I spent Saturday in fear, I spent some of Saturday in tears. The memories were strong. As I said to someone “Already had one crack in my carefully constructed cover today. Can’t have more, too draining to put the demons back in their box”
I was reading some on the vile comments directed at the owners of the Tea Tree Gully Boarding Kennels and they were disgusting. Accusing the owners of not doing enough, of leaving animals to die. The animals were already in a strange environment, the heat would have been distressing them, then the smoke descended. The animals would have been in fight or flight mode and in most cases very aggressive. For the owners to get in excess of 40 dogs out, I believe they did a fantastic job under extremely difficult circumstances.
My biggest concern is in Victoria (and possibly the Blue Mountains in NSW) it is estimated it will take 8 hours to evacuate Mt Dandenong. I don’t think people living there have any idea about how choked the roads will be, I don’t think they have planned ahead about where to go and what to take. What to do with their animals, let alone how to get those animals off the mountain.
At 3am on Black Saturday I found some people in the Coles carpark in Healesville, they had managed to bring a Sheltand pony down from the back of Kinglake in an OPEN 4 x 4 trailer. I’m amazed the pony and the person riding IN THE OPEN trailer (no sides) actually made it down alive.
Imagine being 8 months pregnant and not thinking what to do if a fire was nearby?
Imagine having a 4yo on your hip and you decided to stay?
Imagine not having house insurance and deciding to stay and defend?
Imagine leaving your passports at home and deciding to return to get them?
Imagine the car not having enough petrol and you can’t escape?
Imagine having the windows and curtains shut, the AC on and not realising there’s a problem until the power goes out and the fire is on your front doorstep?
There are ALL true scenarios, I know the outcomes, I haven’t mentioned the location nor the outcomes. Some were good endings, most were not.
Which one are you? What plans have you made?
Are you like the 40yo in Warrandyte who doesn’t need a fire plan, because he ‘won’t be there’
Make a decision, make it early. Get out #LeaveearlyAndLive or make a decision on the day and possibly die.
The deck of cards is in your hands, are you prepared to gamble on the outcome?