Australia wildfire deaths pass 100

[babylonsister]

Australia wildfire deaths pass 100


The wildfires have devastated swaths of southeastern Australia {AFP}


At least 108 people are now known to have been killed in the deadliest wildfires ever to sweep Australia, officials have said.

Police and a Department of Sustainability and Environment spokesman in the state of Victoria gave the latest death toll early on Monday, but there were fears it could rise as emergency crews search more than 700 houses destroyed in the flames.

Many people are believed to have died in their cars as they tried to escape the fires.

Arsonists are being held responsible for starting some of the blazes, which are sweeping across an area of about 3,000 sq km across three states.

"These people are terrorists within our nation, they are the enemy within and we have to be increasingly vigilant about them," Mike Rann, the governor of South Australia state, said on Sunday.

more...

http://english.aljazeera.net/news/asia-pacific/2009/02/20092820441492106.html

[malaise]

1. MIndblowing destruction

http://www.smh.com.au/

http://www.smh.com.au/news/national/bushfires-ravage-victoria/2009/02/09/1234027894314.html

Meanwhile people in Queensland are under water. OZ has had the most unbelievable heatwave.
Climate change anyone?

[babylonsister]

2. And arsonists, too. People are sick.

I was in MX for a few days recently and it was the worst I've ever seen it there this time of year, 'during the dry season'.

Global temp. change is happening before our eyes; I am real worried about the hot climates here-I don't know if I could bear 117 degree heat, like AUS had. :(

[depakid]

3. The most frightening thing is that people knew that it was coming...

The day before:

Worst day in history': Brumby warns of fire danger (Victoria, Australia)

Victorians should cancel whatever plans they may have had for tomorrow and take whatever steps necessary to prepare for what Premier John Brumby is calling the "worst day in the history of the state".

<snip>

With temperatures set to soar to the mid-40s throughout Victoria, Mr Brumby said the conditions were worse than those that preceded the devastating bushfires of Ash Wednesday or Black Friday.

"It's just as bad a day as you can imagine and on top of that the state is just tinder-dry. People need to exercise real common sense tomorrow," he said.

"If you don't need to go out, don't go out, it's a seriously bad day.

"If you don't need to travel, don't travel.

"Don't go on the roads. If you don't need to use the public transport system, don't use it.

"If you can stay at home, stay at home.

"If you've got relatives who are elderly, if you've got friends, if you've got neighbours, please call on them.

"Ring them ... it's going to be a terrible day for anyone who is ill or who is old.

Mr Brumby said he expected Melbourne to reach 43 or 44 degrees with similar temperatures throughout the state, reaching as high as 46 in Mildura. He said if anything, the expectation was for the day to be even hotter rather than cooler. He recalled scenes last week of wooden power poles self-igniting. "I can't stress this enough, I know that the chief fire officer has been out and he said it will be as bad as you can get and he's not exaggerating," Mr Brumby said.

http://www.theage.com.au/national/worst-day-in-history-brumby-warns-of-fire-danger-20090206-7zf1.html

[Liberal_in_LA]

4. 'died in their cars'. the fires must be traveling fast. OMG.

[Blue_In_AK]

5. This is so sad.

My son-in-law's family lives in Australia, Perth -- which I think isn't in this destruction zone (my knowledge of Australia's geography sucks) -- but I remember talking with them at the wedding a year and a half ago about the terrible draught they've had down there. It's hard to imagine that someone could be so callous as to set fires in this kind of a tinderbox.