Oz Army called in to help battle fires in Victoria
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a bushfire scientist for more than 50 years says
http://www.theaustralian.news.com.au/story/0,25197,25031389-7583,00.html
''The science is simple. A fire disaster of this nature requires a combination of hot, dry, windy weather in drought conditions. It also requires a source of ignition. In the past, this purpose has been served by lightning. In this disaster, lightning has not played a big part, and for this Victorians should be grateful. But other sources of ignition are ever-present. When the temperature and wind increase to extreme levels, small events -- perhaps the scrape of metal across a rock, a transformer overheating or sparks from a diesel engine -- are capable of starting a fire that can in minutes become unstoppable if the fuel is present.
The third and only controllable factor in this deadly triangle is fuel: the dead leaves, pieces of bark and grass that become the gas that feeds the 50m high flames that roar through the bush with the sound of jet engines.
Fuels build up year after year at an approximate rate of one tonne a hectare a year, up to a maximum of about 30 tonnes a hectare. If the fuels exceed about eight tonnes a hectare, disastrous fires can and will occur. Every objective analysis of the dynamics of fuel and fire concludes that unless the fuels are maintained at near the levels that our indigenous stewards of the land achieved, then we will have unhealthy and unsafe forests that from time to time will generate disasters such as the one that erupted on saturday.
It has been a difficult lesson for me to accept that despite the severe damage to our forests and even a fatal fire in our nation's capital, the political decision has been to do nothing that will change the extreme threat to which our forests and rural lands are exposed.
The decision to ignore the threat has been encouraged by some shocking pseudo-science from a few academics who use arguments that may have a place in political discourse but should have no place in managing our environment and protecting it and us from the bushfire threat.
The conclusion of these academics is that high intensity fires are good for the environment and that the resulting mudslides after rains are merely localised and serve to redistribute nutrients. The purpose of this failed policy is to secure uninformed city votes.
Only a few expert retired fire managers, experienced bushies and some courageous politicians are prepared to buck the decision to lock up our bush and leave it to burn''EOQ
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''In a letter to my local paper, the Weekly Times, on January 25, I predicted we were facing a very critical situation in which 1000 to 2000 homes could be lost in the Yarra catchment, the Otways and/or the Strezleckies; that 100 souls could be lost in a most horrible and violent way; and that there was even a threat to Melbourne's water supply, which could be rendered unusable by the ash and debris. Horrifically, much of this has come to pass, and it is not yet the end of the bushfire season.
In the face of this inferno, the perpetrators of this obscenity should have the decency to stand up and say they were wrong. Southeast Australia is the worst place in the world for bushfires, and we must not waste any time in getting down to the task of making our bush healthy and safe.
But don't hold your breath. Do you hear that lovely sound the warbling pigs make as they fly by?
David Packham OAM is an honorary senior research fellow at Monash University's school of geography and environmental science.''
http://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/
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Originally posted by lionnoisy:
wat is your proof?
Oz PM Vows To Tackle Arson 'Evil'
"We are left speechless at the thought and the possibility that some of these fires may have been deliberately lit," Kevin Rudd told the Australian parliament.
"Something which the nation must now attend to as a matter of grave urgency is the problem of arson.
"This is simply murder on a grand scale.
"Let us attend to this unfinished business of the nation and come to grips with this evil thing."
A special taskforce of 100 police officers will investigate the wildfires and hunt any arsonists believed to be responsible for starting some of them.
Police are convinced at least one of the major fires, which killed 20 people in Gippsland, near the state capital Melbourne, was deliberately lit.
At least 181 people have died in the fires and the death toll is expected to rise further.
"Road by road, house by house, we are working our way through," Victoria Police Chief Commissioner Christine Nixon said.
"We believe the toll will rise. It's a very sad thing for all of us in our community... we hope towards the end of the weekend that the toll will start to settle in terms of numbers."
In devastated Kinglake, Ross Buchanan risked his life to save his home, only to find his 15-year-old son McKenzie and daughter Neeve, nine, had been killed as fire ripped through the rest of the town.
"I've lost two kids, nothing can bring them back," he told Sky News Australia.
The mounting number of bodies has forced authorities to set up a temporary morgue in Melbourne which has so far admitted 101 victims.
