40’c at your place? What Council services can you expect?

I covered this some 12 months ago Do Council, Government & Insurance Co.'s have power to shut your business on HIGH fire risk days?

From council offices, to council amenities, schools, day-care centres, possibly even community events.

Don’t forget your electricity supply also Cut my power, cut my ability to make life-saving decisions

Then to find this article in the Adelaide Now Care Factor Nil for Elderly Left Alone - Adelaide Now stating that elderly citizens were abandoned during a day that exceeded 40’c. These elderly people, who have paid their taxes and raised children and helped Australia grow, couldn’t even have a shower, because no-one came to help them.

The response from the agencies involved? “the policy called for systems to ensure family, friends or neighbours checked the welfare of clients on days of extreme heat and fire danger.”

What if they DO NOT have anyone to check their welfare? What then? People don’t use these agencies because they have that people that care about them, or are nearby, they use these agencies as a last resort solution.

I hope and pray that nothing EVER goes wrong.

Please if you have elderly neighbours, OR know someone in this position, please find the time to stop past or even ring to check they are okay. Remember the older generation are proud and will not ask for help. Sometimes you have to just DO IT, for them.

Fire Warning Signs - still no change from September 2010

The Good - Kinglake Fire Warning Sign:-


The Bad - Whittlesea Fire Warning Sign:-



The Ugly - Kalkallo Fire Danger Warning Sign:-


Look, call me a looney, call me a fool, call me an idiot for even caring. Not 25km from these signs - 20 people died. Not 90km from these signs nearly 150 people died.

We as residents of the state of Victoria, DESERVE the RIGHT to know what danger the day may bring.

We pay rates, we elect the people into Local Council, into State Goverment, we have a right to be fully informed.

The CFA are NOT responsible for these signs, they are ONLY responsible for ensuring that the arrow points in the right direction - the problem is THERE IS NO ARROW, THERE IS NO WARNING INDICATOR.

I've previously written about this:-
September 2010 - Fire Danger Warning Signs - Are we in Danger?
August 2010 - CFA Road Signage

The last I heard in late September, early October was that new signs were being designed, yet the fire danger period is almost upon us and nothing is being seen to be done.

The CFA are hamstrung, they're damned if they do and damned if they don't say anything. Damned by the Government/Councils for speaking up and making them look bad and damned by the general public for not warning them

Someone needs to pull their finger out and soon - soon enough so that people entering high risk fire areas on days considered high risk, can actually see the risk.

CFA Roadside Signage

I have previously touched on this topic, what’s made me bring it up again is that I was reading the local newspaper and saw this article Star Group - Fired Up Over Signs Which says that the council are fully responsible for the funding for the CFA Fire Danger Indication Signs. I wasn’t aware of this, I’m sure you weren’t either.

The new format, corrugated plastic signs were placed over the old format steel (better) signs with funding from the State Government, the councils are being asked to replace the fading and failing plastic signs with a material more durable, but in the same format.

I agree with councils (which is rare for me) the old format is far superior to the new format as I have discussed previously here Victorian Public Lives Not at Risk
The reasoning behind replacing the signs in the first place as to make it ‘easier’ for the public to see the fire danger, which is a complete an utter lie. The new sign shows NO indicative points, only colours with a telephone number and a website. The old signs with the arrow and the colour markings were easier to see at high speed and also clearly indicated the fire danger in the area you were entering.

Another aim when replacing the signs is to ensure that the fire areas line up with total fire ban weather areas, which is also a good idea.

The Government need to realise that by supposedly simplifying things, they are actually muddying the waters and making it even harder.

The OLD CFA Danger sign was far superior to the new. It was easier to read when passing in a 100kph zone, and it clearly showed what the fire danger was. The new sign shows NOTHING. Other than pretty colours, a phone number and a website.

The State Government are all for making people more aware, more accountable, why remove ANOTHER avenue/layer of warning?

