update 12th Feb - 181 confirmed dead in VIC bushfires

For the Ann Coulter fans - or not. In fact, anyone interested in Bush-era politics and the commentary by Fox media would love this. Yes there is a lot of language and heaps of borderline sexual references (not the border nearest us, but the other side), but it is also piss-funny.

http://ifuckedanncoulterintheasshard.blogspot.com/"]click here[/url]

 

[Pfitzy]

Re: Update 12th Feb - 181 confirmed dead in VIC bushfires

And just to prove that extremists ARE fuckheads - thank God (or Allah) they have a national body to stand up and agree that they are fuckheads:

[/url]Jihadists celebrating Victoria fires; taking joy in the scenes

JIHADISTS are celebrating the worst tragedy in Victoria's history.

Terror watchdogs said fundamentalists had blogged on websites across the globe, applauding the lives lost and destruction in the Victoria fires.

Senior analyst at SITE Intelligence Group Adam Raisman said they were posting pictures of burnt homes and devastated victims and "taking joy in the scenes", the Sunday Herald Sun reports.

One jihadist wrote: "It would be an act of revenge for Australian's participation in the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq."

Bushfires victims said they were stunned.

"We're minding our own business and trying to cope with all this and they are celebrating our suffering," said Denise McCann who lost her home in the Kinglake blaze.

Regional Islamic Council vice-president Dr Ameer Ali said the comments did not represent the wider Muslim community.

"They have no idea what they are talking about," he said.

 

[Cutter]

Re: Update 1800 hours Eastern - 173 confirmed dead in VIC bushfires

The greenies and anyone else that have for years stood in the way of the CFA and the Rural BFB doing their job must now be told to dick off - forget how the fire started - they are the real cause of this tragedy.

Only in the same way that a gun manufacturer is responsible for someone being shot.

The Australian bush need fires to survive. Many plants cannot germinate unless burned in a fire.

Not all native flora needs fire to survive. In fact, fire kills some native flora and burns the seeds meaning that fierce or persistent fires will make certain flora unlikely to survive in an area. What fire does do is promote the right conditions for the flora which are fire tolerant and/or need fire to germinate. Fire leads to less biodiversity not more.

I'm not disagreeing with you rw, I'm just supplementing the debate. In fact I agree completely that there is a place for more hazard reduction but there is also a cost attached to that.

In addition to the high fuel load, other factors contributing to the severity of the fires were the heat, the drought and the winds. The cause of the fires was the arsonist/s.

Totally wrong analogy there. A gun manufacturer doesn't have control over who buys the guns but in this case the property owners and greenies had a loaded weapon in their posession and left it lying around for somone to play with. IMO while not as culpable as any arsonist they have an awful lot of explaining to do.
Sure the arsonist may have lit the fires as may a lightning bolt, but it wouldn't have burned if there was no fuel or insufficient fuel to propogate.

I would suggest if you surveyed the volunteers at the firefront their anger would be 50/50 at the arsonist (if there was one - probably) and those who allowed the forest situation to develop to the dangerous situation.

Talking to some firies recently who said its the fact that the fuel is dry that is a big factor in fires moving so fast. One of the reasons the fuel becomes try is because of poor undergrowth management. ie burning too much away. Also that the majority of the fuel is at undergrowth level and that the fire spreads through the canopies first and then burns below. They were also talking about cool burning, hot burning, wet forest and dry forest and that the hot burning turns wet forest into dry forest. Not sure I fully understand and didnt have time to ask more but that seemed to be what they were saying.

