It’s finally over,
Posted by Doc Winters on March 18, 2009
I’ve decided to shelve the image host reviews, for two reasons, one was due to the fact that it wasn’t particularly popular; and because I became aware of an monumental event occurred on the 14th of March, though apologies for not reporting sooner, as it was only brought to my attention recently. While I had been following the news feeds for any information relating to my previous stories; however, as information coming out of the bushfire region has dried to non-existence, I missed this critical piece of information.
On Saturday 14th of March, the Victorian Department of Sustainability and Environment, who had overall control of the task of combating these hellish bushfires, declared that all fires in Victoria had been contained. This action effectively ends the 42 day disaster period.
I was in Melbourne towards the tail end of this crisis, and I can say, that the DSE handled things well, considering how ill prepared they were for the disaster that followed.
The Bushfires claimed the lives of 210 Victorians, destroyed more than 2000 homes and burnt 421,670 hectares of public and private land since starting on February 7, and despite promising news from authorities, there are still spot fires burning within control lines, however the recent rain Victoria has experienced, as well as a milder climate compared to the start of February, these fires are not expected to be any threat to any person, property or national park.
Despite this respite, Victoria’s bushfire season is far from over, unless the region receives prolonged heavy rain, there is a potential for severe fire days in March and April.
While this news is troubling to say the least, this current slow patch will allow Victorian authorities the chance to take a break, and prepare the land for the fires that may appear in later weeks.
While the amount is still disputable, I can say with some certainty, that over 190 million Dollars Australian was raised domestically for the bushfire relief, and another ten million raised from international support, give or take ten thousand dollars either way. In the middle of an economic crisis this alone shows that when its hit the fan, people can rally to the cause and do what has to be done. Despite my reservations about certain aspects of humanity, its very stirring to see that there are still some redeemable qualities in the world.
While the fires may be over, the bushfire appeal is still very much in operation, and I urge all my readers to contribute anything, with the reminder that all donations over $2 are tax deductable. The link to the major donation service is the Red Cross Australia Bushfire Fund. I would like to once again thank those of my readers that already donated through other drives. The DocNetwork has personally donated $65 AUD and 168 man hours to the Bushfire’s, not to mention the time we spent covering it.
As this world changing event draws to a close, I would like to once again, thank my loyal readers, who visit the blog daily, and I assure you, that there will be something new daily, or at least I hope their will be.
