h2g2 The Hitchhiker's Guide to the Galaxy: Earth Edition

Yesterday was the hottest day in Melbourne in recorded history. It got to 46° (114.8°F) in the city 47° (116.6°F) where I was and up to 48° (118.4°F) in out lying areas.
I escaped most of the heat in air-con at work.

Needless to say there were many bushfires, many of which are still burning. There were a few small local fires near us, but none close enough to threaten.

It was incredible. I was outside for about half an hour waiting for a lift. The hot air was so dry, I didn't even sweat. The moisture just evaporated right off me. It was incredibly windy. the cool change hit just as my lift arrived, and by the time we got home it had dropped about 10 degrees.

So far I've heard 25 lives were lost, and they expect there may be a total of 40.

It's only going to get to 24° (75.2°F). Phew! The rest of the week looks pretty good too. We may even get some rain.

What a crazy world at the moment. In Townsville (North Queensland) where my little sister lives, it is flooded. The roads in and out are all cut off.
And I hear in the UK it's the worst cold snap in 13 years.

I wonder why it's a 'heat wave' and a 'cold snap'?

me too! strange init

I've just been watching the news. The devastation is terrible.
Over 500 homes have been lost, and there are so far 65 people dead. Whole towns have been wiped out!
It's unbelievable. Much worse than Ash Wednesday.

We are incredibly lucky the cool change came through and it only lasted one day.

I'm very grateful that no stray embers happened to come my way.

Most of my friends and family are fine. I have a great-uncle in Beechworth who I'm not sure about yet. Waiting on a text message for that one.

On top of all that there are fires in NSW, and there have been more floods in QLD.

Message came through. My uncle is ok.

700 homes gone.

christ! don't what to say!

The death toll has reached nearly 100. It's horrible. I'm relieved that you are safe.

As to dramatic temperature swings, we are having them too. We had ice and snow then temperatures in the mid-60sF within 5 days. Now it is going to freeze again.

I know, it's terrible.
Everywhere you go today, people ask "how are you?" actually meaning it. Not like the usuall "how are you?" in place of saying hello.

Everyone's pulling together. But it's going to take a long time. I'm not sure yet, but I think one of our libraries is gone.

If anyone wants to donate:
http://www.redcross.org.au/vic/services_emergencyservices_victorian-bushfires-appeal-2009.htm

I don't know if you can overseas, but I don't see why not.

Thanks for the link Taralome. They've set up collections in a couple of banks over here.

The news brings worse and worse news.

How are you?

Hey Tinker How are you and yours.......

I'm good. All mine are good.
I'm amazed that it managed to miss all of us. We're a pretty spread out lot.
It could so easily have been any one of us.

Thanks for asking guys.

Just looking at pictures on the telly, my god, it looks like the aftermath of Armageddon.

been watching the pictures too, sent some "stuff" to our local red cross and their sending it on,

Thanks Rev,

The fires are still raging. The weather is quite cool now, but the strong winds that brought the cool change have fanned the flames.

The weather is meant to heat up next week, but no extreme heat forecast.

I keep being amazed by the fact that it managed to miss all my friends and family.
I keep waiting for the other shoe to drop.

The toll has just gone up again, but I'm through reporting numbers, it just keeps going up and up.

Taralome, knowing that you and yours are unharmed is such a relief.

I'm sure the Red Cross here will help. They're very good about things like that. But it will be money only. They've about stopped collecting things like blankets, clothes, etc. even for local dissters. As soon as they have an appeal set up, I'll send them a check.

Knowing that arsonists were responsible makes it even more heart breaking. Boy do I hope they're caught. The scope of the destruction is just staggering.

if the arsonests are caught, they should be made to stoke boilers, day in day out, till their end!


RJR

Thanks Hyp,
They do have an appeal set up:
https://www.redcross.org.au/Donations/onlineDonations.asp
(The site is experiencing high traffic, so may be a little slow).

At work we are collecting book donations for the schools that are gone. If we run out of storage space, I've offered my place.
We've also got collections tins.

Rev, I really don't understand the arsonists. It could be argued that they didn't think it would get this bad, but some stupid bugger has lit more fires since. Our PM called them mass-murderers, and I think he's right.

I really wish it would rain. It has a bit, but I'd like a really good long soaking.
It's rained a bit on the fires too. Apparently the fire itself caused the rain.

It's hard to imagine what motivated the arsonists. And now their only concern will be not getting caught rather than the devastation they have wreaked. When they're arrested they will feel sorry for themselves. It is human nature to find ways to justify our actions to ourselves, but how on earth could someone justify that? I'm sure they'll find a way, unfortunately.

Thanks for the link to the appeal. I'll post it in the library. Our local Red Cross has yet to contact us, which is odd. Perhaps they have decided to steer everyone toward the international site.

arsonists need a red hot poker up their bottom, I just can't stand people that ruin other peoples lives, our time here is short enough as it is and to have a$$holes around like that make me ooOOoOOoOosoooo angry!


RJR

It's about 10.30am here in Melbourne, but it looks like sunset outside. The smoke haze is quite thick today. I'd been surprised at how clear it was outside until now.

Yesterday there was a fire only 2 suburbs away. It only burned bushland, but still a bit scary. Another deliberately lit one. Rev, the red hot poker might just be too good for them. Appropriate that Arsonist, sounds a bit like ar$hole. (At least in my accent).

There have been fire-fighters coming in from inter-state and overseas. NZ and the US have sent people.

Although the fires are still burning, and some houses are under threat again this morning, people are starting to come to terms with just what exactly we've lost.
Before the fires started, we had a heat wave, which ruined crops. Fruit stewed on the trees, grapes shrivelled up on the vines. Vegetables perished.
The fires have destroyed even more crops and livestock. The stock that are left are facing starvation, though donations of hey are flowing in.
Some of the fires currently burning are near our water supply, and there's a danger that the drinking supply will be contaminated with debris and whatnot.

So, even those of us not directly affected by the fires will feel the effects further down the track, and possibly for quite some time.

Hyp, thanks for posting the red-cross site on your website.
Thanks everyone for their support.

To top things off, my Nanna died last night (not fire related, she lived in Tasmania. She'd been ill for some time). We weren't particularly close, and I hadn't seen her in a few years, but it is still saddening. I no longer have any grandparents.

I forgot to mention about the housing. People are starting to realise that they can't stay in tents for ever. The government now have to worry about how they're going to house over 5000 suddenly homeless people.

Oh Taralome. I'm sorry to hear about your Nanna My condolences and a

Kiwis are being asked to provide holiday accommodation for free to Victorians - to give them a few weeks' break here while housing is sorted out for them. It was on this morning's news Dozens of offers are already in.

It's good to see people rallying round.

I hope the bush fires nearby are under control and not likely to flare up again. I witnessed a very small wildfire a couple of years ago, a km from my house: it scared the bejazus out of me and I know that the fires that you've been experiencing there are totally terrifying.

Fb