Community Chat

[songbird]

The Fires are expected to worsen.  Death toll is now 23, with many people still missing.  Untold wildlife dead. Here is a map.  It seems worse on the Eastern side of the country.  But very bad all over. Australia used to have just one area prone to fires in summer.  The "temperate" climate on the bottom.  Weather is similar to Southern California. Sunny and dryer. The rest of of the country is a bit more humid, but pretty hot. The further North (and inland) you go, the hotter.  Darwin, the only city in the extreme north is very steamy and tropic. Since the heat is has gotten hotter, the fires have spread and lasted longer.  The majority of the population has always lived on the rim of the country. Even their native population has always lived on the rim and normally, it's quite pleasant and livable. The coolest part is in Tasmania.But It's too difficult to live further inland. The environment is a life line  importance to the population and they always vote on environmental issues more then any other country.  The fire can be seen and smelled all they way to New Zealand.

[KingstonsMom]

And 2 of the largest fires are expected to combine and form one HUGE fire, they are only 6 miles apart now.

It sounds like it's gonna get a lot worse, before it gets better.

I saw video of the thousands of deceased sheep, koalas and kangaroos lining both sides of a road in one area, it was heartbreaking.

That report said that approximately 30% of Australia's koalas have been wiped out so far.

[golding76]

What a harrowing map!  I can't imagine what it must be like to be in the position of having the fire moving toward you and your property.

Blessings to all affected by this latest eruption of Earth's anger.

[SandySparkles]

It has been so difficult for me to follow this EXTREMELY disturbing story. The loss of life; human and animal, the devastation of vegetation, agriculture, air quality, homes, etc. is difficult to comprehend. My heart is heavy, and I am praying for  some relief for the firefighters, as they struggle to gain some control over these catastrophic fires. I am praying for everyone; accounted for and missing, and their loved ones.The situation is dire, and I'm just struggling with the sheer enormity of it.

~~~All we need is LOVE💖 

[Kachina624]

Just horrible and the poor animals that have suffered as well as the people

  Makes me wonder what our summer will be like since we share many of the same conditions like years of drought, excessive temperatures, no rain.

[songbird]

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@Kachina624 wrote:

Just horrible and the poor animals that have suffered as well as the people

  Makes me wonder what our summer will be like since we share many of the same conditions like years of drought, excessive temperatures, no rain.

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The one place that I am concerned about is the Phoenix area.  Not all of Arizona is super hot, but Phoenix is during the summer.  I wonder if global warming is real, if at one point it will be unlivable in the summer. From the Sierra Club

https://www.sierraclub.org/sierra/2019-1-january-february/feature/can-phoenix-remain-habitable

[KingstonsMom]

Australia is starting to look like Mars ... thick red smoke from the devastating wildfires is filling the air above the continent, and it's causing hell for the Aussie air force.

Check out this insane video from the cockpit of a Royal Australian Air Force plane ... the flight instruments are going crazy and the pilots can't see anything but a dense orange haze.

One of the RAAF's top commanders just shared the shocking footage on social media, and he says his best pilots are facing incredibly daunting flying conditions as they try to carry out support missions to areas hit hardest by the deadly fires.

The RAAF says it's taking several attempts for military aircraft to reach parts of New South Wales and Victoria. Planes and helicopters are airlifting firefighters and rescuing folks trapped in isolated towns destroyed by the flames.

https://www.tmz.com/2020/01/06/australia-wildfire-plane-red-smoke-raaf-flying-mission-relief-rescue/

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As you know ... over 13-million acres have been engulfed in flames, and the prospects for the future are grim. NSW has 146 fires alone, and the summer heat is still raging on.

It's a huge crisis ... the fires have killed an estimated half-a-billion wild animals and at least 24 people, with over 1,500 homes going up in smoke.

As we've reported ... Nicole Kidman and Keith Urban are pledging $500,000 to fight the fires, while Selena Gomez, LaMelo Ball and Nick Kyrgios are also donating to relief efforts.

[LoveMyBaby]

Can't imagine the suffering 😢

[Kachina624]

@songbird. You bring up a good point.  I wonder about the sustainability of the water supply in the larger cities of the West.  There's a big demand for new housing so building is robust but our aquifer dwindles.  Even Colorado, with all if its snow, has water wars between the Eastern and Western parts of the State.   New developments proliferate with their golf courses but when do we call a halt to it?

[proudlyfromNJ]

My sister and her family are near Sydney. So far she said their area is ok. Her FIL is south and was evacuated a few days ago. The fire was in the woods behind the house but so far the house was saved.