Your input greatly appreciated

The outcome of the Royal Commission and the bushfires of Black Saturday

I’ve read the recommendations, I’m no expert and I don’t pretend to be, but here is what I see:-

Recommendation 1:- “Enhance the role of warnings” This is very hard given the fact that wind changes (which can’t be predicted) caused many of the problems on Black Saturday. People MUST be prepared and accountable for days of high fire danger. It’s not the Governments responsibility.
Recommendation 2:- “Community education programs” I live in an area that was on high alert that day, due to the fires starting about 20km away. I have yet to see a letterbox drop. I have not seen any communication in relation to community education programs. I’m sure they are there, but I have not seen anything advertised.
Recommendation 3:- “evacuation and shelter for vulnerable residents” I’d be interested to know the locations of these shelters, as the general public have nothing put aside for them yet. What about neighbours? – On Black Saturday, our street ensured that the vulnerable residents were accounted for and removed or under the care of someone capable.
Recommendation 4:- “Replacing the 2005 Fire Refuges in Victoria” There were NO fire refuges in Victoria in 2005, all refuges were deemed unsafe due to public liability issues. Personal shelters for individuals, who will monitor these to ensure their ongoing safety compliance?
Recommendation 5:- “encourage individuals—especially vulnerable people—to relocate early” This is the leave earlier policy in different wording.
Recommendation 6:- “national curriculum incorporates the history of bushfire in Australia” We can't teach Australian History in schools, how can we teach bushfire danger to kids, without someone complaining we are terrorizing their children into fearing the bush?
Recommendation 7:- “to develop a national bushfire awareness campaign.” Isn’t that what the stay or go policy is? An awareness campaign about the dangers of bushfires?
Recommendation 8:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 9:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 10:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 11:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 12:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 13:- “introduce a graded scale of emergency declarations short of a state of disaster.” By avoiding calling a ‘State of Emergency’ the local government saves a lot of money. That is why the Black Saturday Fires were not declared a state of emergency because the funding that is provided once this has been declared is greater than if it had not been declared a state of emergency.
Recommendation 14:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 15:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 16:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 17:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 18:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 19:- “provide to all CFA volunteers an identification card” This is good, finally, even when clothed in CFA clothing, water tankers were unable to get through road blocks. Finally some common sense for support vehicles and support personnel.
Recommendation 20:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 21:- “aerial resources that are suitable for firefighting “ Considering we hire/rent/lease a fire fighting aircraft from the USA and that on Black Saturday it was claimed that most aircraft on Australian shores could not fight fires in any degree or fashion.
Recommendation 22:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 23:- these are internal issues for CFA (Why is the DSE not also mentioned here?)
Recommendation 24:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 25:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 26:- these are internal issues for CFA & DSE
Recommendation 27:- I agree with the replacement of the SWER lines, but this has been recommended for many years. Electricity linesmen have been saying this for years, because of the lack of maintenance performed over the years, and now the state of disrepair of the electricity cabling, we are going to be forced to pay for this, perhaps as high as a doubling of power bills to fund this upgrade.
I have a SWER line 20m from my house, that spans 1km of treed (and housed) area, how can that go underground? The aerial bundling won’t stop the cable breaking, but the replacement of may reduce the risk for many years.
Recommendation 28:- “change their asset inspection standards” This is a certainty and essential commitment that MUST be complied with, as discussed in a sitting at the Royal Commission
Recommendation 29:- is really just a re-hash of 28
Recommendation 30:- “to reduce the risks posed by hazardous trees “ I honestly thought that this would have been part of normal inspection process that is supposed to be carried out on a regular basis.
Recommendation 31:- “the identification of hazardous trees and notifying the responsible entities” is this a form of back-up insurance? To make sure that the electricity companies are doing their job? What other risk could trees be, other than risk to powerlines?
Recommendation 32:- “disable the reclose function” only 6 weeks? – The fire season doesn’t abide by dates or calendars, why only 6 weeks? Yes this will mean more power outages for regional areas, but perhaps it is for the greater good.
Recommendation 33:- Spreaders should be fitting on all lines, regardless of location, I thought this would have been standard practice.
Recommendation 34:- “The State amend the regulatory framework” and “to require it to fulfil that mandate” ummmmm, again I thought this would have already been in place and that being the case, why mandate that the mandate be fulfilled?
