Dear Friends
I do not know the extent of the television coverage you might be getting but
I thought you might be interested in some links that will help those of you
with family and friends in Sydney to identify where the fires are - these
are anxious times again, as there are 30-40 bushfires raging in various
parts of the city fuelled by gale force winds that are not expected to abate
until tonight, and then only briefly.
I don't know Sydney all that well but the key areas affected this time are
the north-west and southern suburbs, mostly on the outskirts of the city.
There is a map at http://news.ninemsn.com.au/ninenews/story_43390.asp and
Holsworthy is a big military base not that far from the CBD. The map is a
little deceptive but there is a page at http://www.whereis.com.au/ that
allows you type in the suburb you know about and then zoom out to see the
relationship. There is more news at
http://www.abc.net.au/news/2002/12/item20021205070358_1.htm
Although dozens of homes have now been lost (hundreds more have been saved)
there have been no serious injuries or loss of life, so there is something
that we can be thankful for.
Because of the drought everything is so tinder-dry that throwing a cigarette
butt out of a car window is now a criminal offence with a maximum of 14
years jail - it is considered arson. Our native bush is basically
eucalyptus species which are full of oil and they just explode - the embers
are carried for miles on the wind and spot fires start everywhere. The
ferocity of the fire creates its own wind and we have firestorms that
continue to regenerate out of control. One fire went forward 23 kilometres
(about 16 miles) in one hour last night. It is tough in a city already with
water restrictions because the reservoirs and dams are so low. The sight of
helicopters water-bombing is very common. And Elvis, the giant water crane
has returned. We LOVE Elvis!
Some areas are without electricity because the fires have burned the poles
down so you might find that your loved ones are out of touch unless they
have been evacuated to some of the many community centres taking them in and
providing food and shelter for nix. The NSW Department of Agriculture even
has a number of centres where they are looking after pets (including one
little girl's precious goldfish) and WIRES is doing what it can for the
injured wildlife. It takes much longer for their habitats to be rebuilt
after such catastrophic fires, especially since it was only last Christmas
that the neighbouring areas were burnt.
Canberra, where I live, is about three hours drive south-west of Sydney and
altho we are in a serious drought (as is the whole nation) we have just had
a very welcome thunderstorm to cool things down. However, they can be
double-edged swords because the moisture will encourage new growth which
will very soon dry out and be more fuel for any fire. Nobody wants a repeat
of last Christmas Day when our city was cut in half by a huge fire.
There will be many families across this nation suffering this Christmas, so
please make yours extra special on our behalf.
Barbara
Barbara Braxton
Teacher-Librarian
Palmerston District Primary School
PALMERSTON ACT 2913
AUSTRALIA
T. 61 2 6205 6162
F. 61 2 6205 7242
E. barbara@austarmetro.com.au
W. http://www.palmdps.act.edu.au
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