 

[Lindommer]

Re: Update 12th Feb - 181 confirmed dead in VIC bushfires

The Australian wine trade has mucked in and contributed about $65k of top class wine and a few accessories for a bushfire raffle. Here's a link so you can buy a ticket(s): http://www.winestar.com.au/forum/viewtopic.php?t=20182

If anyone on TYS wins I expect he'll advise us so's we can help him share his bounty. It'd be near impossible to drink all the wine in that first prize list, even in a lifetime. Yeah, I know, I know, some of you'd like to give it a bloody good try. And Lee, you haven't got enough years left to even consider it! :-[ :-[ :-[

The Australasian wine trade is incredibly diverse in its range and geography. But on another level the wine trade is quite small and very insular as we see the locals at the same shops in whatever city we live and the visitors at wine shows throughout every year. Most of them don't make a lot of money growing grapes and/or selling wine; at any given time about 50% of vineyards and wineries in Australia are up for sale as, like most people, grapegrowers and vignerons dream about getting out of debt. However, they're bloody happy doing what they do and a good vintage or a medal at a wine show always lifts their spirits and convinces them to carry on for another year. There are people in the wine trade I've become good friends with even though I have nothing to do with their wines; we see each other at wine shows and catch up with whatever's going on in our worlds. And there's always plenty of top notch piss to enjoy at the dinners we invariably have after every wine trade event.

It'd be great to read about a Scarfer winning a prize in this raffle. Good luck. :thumb :thumb :thumb

 

[PaarlBok]

Re: Update 12th Feb - 181 confirmed dead in VIC bushfires

Geez the veld fires has hit Paarl big time from last night. Some houses in danger and helicopters flying all over the place. Dont help much if you have weather around the 40 degrees. Wanted to take some photos early this morning but my daughter had the camera in Stellenbosch. Will show some because we already hit the head newslines in SA.

Luckily we sort of use to this kind of thing, so no lifes will be in danger only houses.

 

[PaarlBok]

Re: Update 12th Feb - 181 confirmed dead in VIC bushfires

Took this one yesterday afternoon from the front of my house.

Paarl Gym Boarding House had to be vacated (?) last night. Luckily the helicopters and Fire department safe the buildings. Still some smuggering fires this morning and waiting for the wind to start it all up again.

Interesting listening to the fire fighters. The wild animals like snakes just past by to try and escape the fire.

 

[PaarlBok]

Re: Update 12th Feb - 181 confirmed dead in VIC bushfires

Some more photos of the Paarlberg veld fire.

http://www.dieburger.com/Stories/SponsoredSections/Leserslens/19.0.1354296916.aspx

Look at the 6th photo. The tip of our KlokToring (dunno what you call it in english) church. Afrikaans have been written in that church 151 years ago. Ds du Toit was the dominee and father of one of our all time writers Totius.

 

[RugbyReg]

Re: Update 12th Feb - 181 confirmed dead in VIC bushfires

hows your house Paarl? Safe?

 

[PaarlBok]

Re: Update 12th Feb - 181 confirmed dead in VIC bushfires

Took this one this morning from the same spot as above

Ja Noddy, the only problem I had is that myself and family love sleeping outdoor on the stoep this time of year with all the heat. Not last night because of all the ash and kak. Maybe tonight. Had to take my small kid this afternoon to Worcester for his cricket match against North Boland. The weather a whopping 40 degrees forecasted. Hope we survive this one because its a all important match for the kid. If he do his bit he just may get his provincial colours in cricket.

 

[Pfitzy]

Death toll has been revised - it was reported as high as 181 and then even 210 but after further investigation they're settling on about 173. Good in a way but still not pretty....

Victorian[/url] bushfires death toll drops to 173
Mex Cooper
March 30, 2009 - 12:41PM
The death toll from Black Saturday's fires has been revised down from 210 to 173.

A Victoria Police spokeswoman said the number of deaths had been changed after "extensive examinations".

Deputy Commissioner Kieran Walshe said after remains were scientifically examined some that were initially believed to have belonged to two or more people turned out to be a single person.

"Over the past six weeks we have gone through tens of thousands of records and documentation, working closely with the Red Cross and the Coroner's Office to ensure that the figure we have is as accurate as it possibly can be at this time," he said.

"We have been able to account for a number of people who were initially presumed missing as a result of the fires and this has impacted on the final figure."

Deputy Commissioner Walshe said animal remains had also been eliminated during the identification process that had reduced the death toll.

More to come

 

[Mainlander]

How the hell do you make that sorta mistake.

 

[Pfitzy]

I think they'd made a worst-case scenario with missing people. Some of them eventually turned up and were accounted for. Others were animal remains. If you'd seen my brother-in-law you'd understand...