Recommendation 35:- “coordinated statewide approach to arson prevention “ The police can’t control arsonists. If arsonists are discovered, they go to court, they are released again on bail (as happened in the outer northern suburbs of Melbourne 2009) How can the police monitor that? – During peak fire season, if an arsonist is caught – they MUST be locked up for the duration of the fire season, it’s the only way to show a) we are serious, b) ease the workload on already stressed Police Officers.
Recommendation 36:- “National Action Plan to Reduce Bushfire Arson in Australia,” Relates again to Recommendation 35.
Recommendation 37:- These are internal issues for CFA and local Government.
Recommendation 38:- These are internal issues for CFA and local Government.
Recommendation 39:- These are internal issues for local Government
Recommendation 40:- These are internal issues for CFA and local Government
Recommendation 41:- These are internal issues for DSE and local Government
Recommendation 42:- These are internal issues for DSE
Recommendation 43:- These are internal issues for DSE
Recommendation 44:- These are internal issues for CFA
Recommendation 45:- “to urgently adopt a bushfire policy” Why is the Murrindindi Council singled out here? There were other townships affected. But I do agree with the principle of the idea
Recommendation 46:- “develop and implement a retreat and resettlement strategy” Good idea in theory, but non-compulsory? – What does this mean? We all know under ‘compulsory’ acquisition, that the value is well-under market value. What does this mean to landowners who choose this option?
Recommendation 47:- “reducing the risk of ignition from ember attack” is a MUST for buildings in high-risk areas. In fact common sense in reality.
Recommendation 48:- is really just Recommendation 47 worded differently.
Recommendation 49:- again Recommendation 47 & 48 reworded
Recommendation 50:- “develop a standard for bushfire sprinklers and sprayers” This is a MUST but in saying that – people can’t afford copper piping AND the cost is massive (and the risk of theft the same) – what else can be done?
Recommendation 51:- “existing buildings in bushfire-prone areas can be modified” This is a good idea – but again, the building owners should have already thought and put into action further protection means for the buildings.
Recommendation 52:- “the regular assessment of landowners’ compliance with conditions” The council will baulk at this – the cost and manpower required will incur cost and the councils will be reluctant to follow through.
Recommendation 53:- “amend s. 32 of the Sale of Land Act 1962 to require that a vendor’s statement include whether the land is in a designated Bushfire-prone Area” A good idea and allows for the potential purchaser to make decisions accordingly. The only failure of this, is that CFA are not compelled to attend properties in dead-end streets, This should also be commented on in the section 32, as a reminder of how alone you will actually be under the threat of fire.
Recommendation 54:- “issue fire prevention notices.” (Delegation is not a real issue) The CFA and MFB already do have this power, along with the council.
Recommendation 55:- “providing regular training and guidance material to planning and building practitioners” This should be encompassed under the council approval processes
Recommendation 56:- “a long-term program of prescribed burning” Correct, but there will be elements within society that disagree with this.
Recommendation 57:- “Department of Sustainability and Environment report annually on prescribed burning outcomes” again, as prescribed burning is done wholly within the domain of the DSE, This is covered within Recommendation 56.
Recommendation 58:- “long-term data collection to monitor and model the effects “ again, encompassed under Recommendations 56 & 57, with the reporting and increasing of burns.
Recommendation 59:- again encompassed under recommendations 56, 57 and 58. The use of wildfire was apt for the day of Black Saturday, but a ‘normal’ bushfire should be classified as such. A wildfire is just an increase in the strength of words, which is what the government wants.
Recommendation 60:- “the provisions allow for a broad range of roadside works capable of reducing fire risk” This decision (or change in rulings) will not appease some members of the community and cause Local Councils and Vicroads much hardship and possible confrontation in the field.
Recommendation 61:- “on resolving the competing tensions arising from the legislation affecting roadside clearing” addresses my exact concerns. Will the State and Commonwealth Governments have the guts to do this properly? The fires funnelled up the roadsides and creeks because of the quantity of scrub and rubbish in these areas.
Recommendation 62:- is just a rewording of 60 & 61.
Recommendation 63:- These are internal issues for Government and DSE and CFA
Recommendation 64:- “replace the Fire Services Levy with a property-based levy” This recommendation has long been fought for by insurance companies, the problem is will property insurance rates drop or remain stagnant because of this decision and what will be the effect on council rates?
Recommendation 65:- “a national centre for bushfire research” sounds like a good idea
Recommendation 66:- “assess progress with implementing the Commission’s recommendation” is definitely required, but will the time frames be fluffed to appease certain groups?
Recommendation 67:- “The State consider the development of legislation for the conduct of inquiries in Victoria” Is this a slap in the face for the Victorian Labor Government, in essence the governments response and knee-jerking regarding the interim report?

