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Post by Eric R on Dec 31, 2019 14:35:04 GMT
We have watched and heard of so many calamities around our planet this year - volcanoes in NZ, forest and bush fires from western north America and Australia and countless floods in UK, Italy and Europe and international terrorism. May I wish people everywhere especially our world-wide Rover members, a more peaceful and safer 2020.
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Post by David on Dec 31, 2019 17:25:59 GMT
Well said Eric!
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Post by Warwick on Jan 1, 2020 4:31:48 GMT
Thanks Eric.
We've never experienced anything even remotely like this before down here, and the fires began in spring and we're still only 1 month into summer. February and early March were usually our bad periods. We're accustomed to bushfires in Victoria. We'd get a few every summer. Mostly small and soon contained or extinguished. Then every 20 years or so we'd have a massive one or two. The first of these that I have any knowledge of started on what became known as Black Friday. Friday the 13th of January 1939 was its peak. Over 70 people killed and several towns wiped off the map. It burnt out a total area in Victoria equivalent to the size of Wales. But that was 11 years before I was born. It took the forests and bushland decades to recover and it was a familiar sight, when driving through these areas as a child and through to early adulthood, to see the stark white 'skeletons' of the huge dead Mountain Ash eucalypts towering above the regrowth. These trees are among the tallest in the world, and are the tallest flowering plant. Then we had some serious fires in the early 1960s, and again 1983. These fires became known as Ash Wednesday because by coincidence, that day is Ash Wednesday on the Christian calendar. (The day before doesn't really sound as serious. Shrove Tuesday, or Pancake Tuesday) More lives and towns lost. Similar fires occurred in South Australia at the same time. Then followed a period during which we had some serious bushfires every few years, but no big widespread devastating ones. Until 2009. Black Saturday. That was the first that I'd experience personally. It came to the front gate, and then the wind changed and it turned left. Fortunately it was largely a grass fire in farming land when it arrived here, but the wind was ferocious. At the time, the P5B was in a long shed, with one end open. That opening faced east and the fire was approaching from the west. But when the wind changed, spot fires created several kilometres ahead of the fire front, changed direction too and started approaching from that direction. Fortunately, two of the district's volunteer fire brigade trucks arrived and dealt with a spot fire this had created on a neighbour's property. The next day when walking around looking for any minor damage, I found the P5B surrounded by dry grass, leaves, and bark that had been blow into the shed when the wind changed direction. Amongst all this were charred leaves and other dead embers. A close call for the Rover. At that time I'd been doing some work for a firm of architects who were working on the redevelopment of part of the forensic labs at the State Coroner's complex in Melbourne. When I returned there after the drama had all settled down, I found that a large area of lawn in the grounds of the complex was closed off and covered in refrigerated shipping containers. Temporary wooden footpaths enclosed by temporary canvas awnings and walls connected each container to the side entrance of the mortuary. 173 people had died in the fires and the mortuary's refrigerators could not accommodate them all. A sobering sight. Last January was the 10th anniversary, and commemorative ceremonies were held across the state, including by my small local community. Little did we know that only a few weeks later we'd be reliving it. More sleepless nights lying on the bed at night, half awake and fully clothed. The smell of smoke everywhere, and charred gum leaves and bark dropping from the sky onto dry grass. Fortunately they were cold and no longer embers. But this time, the forecast vicious winds didn't eventuate and the fires were eventually brought under control before they came here. The days of having a devastating series of bushfires during a summer in Victoria, and then knowing it will be a decade or two before we experience another are over. This is the new norm. Conditions are predicted to be much worse this weekend across southeast Aus. Thankfully only a few lives lost so far. It's also a long way from here. To give you some idea of why these things spread so quickly, this is roughly how they behave. The fire intensity is so great it produces a massive updraught. This draws more air into the fire at ground level, and intensifies it. It's a vicious circle. The current fires east of here had this updraught column of hot air and smoke reaching 12km high. This creates its own weather, including lightning. The lightning strikes start new fires kilometres ahead of the main fire front. A young volunteer firefighter was killed yesterday in a freak accident in the northeast of the state. They were in the thick of it and one of these 'fire tornados' crossed paths with the truck. It overturned that 8 tonne fire tanker. Fortunately, the other crew members survived and were rescued. Unfortunately, the young guy who was killed had only been married for 18 months and his wife is expecting their first child.
