Victorian Bushfires

Well, most of the world by now have heard of the devastating bushfires that hit Victoria last Saturday night. Many towns in Victoria have been wiped out, with 95-100% of buildings razed to the ground. Last I heard the death toll was 181, but it's expected to rise, with reports of people seeking refuge in community centres and churches that were burned to the ground...the death toll could exceed those of Black Friday, Ash Wednesday and Cyclone Tracy combined. It is horrible. And the worst is that some were deliberately lit. It was the worst day in terms of weather conditions, and the fires were so intense and so fast that some had no chance to escape. Some that did were burned in their cars as they tried to escape.


The weekend before these fires, there were fires in Mirboo North and Boolara, Boolara being the worst hit. 30 homes were lost, but nowhere near the devastation of the weekend just gone. I was worried though as our church is very closely linked to a church mission in Mirboo North, the 40 Holy Martyrs parish, and we visit there every 5-6 weeks whenever possible. The people there are good friends, and some of them live in Boolara, so I was concerned, but Thank God that they are ok.

One thing to come out of these fires is the amazing generosity of the Australian people and also the world, with massive efforts going into fundraising for fire victims. Donations can be made at www.redcross.org.au
Another amazing thing is the firefighters and the fantastic job they are doing, and this amazing picture that was taken of this koala now named Sam (though she is a girl) and firefighter David Tree. This was taken by firefighters in Mirboo North.

Poor little baby had burnt feet- she was later rescued and taken to a shelter, where a male admirer has already taken a liking to her!! She drank 3 bottles of water, and it's just so amazing the way she put her little paw in his hand. The trust she shows is incredible, what a little survivor. It's something positive that has come out of something so tragic.



Please pray for all those that have lost family members, friends, and homes, and pray for the firefighters who are still battling the blazes, also for the emergency services, army and volunteers helping those left picking up the pieces, and the Forensic disaster identification teams who have the horrible job of sifting through collapsed houses to look for and identify those who couldn't escape.