Now remember the above is MY PERSONAL views on the subject. I understand that CFA/DSE/MFB/Victoria Police policies along with Government rules and regulations, all have an impact on my life, but it’s not for me to dissect these decisions and possible outcomes. That is why I have avoided comment on recommendations encompassing those areas.

I still don’t think enough emphasis has been placed on personal responsibility; each and every adult who lives in a high fire danger area has a personal responsibility to every child and aged adult in their care. I don’t think this has been stressed enough.

Something that the media and the general public have been avoiding commenting on is the issuing of fire warnings. For three days prior to the tragic day of Black Saturday, the media was crawling with the Premier, the Chief of the CFA and others who stated quite clearly that Saturday the 7th February 2009, was going to be the worst day that Victoria had seen in many decades.

I understood that to mean that the risk of fire was basically inevitable and consequently could not be ignored. I was on alert and saw the smoke of the Kilmore fire long before anything was in the media. From that moment onwards I enacted our fire plan and ensured that everyone on the street was aware. Once the fire situation made it to the media my father was calling me, checking that we were organised, checking that we were okay.

The public were warned, perhaps not on the day – things were moving too quickly, I could only follow the fire from what I could visually sight. Not from the media, or the CFA website simply because the information must have been coming in too quickly.

I have blogged previously about the events after this time. I have no wish to re-visit that ground, it has been done and nothing can be changed.

Remember this blog is MY PERSONAL VIEW.

Cut My Power & Remove My Ability to make Life-Saving Decisions

An article today in the Herald-Sun claims Power Could be Cut on Catastrophic & High Risk Bushfire Days To Stop Fires 31.03.2010 that Electricity Distributor Powercor, is considering cutting power to high risk towns on days of extreme fire danger to remove the possibility of fires started through fallen/sparking overhead electricity wires.

This outage covers 52 towns, plus those little hamlets in-between, from Angelsea to Bendigo. That means no restaurants, no ice-cream, no take-away, no swimming pools, no shopping centres, no supermarkets, in fact NO tourism. People would learn to stay away and the income lost would destroy 1000’s of lives and certainly more than one business.

In theory it might seem good, but it can’t and won’t work and will cause more deaths than fires will and have.

People rely on electricity for many things, not just air-conditioning. Simple things like:-
Drinking water,
Septic systems,
Toilet flushing,
Fire warnings,
Contact with the outside world,
Phones,
Internet,
Cooking,
Hot Water,
Opening and Closing garage doors,
Life-support systems,
Asthma pumps.

These are just SOME of the problems that residents will be faced with. This reaction by Powercor is one of let’s not maintain the lines, let’s not worry about the maintenance, let’s just turn the power off and we can reduce electricity load AND reduce our liability. If’s there’s no power, people can’t sue for downed power lines which may have caused fires. Quote from above article “A Powercor Australia spokesman said turning off the power was a way of preventing electrical assets starting fires in extreme situations.”

Without electricity I would now likely be without my parents – as referred to Here

As a receiver of said electricity and as the payer of said supply charges, I will have to consider not paying the ‘supply charge’ component of my bill as they are not supplying me with a product I am paying for. What would happen then? I would be sued, for not paying a component of my bill, which they failed to supply. Imagine if EVERY person who has their electricity cut on high risk days followed this method, what would be the outcome?