It has all been made much worse by one of our more severe and longest droughts on record. But with climate change, this is probably what we can expect more regularly now.
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Post by johnwp5bcoupe on Jan 1, 2020 9:04:34 GMT
I hope things change soon Warwick look after yourself and stay safe
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tonys
Rover Fanatic
Posts: 419
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Post by tonys on Jan 1, 2020 11:35:56 GMT
I concur with Eric.
I was talking with a friend in WA yesterday and whilst they're a long, long, way from the area that Warwick's talking about (but who visit the area), it is obviously an issue for everyone on that continent at the moment and looking at the grey and damp weather in the UK at the moment, it's difficult for us to really imagine what it's like.
Warwick's comments reiterated what I was told and are certainly thought provoking. Best wishes for 2020 to all.
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Post by Warwick on Jan 2, 2020 4:24:38 GMT
Thanks John and Tony.
Yes, as you say Tony, fires in WA. Also in SA, Tasmania, NSW, and Queensland! Queensland has had serious bushfires for over 2 months now, in sub-tropical rainforest where it's supposed to be damp and humid. Those forests have not evolved to burn periodically like the eucalypt forests further south, so they may never fully recover.
Things have become much worse in East Gippsland, N.E. Vic., and coastal southern NSW since yesterday. The weather forecast for Saturday is for much worse conditions than we've had recently. It's quite possible that the thermal vortex effect that I described previously will cause all these bushfires to join up and become one massive unfightable one. We now have the navy preparing to evacuation people from coastal towns to the east.
I've never seen anything like this before. The disastrous periodic bushfires of the past would be largely over in a matter of weeks. The nation would get behind the devastated communities with financial and physical support, and they would rebuild and recover. This time it's very different, just from the scale of it all. It will have a massive economic effect on those communities and the country. Large parts of what is now on fire are beautiful semi-remote coastal beach-side towns that rely heavily holidaymakers, tourists, water-sports and fishing. And then there's the dairy industry. Some of our highest yielding dairy farms are in those areas and they've been suffering a long drought throughout which they've had to buy hay and other fodder from elsewhere far away, just to keep their herds alive. It was reported yesterday that in one such region they estimate around 12,000 dairy cows and 6,000 sheep have been badly injured and will have to be put down.
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Post by David on Jan 2, 2020 11:00:35 GMT
We send our very best wishes to you Warwick and all who have been affected by this truly terrible situation.
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Post by David on Jan 17, 2020 11:45:40 GMT
We have been following the devastating fires and some of images are truly heart rending. But this before and after photo however bring home how bad it is. As always our best wishes to all involved. Attachment Deleted
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Post by Brendan69 on Jan 17, 2020 12:09:00 GMT
Its amazing how the tarmac road survived with all that heat from the fire.
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lewis
Rover Rookie
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Post by lewis on Jan 22, 2020 12:12:44 GMT
Warwick, just saw you post. I want you to know that everyone in Melbourne is thinking of you and your community. Lewis
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Post by Warwick on Feb 4, 2020 10:21:41 GMT
Its amazing how the tarmac road survived with all that heat from the fire. The bitumen does indeed melt, but solidifies again. I posted a photo of twigs and leaves semi-submerged in a re-soldified road surface in my posts in 2009.
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Post by Warwick on Feb 4, 2020 10:43:36 GMT
Warwick, just saw you post. I want you to know that everyone in Melbourne is thinking of you and your community. Lewis Thanks Lewis. I haven't had a good look at the forum for a while. We're fine around here this time. I'm just north of Warragul, in West Gippsland, so it's all happening well to the east and northeast. You've had a few over your way too haven't you, although not in thick forest. Some serious grass fires.
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