Her beauty and her terror - bushfires Aussie style

[lolie]

My state is on fire. Again. As is Queensland.

https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-11-...ected/11690080

For the first time since the rating was introduced, a catastrophic fire danger warning has been issued for the greater metropolitan area for tomorrow.

https://www.theguardian.com/australi...for-first-time

It's going to be a rough few days for the residents of NSW and Qld, and an unprecedented strain on our emergency services.

Normally on 11 November my FB timeline would be full of posts acknowledging Remembrance Day. Today it is full of posts about the bushfires instead.

[rary]

I can only pray that everyone is safe lolie, God bless

[lolie]

I can only pray that everyone is safe lolie, God bless

My daughter's uni just made the decision to close their campuses tomorrow and reschedule the exams to Saturday, so that's one less worry.

Everyone is on edge at the moment. There's no way to predict which specific places will be hit and the area at risk is so huge that resources can't easily be diverted from one location to another.

Many people misunderstand what a "catastrophic" rating is - it means that conditions are such that fire suppression is unlikely to be effective - and because of that there are a whole lot of people refusing to take the warning seriously.

[Nicos]

Such a worry for you all -the thought of everything you own going up in flames, and the risk to family and friends, pets, wildlife, the environment. The emotions you must be going through ...my thoughts and wishes are with you xx

[lolie]

Such a worry for you all -the thought of everything you own going up in flames, and the risk to family and friends, pets, wildlife, the environment. The emotions you must be going through ...my thoughts and wishes are with you xx

I've never seen this level of wide-spread community concern before. I know part of it is being driven by the media trying to hammer home the danger so that people don't make stupid decisions about trying to stay and defend their properties, but it's also because such a vast area is at risk and it's impossible to know where things will kick off.

The unspoken fear is arsonists. A non-trivial amount of our large bushfires are deliberately lit and tomorrow's conditions might prove too much temptation for some firebugs.

[broadway]

I hope you and yours stay safe Lolie

[Snoop Puss]

Terrible situation. Hope you and yours manage to stay safe. And the emergency services too. They put themselves at tremendous risk for everyone else. Big cyber hug to you from me.

[Bren In Pots]

Thinking of you and your neighbours, stay safe.

[lolie]

Thanks everyone. The next 36 hours are going to be very long for everyone in NSW and Qld.

We're starting to hear reports of late afternoon wind changes having pushed fires in Qld back towards population centres.

Everyone is pretty much just holding their breath and hoping for the best at the moment. Our firies really are national treasures, and we thank not just our own but those who've flown in from other states and NZ to help out.

I just saw the Daily Mail coverage of this. Serious as the reality is, the DM coverage is way over the top. Sydney is not ringed with fire and blanketed in black smoke (we're not blanketed in smoke at all at the moment), no matter what the DM is saying.

[burnie]

I can only echo what others have said, keep safe.

[lolie]

I can only echo what others have said, keep safe.

I intend to. Hopefully tomorrow will pass without any new major fires breaking out anywhere. We have been fortunate enough to have that happen before on catastrophic fire danger days.

[rary]

Hope everyone is still safe lolie, and that things change for the better, things are bad enough without having to worry about deliberate fire setters, praying for the fire to end soon

[Mr Bones]

Fingers crossed for you all lolie.

[muckdiva]

Thinking of you Lolie, can’t imagine how scary it must be to live with this danger at all, let alone on a regular basis. Take care.

[Can the Man]

Thinking of you your family and friends Lolie. Please stay safe, and best wishes and admiration for the fire fighters and all the state rescue services.