On days when it is being considered cutting power to homes in high-risk areas, these are the exact same days that the very old, the very young, and the frail are most likely to be affected by the heat and this may possibly cause death.

From this article Dept of Health - Environment - 2007 it is claimed that there are 1000 heat-related deaths in people over the age of 65 and that these deaths are expected to climb substantially by 2050. It is possible that a rise in deaths of between 11-16%is possible. Are you prepared to die or allow your parents or children to die because an electricity supplier thinks it’s safer to cut the electricity rather than maintain the lines, like they should have been doing for the past 10-20 years?

I know I'm not prepared to die, although I am prepared for the encroachment of fire on my home and my life, I shouldn't be unfairly punished because I live in an area that is considered high risk. Remember there are areas of metropolitian Melbourne that are also considered high risk and if the fires of Black Saturday had managed to encroach on those areas, the authorities were already prepared to shut major roads and let those suburbs burn.

Electricity suppliers can't cut the power in lieu of maintenance, the governing body MUST ensure that the correct maintenance is done in accordance with all rules, regulations and laws they are governed by.

31.03.10 - 15.24hrs - I've just been shown this article CPUC Rejects SDG&E's Power Shutoff Plan from a San Diego newspaper in the USA. It covers EXACTLY what I have referred to above.

Note:- "Critics of SDG&E's proposal have argued it would leave vast parts of the county without vital services during times of emergency. Water couldn't be pumped, medical devices would be inoperative and residents would not be able to turn on their televisions, radios and computers or receive phone calls to get critical emergency information, according to opponents of the plan."

"The shut-off plan has always been a diversion from the real problem: for years, SDG&E has failed to enact known safety measures that would prevent wildfire caused by its infrastructure,"

Turning off the power will cause the loss of more life, through heat stroke, and/or accidents and house fires, than bushfires would cause. The events of Black Saturday were claimed to be a once in a 100 year event. Yet if the electricity suppliers had it their way - they'd shut off the power when the sun sneezed.

When is an Official Warning not an Official Warning

26.03.10

3AW Issued an 'Official Warning' Yesterday for the Western Part of Victoria for Sunday. Which you can View Here

An Exert --> "Certainly on Sunday we need Victorians in the western part of the state to be prepared and alert," State Control Centre spokesperson Caroline Douglass said. "People need to understand that even towards the end of the bushfire season the risk of a significant fire is still very real."

This morning, Saturday the 27th March 2010, I checked both the CFA and the DSE sites for media releases or anything that might indicate a danger for people in the western part of the state, and other than the entry on the 3AW blog titled "Extreme fire conditions on Sunday" I am unable to find any reference.

Remember I am only an ordinary resident of the state, I could live anywhere in the state and yet I hear (and see) that a major player in the radio news field issues a warning for an area, that I may live in, may be travelling through, or perhaps have family in, yet I am unable to follow this threat up with either CFA or DSE. Nothing in media releases. nothing on the home page.

It feels like mis-information all over again.

The BoM (Bureau of Meteorology) is showing what appears to be some weather activity to the West of the state which will likely impact the state late Saturday or Sunday. The Official Warning also states "That weather pattern, combined with a strong chance of dry lightning, presents a significant chance of fires."

I don't like putting the cart before the horse, neither do I believe in crying wolf, but it would seem that the CFA/DSE and media outlets either go into overkill or they completely smother the warnings.

I know the Government thinks that most people are idiots and can't look after themselves, but seriously - don't we have the right to KNOW when we MIGHT be in danger, when OUR lives MIGHT be at risk, WHEN OUR families MIGHT be at risk?

If there is such a risk present, then perhaps the CFA/DSE need to ensure that the media releases page located Here SHOULD make reference to what appears to be an official media release by a fire agency?

We have a RIGHT TO KNOW.

Look at Black Saturday, people time and time again claim that they were not warned. There were warnings three days in row that the threat of fire was imminent and yet people claim they did not hear these warnings.