Exhausted firefighters, most of them volunteers who have had little rest since the wildfires flared on Saturday, continue to fight to save communities in the path of the flames.
Healesville, about 31 miles northeast of Melbourne, is the latest community threatened by the fires, which razed entire towns.
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The fire at north of Melbourne is 88 km x 25 km=2200 km,
3 times of Singapore.How can it be stopped?
The area covers
West--Hume Freeway
South---Yarra Glen
East---Lake Mountain,east of Maryville
North---Melba Hwy
http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/incidents/incident_updates.htm#1476950888310
Kinglake Complex - large file (jpg, 425Kb)http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/incidents/images/news_image/20090210_1700hrs_kinglake_complex_21309.jpg
pl use the location called Footscary at the bottom left hand corner on
the first and second images as reference point.
then u can know how the fire location is related to Mel urban.
If mankind dunt help themselves,how can u expect Almighty can them?
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lionnoisy is busy everyday to bump his thread, bo liao
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Australia is currently in war with the brush fires.
But the Generals,incl PM Rudd and Vic Preimer,are just sitting there
to get interviews only.They shall sit down and think what to do to deal with this crisis.They should NOT wait for the report of Royal Commission for the fires
which will come out few years later.
1.They shall do a 3 days quick review of why the death tolls and so high.
Make some guess and fine tone the Stay and Defend policy.
2.Deploy more ADF Now---few thousand is very conservative!!
Thats to double the fire fighters in the fire lines!and to deploy
ADF to patrol affected areas to prevent and catch looters.
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25038874-1243,00.html
Currently only few thousand fire fighters
in the front line to contain and struggle with the over 150 km fire line!
The 450 ADF task force are mean for clearing roads and other supports.
The situation is damn dangerous.
Many people are now in the mercy of Mother Nature.
DAMAGE REPORTS
PM warns of 'frustrations' as fire crisis continues
''Over 1,000 homes have been lost in the fires that have so far killed over 180 people, with 450,000 hectares burnt and 5,000 people now homeless, Mr Rudd said.''
http://www.pm.gov.au/media/Speech/2009/speech_0809.cfm
''And the numbers just mount and mount. So far 173 deaths, more than 500 injured, nearly 1,000 homes destroyed, thousands now homeless, 365,000 hectares burnt, 25 local government authorities affected, entire towns gone.''
Up to 1 in 5 dead in Marysville: Brumby
PROBLEMS
Locals under threat blast 'lack of info, mixed messages'
LOOTERS
http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25038874-1243,00.html
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What do ADD do in the crisis?
http://www.pm.gov.au/media/Speech/2009/speech_0809.cfm
''Since Saturday (7 Feb)night the Australian Government has been working closely with the Victorian Government in response to this disaster. The Commonwealth disaster plan has been activated. The Australian Defence Force has established a Victorian-based joint taskforce of more than 450 personnel under the command of Brigadier Michael Arnold, commander of 4 Brigade.
The Joint Taskforce which includes full-time and reserve defence members from navy, army and airforce has provided tents, stretchers, sleeping bags, to accommodate 120 people at the Yea Recreation Reserve. 140 soldiers from Puckapunyal are assisting with this task. 160 reserve soldiers have been deployed to assist police with search and recovery.
The Joint Taskforce has also provided 150 portable beds or mattresses to relief centres in the Baw Baw Shire. This is to enable emergency workers with facilities so that they can get enough rest to continue their tireless work.
The taskforce also includes heavy plant, chainsaw, sections and logistics support, which have been assigned to the clean-up task. Graders, bulldozers, front end loaders and their operators have been asked to assist with fire containment measures, reopening of roads and fire fighting measures around Yea and elsewhere.
Defence Force Personnel will help build containment lines around Yea, which is still being seriously threatened with fire. Four communications-dedicated armoured personnel carriers have been sent to the town to assist defence force engineers, and to provide an emergency medical capability if required.
The ADF has also been asked to provide aerial imaging of affected areas. This will enable the identification of all residences affected by fire.''
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australia already attack by terrorist .
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Originally posted by lionnoisy:
But the Generals,incl PM Rudd and Vic Preimer,are just sitting there
The only person sitting there is yourself, with your stupid ignorant opinions. On behalf of Victorians I ask you to kindly STFU.
