Friday 13 February 2009
From around the globe, people sent their good wishes for the embattled state of Victoria in Australia.
President Obama offered his condolences and assistance. The
Oregan News report a contingent of 60 fire experts are heading to the Australian fire lines.
Our firefighters have been fighting for days with very little sleep. Last Saturday 7 Feb, the temperatures in Melbourne were 46.4ºC 115.52ºF and in other areas it was 49ºC - 120.2ºF. The hot northerlies raged through my state with speeds of 80-100km. the wind was ferocious, when I stood on my verandah it was 48º - in the shade and the wind was so hot it burnt our legs. You could hear it howling and there was a noise in the distance - a thunderous, rumbling noise - it sounded like huge jets, only there were no jets. I have never heard winds like that before, and I hope to God I never hear them again. It was a most awful, awful sound. And it went on for hours.
And as we listened to the radio and the fire updates we knew that people were dying somewhere - it brought tears to my eyes to hear of the heart break and tragedy. There are 181 confirmed dead, but police suspect that could rise to around 200 - perhaps 300 after they have gone through Marysville. On that fateful day, we knew there would be many who would never see the dawning of a new day, never witness the opening of a flower bud, never see their children grow. As the horror unfolded we were numb with shock.
Towns and communities destroyed - wiped off the face of the earth. There is no more
Flowerdale. Marysville doesn't exist anymore.
And the true horror is yet to emerge. Marysville - beautiful Marysville. It was Victoria's "Camelot" A very pretty little town with English Oaks lining the streets, with quaint, old-fashioned shops and homes, and an aura of yesteryear, a truly beautiful and serene hamlet set in magnificent forest.
This was Marysville.
Of the 519 residents, 35 are confirmed dead, but it is feared it is much greater. And of the 700 or so homes and buildings - only 5 are left. Imagine Hiroshima - that is how Marysville looks
now.
Death and Destruction
Now, it is a place of death and devastation. Bodies still lie in the streets - fallen where they burned. Police have been systematically going through burned-out houses and buildings looking for survivors and bodies. Some of the bodies are so badly burned they may never be identified.
Black Saturday is Victoria's darkest nightmare and the worst in our history.