We MUST BE informed, we MUST be told, we MUST Have the ability to make decisions of our OWN accord and live and die by those decisions.

Your Thoughts

And if you are wondering WHY I keep harping on lack of notification or information, this is why My Story I don't want others to have to go through what I and many 1000's of other people did on the 7th February 2009, now known as Black Saturday

Scorched - The Telemovie

This is a made for TV special - I believe done by Channel 9

It is very realistic and the part actors do a very good job portraying how real people behave in real situations, around fire and hot weather.

The news reading is dramtic and very realistic also, makes your skin crawl. The similiarities to real events is un-nerving, remembering that was made LONG before the fires now known as Black Saturday occured.

There is a VERY important message in here and I think you should sit down and watch. One of those important messages is how to behave around fire and the what to do when warned about the approach of fire

Overlook the big name actors and concentrate on the smaller actors and the way the camera tells the story.

It is worth the effort to watch - which you can do simply by going to the site and pressing play on Episode 1. (I did notice that what appears to be a short 2 minute episode, acutally goes for loger - so be a little patient and let it load the different parts for you)

It will scare you - but it is realistic. Anyone with doubts about staying or going, perhaps you should watch this and experience it from the safety of your chair before committing to something that you cannot back down from once decided.

http://www.scorched.tv/

Electricity Outages/Load Shedding - Victoria, Australia

Both planned and unplanned can have a huge effect on business and residences. Right here right now - the government and media are advising the preparation of "BLACK OUT KITS" This is proof that load shedding will most likely occur during this anticipated heat wave.

From the Melb Age Article, 09.01.10 (last Paragraph)
Police have advised people to prepare a ''blackout kit'' containing a charged mobile phone, radio, list of personal contacts and numbers for power companies, as well as candles and gas appliances for cooking. They warned that power blackouts and public transport chaos were possible

Sometimes these outages can be life-threatening. If you rely on electricity to run oxygen units or other medical devices, you should already be trained in what to do in case of failure. You should also have a letter from your medical advisor that backs up your claim. This is essential.

Besides that for the average householder, there are steps you can take to ensure that you protect yourself during a power failure or load shedding as it is sometimes referred to. The Loss of Power in Residential Properties

The term Power failure is used when the power failed due to natural cause, like wind, storm damage, or accidents.

Load shedding is used when the electricity supplier purposely turns the electricity off during peak demand times for a short period of time – often for up to 4 hours at a time. They rotate the ‘black-outs’ to share the load between areas of consumers.

Several years ago, it was forecast that load-shedding would become more prevalent as more houses were built and more houses installed cooling appliances as finances allowed, and less infrastructure built. This prediction is now fact.

In this article dated the 30th January 2009 written by the Herald Sun clearly shows that a cable failure (power failure) then resulted in load shedding due to demand. Jan 2009 - Huge Power Outage Hits State

The Victoria Health department admits that during an extended heatwave, it is likely that load shedding or power failures will occur and have made allowances for it here Heatwave Plan Vic PDF 1.5MB

The Government, with the thought to reduce liability are trying in all avenues of government to make the person responsible for personal safety, from bushfire information to power failures and even looking after the neighbours. I don’t have a problem with this, I do it automatically, but there are many people who don’t do this as par for the course and this is what the Government is trying to change.

If power failures become common place, and certain areas are more susceptible than others – there is recourse. Reliability of Supply and Compensation
(Link updated 4th Jan 2013)
Here is a further guide IF power is lost and what to do and what NOT to do - Dept of Primary Industries - Your Guide to Power Outages.

Between bushfires and power outages – Australians will have a lot to deal with this year.

Take care out there and remember that help is not far away, but you have to ask for it and sometimes you have to help yourself before others can help you.

Smoke Haze over Melbourne

I looked out the window yesterday morning and the skies were clear and the day looked promising.

I looked out the window later in the morning and the area defined by Melbourne and its’ suburbs is covered in smoke haze.