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maybe lionnoisy wants to be
1) Oz citizen, but can't.... so he has to appear 'concerned' of the state of affairs there so they might accept him out
2) the PM of Oz
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How Mel will be affected if wind blow against Mel?
dunt make jokes guys.How can u stop two group of fires of 250,000 ha
or 2,500 km sq-----or 3 times of Singapore ?They are going to
merge if the Mother Nature dunt show her mercy.
Even they dunt merge,Mel is not ok,not to mention if they merge.
''The Bunyip Ridge fire and the Maroondah Yarra fire complex are more than 20km apart and every effort is being made to contain the separate fronts. ''
http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/incidents/incident_updates.htm#1477033671185
2.Water water water
Catchment have been or going to be damaged....
read the news.Ask your frens in Mel shopping for water tank/containers.
Mel water storge is only 33 %.ask them read the news to
know more...
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maps and info
private lands
http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/incidents/incident_updates.htm#1476950888310
state lands
Statewide fires - map and list of fires on public land
Fire Maps - more detail about areas affected by fires
the above two are official warnings and live
or go to
http://www.abc.net.au/news/justin/
http://www.theage.com.au/national/fires-threaten-yarra-valley-20090210-82m1.html?page=-1
subject to chz---look for update maps and news
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stop bump your thread. NObody bothers to read your posts. no need to keep bumping.
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You think you're somehow providing valuable unknown information to Melburnians?
Have you ever been to Kinglake? If so you'd know that the Melbourne CBD is far away on the horizon. The cameraman who took that photo would have been far back from the blacked hill and zoomed far in to get that effect. But what would you know.
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don't help him to bump his thread. He keeps posting hardly anyone wants to read.
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lionnoisy is just being concerned about the bushfires in Victoria.
I don't understand why so many forumers have taken this opportunity to flame him?
If you all are terribly disturbed by his wall of text, you can always ignore and skip over to read something else right?
And isn't lionnoisy the TS of this thread?
You all should be ashamed of yourselves for ganging up all your hostile behavior towards lionnoisy.
Especially Fantagf.
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wonder how's the koala bears..
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Birds of a feather.......
Oops! My bad!
I mean pussy of a fur, together they purr.
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pity them leh..
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How Mel will be affected if wind blow against Mel?
dunt make jokes guys.How can u stop two group of fires of 250,000 ha
or 2,500 km sq-----or 3 times of Singapore ?They are going to
merge if the Mother Nature dunt show her mercy.
Even they dunt merge,Mel is not ok,not to mention if they merge.
''The Bunyip Ridge fire and the Maroondah Yarra fire complex are more than 20km apart and every effort is being made to contain the separate fronts. ''
http://www.cfa.vic.gov.au/incidents/incident_updates.htm#1477033671185
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See Fires Today for the current fire situation.
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e
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Originally posted by parn:
lionnoisy is just being concerned about the bushfires in Victoria.
I don't understand why so many forumers have taken this opportunity to flame him?
The problem is that lionnoisy is trying to speculate, and he's doing a lousy job. The services are doing their best and people are suffering tremendously, and here comes a buffoon pretending to know better than everybody else. It's misinformation and downright of negative value. He is not qualified to call such judgements of the premier, the CFA, the ADF, and the PM, and clearly not qualified to speculate on where the fires are headed.
If he kept this thread to news aggregation then it would be useful, but his poor speculation is grating. Sure, it's his thread, but it's still a publication on the Internet for others to read and to be misinformed by. He has made his idiocy public so deserves to be called an idiot publicly.
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Originally posted by webben:
The problem is that lionnoisy is trying to speculate, and he's doing a lousy job. The services are doing their best and people are suffering tremendously, and here comes a buffoon pretending to know better than everybody else. It's misinformation and downright of negative value. He is not qualified to call such judgements of the premier, the CFA, the ADF, and the PM, and clearly not qualified to speculate on where the fires are headed.
If he kept this thread to news aggregation then it would be useful, but his poor speculation is grating. Sure, it's his thread, but it's still a publication on the Internet for others to read and to be misinformed by. He has made his idiocy public so deserves to be called an idiot publicly.
I'm only amazed that he hasn't called for the firefighters to wear in-line skates.