The smoke haze brings back so many memories of Black Saturday, I keep looking for the plume of smoke but there is none.

How are those that lost family and homes managing?

Do you know anyone in that situation? – Talk to them – get them to talk.

If someone you know hasn’t really talked to you about the fires, sometimes it helps if you brooch the subject.

There has been great success for the men, take a 6 pack of beer and go for a visit – it makes all the difference.

For women – they just need to talk – about what has been lost and the steps they are taking to re-build and re-establish themselves.

We are almost at the 12 month mark and yet it feels like yesterday for me – and I’m sure for many others it is the same.

I can feel it – this year will be bad – I think the firebugs are using their sinister tools of destruction to get some evil pleasure from destroying people’s lives.

I hope when (I say when because they WILL BE caught) they are punished to the utmost of the law, regardless of upbringing etc. If an example is not set – then people in Australia will forever suffer the fear of WHEN not IF.

Take care.

Happy New Year

Today is the 1st January 2010 and you feel horrible,

It’s midday (I know) even if you don’t. You drank too much last night. The kids are squealing for breakfast, which could possibly pass for lunch.

Your head hurts, you can’t find the panadol! Did I really kiss Bob from next-door last night?

What was I thinking LOL

Oh well, it’s a new year, it’s a new start, thankfully you have some time off.

Do you take the kids to the beach? Take them to the pool or sit under the air-conditioning and just let them play on the computer?

All choices you have to make, but try turning the computers off, try turning the play stations off. See if you can go one day without technology.

You might actually find your kids and start touching base with them and communicating with them and not sending the dinner reminder via MSN!!

Alright – remember new year, new start even if it is something as simple as sitting down to dinner as a family at the one table and turn the Television off!

Good luck.

I’ve was never so scared

It was Thursday, the 26th November 2009, a storm warning was issued for Melbourne, I had been talking to people about a dust storm and then decided to check the BOM site for weather warnings. A storm warning had been issued, and no sooner had I sighted the warning, than it was upon us.

I rang my daughter, she is about 30km further north than where I am located and told me that she was okay but thinks the house had taken a direct lightening hit, as the door frames had turned blue and although she was shaken, she was okay. It was absolutely bucketing and windy. She was hanging up the phone to mop up the water that had entered the house. I was unsure as to how the water had entered to house. That was the least of my concerns.

I tried to ring back some 5-10 minutes later to check how everything was going and there was no answer. Tried the mobile. No answer. My heart is in my mouth. I’m sure as a parent – you are feeling worried also.

Ringing, ringing, ringing, no answer. Getting more worried as the seconds tick past. Start ringing the neighbours. No answer there either, start ringing the mobiles. No answer. I am seeing my house going up in smoke, with the neighbours trying to rescue my daughter.

I hit the panic button and ring my husband, telling him to get home NOW. There is no answer on any phones, the neighbours aren’t answering, the house was flooded. My imagination is running well and truly in overdrive.

Can’t leave work, the nation-wide servers have crashed, the phone system is down. Everyone is panicking!

Finally people from the street start calling/texting. Daughter is okay, the house is fine. 50mm of rain in 15 minutes,. Nothing could be heard apparently. Landlines are down, minor flooding, not sure about the roof, but daughter is alive.

(I had images of her, laying on the floor in a pool of water, dead)

By the time I get home, some 5 hours later, water cleaned up, roof not holed, one landline down, the other the only working one in the street. Neighbours are queuing up to use the phone to report the faults. It’s now Monday mod-morning and still no landlines, or internet.

But everyone is alive and well

(Update - phones re-instated Tuesday, apparently the lightening literally fried the wires in the ground, only left strands not bundles of wires! Still no strike site visible, but was extremely close)

Are you prepared to stay and defend or do you need to leave on “CODE RED” Days

Ask yourself these questions:-
1. Are you physically fit?
2. Are you mentally able to cope with the noise and possible devastation?
3. If you have children, do you have someone outside the area who can look after them?
4. Is your block surrounded by cleared lands?
5. Is your house roof clear of overhanging trees and branches?
6. Are you able to get onto the roof and block the gutters?
7. Is your house built on relatively flat land?
8. Is your house on a slab OR stumps? If stumps,is underneath of your house clear?


These are SOME of the things you MUST consider, There are many other factors to determine if you go or stay. It is not for me to determine your choice. Only YOU can make that choice.

If you answered Yes to the above Questions – then it is possible you have a better chance of saving your property.

If at any time in the past you have suffered from asthma or a heart condition, I believe you have to leave. I can’t stress this enough. The air is thick with smoke and flying embers, the heat is unbearable.

Here is a re-cap of all my posts over the last couple of weeks, from what to do and what not to do.
Things not to do when a bushfire is approaching
You can feel a sense of de-ja vu in the air
Things NOT to do when confronted by a bushfire
The Fire Season and the Procrastinator

Things to do months, weeks, years ahead of an approaching bushfire
Are YOU prepared for a bushfire?
Be Prepared or Prepare to Die
The threat of bushfires, your family and particularly home alone children
Children in the care of others, during CODE RED bushfire danger days (Victoria, Australia)
CODE RED affected schools (Victoria, Australia)
Fire bunkers – are they safe?
Caught in Car During a Bushfire
Animals and Bushfires

If you don’t feel able to stay and defend, leave, tell your neighbours, take your valuables with you, take your animals with you.

If you have water, let the local CFA know that you have water, if you are able – sign post that water, so the CFA are able to locate it. Don’t be selfish, it could be your house they are trying to save.

Take care and remember that the fire season of 2008/09 cost the lives of many and taught those that survived how to make survival a little easier.

Do not let their lives be in vain. Remember life is precious and family more so.

Take care out there

Weather

We curse it. We love it. We hate it. We love the sunshine, we hate the rain, we hate the sunshine, we love the rain.

The weather can do no right.

It seems no matter what the weather does it is wrong.

It rains and people complain that everything is wet and nothing dries. It rains and people say that it is ruining the outdoor events and causing traffic accidents and flooding.

If the sun is out, people complain it is too hot, people complain that it is too bright.

People are never happy with the weather.

What made me write this blog is that weather warnings have been issued nation-wide for Australia.

In February 2009 there was too much water in the Northern states and severe flooding occurred. In the Southern states it was too hot and there were massive bushfires that destroyed life and property.

El Nino is blamed for these weather patterns. Global warming is blamed for the El Nino. The blame lies with the weather so we are told.

Some people say that Mother Earth is just going through growing pains. Others are saying that we the humans are killing her.

Some say population control is the answer to everything, others say that air travel is the cause.

I don’t know about you – but I try and do my little bit for earth and for my neighborhood and my state and country. Some people call us mad, others say why bother.

The weather can not be controlled regardless of what scientists tell us.
Perhaps it is global warming, perhaps it is a thinning of the ozone layer.

Mother Earth is suffering, we all recognize that, but is it another stage of her growing up? Is this a warning of things to come?

Are we on the precipice of the decline of the human race?

The weather is nature and nature is harsh – we all know that. Perhaps now is the time to consider that the weather is not all it’s cracked up to be and perhaps it is no longer a ‘safe’ topic of conversation as it is was once considered.

You can feel a sense of de-ja vu in the air

The wind is up - the temp is up - this is the first day of over 20'c - you can almost feel the fires in the air.

The wind is gusting at 30-40kph and outside temp is up to 24.8'c and still climbing.

This upcoming season will be worse than last, I can feel it in my bones.

I wish people would pay attention, I wish people to be accountable for their own actions. I wish people will stop assuming that the government will step in pay compensation when houses are lost.

I know that one person, was standing on his house roof, with a hose, hosing down the roof in preparation of the approaching fire and was on the phone calling the insurance company to get a cover note. FFS - why did he not have insurance prior to that day? - Thankfully his house was not burnt. - I am not sure how the insurance would have handled that one.

There are 45 days until the official fire season started - Looking at the CFA incident summary for today - I think it has already started :(

I don't want a repeat of last year - no-one does.