Victorian PSA, bear with me

[blamebrampton]

Having scanned the international papers, the coverage of the Victorian fires is up and down. In short, the death toll currently stands at 130, with severely burned patients in hospital and many still missing. There are over 750 homes destroyed and an estimated 3500 to 5000 people homeless, with many more evacuated. Hundreds of firefighters have been fighting a losing battle in their home communities since last week, many losing homes while they fought elsewhere, some also losing their families.

We all know the sense of helplessness that watching a tragedy like this unfold brings. We felt it when the Twin Towers fell, when London was bombed, when the tsunami struck South-East Asia. Yet this is one of those times when throwing money at a problem can really help. Even if you only have five pounds, or ten dollars, you can do something to help.

The Australian Red Cross takes donations from any credit card at their site here. They are the leading relief organisation in the country helping with clothing, rehousing and funding families left destitute. They also work with the emergency services on the ground to help manage the crisis, which is still unfolding.

The Victorian Country Fire Authority is coordinating the fie fighting efforts. This is a volunteer organisation that pays for equipment – from trucks and hoses to boots and helmets – out of sources that range from small amounts from government and insurance companies to cake sales and members' pockets. You can support them here.

Humans are not the only casualties. There have been large numbers of animal casualties, both wild and domestic. meredyth_13  has posted on the fate of horses and other large animals caught and left pastureless by the fire at her lj here. You can donate to help through Triple R Equine Welfare at their site.

meredyth also gives a list of wildlife agencies that are coordinating the rescue or euthanising of native animals in her post here. Many of these groups are run with volunteer vet services, who have limited resources and who have just seen their livelihoods disappear. WIRES is the major wildlife rescue group, and they have already been stretched to the limit by a decade of drought. You can help them here.

No money? There are still things you can do. There are thousands of Victorians who are out there volunteering their time to help others. Most of them are in rural regions that are close to the fire areas but have so far escaped. If you have any on your flist, stop by and tell them thank you, share some love. jamie2109  is working on community radio in one of the fire areas and is tired and stressed. Take a minute to send her some love for her kindness and generosity that are even more awe inspiring than her writing.

If you live in one of the countries that regularly imports Australian blood products (particularly the US), go and donate some so that the extra that will be needed here won't leave others short. If you live in Australia, give a pint. It doesn't hurt and you receive a free chocolatey milkshake! There are stupid BSE rules if you are British or lived in the UK, even if you were a vegan, so bully your friends and family instead.

And if your friends start pontificating about how all the services failed, slap them gently. These fires have moved so fast and burned so hot that normal strategies have not worked. But the level of preparedness was high, the precautions had all been taken and the emergency teams have done everything humanly possible. A normal fire might have flames around 30 feet high and move at 40km/h, these ones had reports of flames over 50 feet high and moving at speeds well above 120 km/h. One of our scientists has compared the heat to the Dresden firebombing. The rules are not working here and preparedness has failed. Only compassion remains.

My friends and friends of friends have all come through so far. If you're the praying or rain dancing type, long soaking showers with no lightning across Victoria would be lovely for the next three or four weeks, thanks.

Comments

[leela-cat.livejournal.com]

I live in California, so I know all about how wildfires can get out of hand in an instant. I'm not sure how much money we have, but some of the other things we can do.

Rain, no lightning, and a change in the prevailing winds are all in my thoughts for the Victoria fires.

I'm not sure how much money we have to spare, but thank you for the links.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Yeah, I know money is v tight at the moment. If you can spare any, that's brilliant, if you can't, it's very understandable. Even if all you can do is send a message of support to people like jamie who are on the scene or to the survivors or firefighters, it's something that reminds them they're not alone.

Thank you for your thoughts.

[pennswoods.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the link.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

You're welcome. As I say, even if all you can do is donate blood locally, it will certainly help.

[i-autumnheart.livejournal.com]

I second the comment about all the standard strategies failing... my stint in the RFS was short, but enough to have an idea of what the combination of the extra 5 degrees in temperature and parched pasture-grasses could - and did - do to a wildfire. In fire temperatures hot enough to melt cars, and fire speeds faster than cars, there is nothing more that could have been done.

My thoughts are particularly with the CFA volunteers and their families - firefighting is difficult enough in an 'ordinary' fire, and they've got a fair bit of summer left to go before they're likely to get a break.

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

It just boggles my mind. I did my fire training before the 94 fires and the only people who died in those were the ones who did everything wrong. Here people were doing everything right. Poor bastards.

Hope they're getting rain and low winds in the right direction with the cool front. I can't believe how lucky we've been in NSW. And some fucker stole a CFA volunteer's equipment from his ute! I don't even believe in hell but think that person is going there! Argh!

[aldehyde.livejournal.com]

*hugs* :(

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

I'm fine, send em to jamie and mere! XXX

[alaana-fair.livejournal.com]

I'm keeping you all in my prayers. I was in NSW in 1998 when they had wildfires and it was a terrifying experience. I hope they can get it under control soon. Damn. That sounds so lame, but I don't know what to say other than that. :-(

[blamebrampton.livejournal.com]

Doesn't sound lame. Sympathy and a bit of cash is pretty much all most of us can do to help, but it beats nothing! Thank you.

[rickey-a.livejournal.com]

hugs- I've been reading the news and thinking of all my Aussies on my Flist. So frighening and such tragedy. *sigh*
I'll make sure to get a donation out in the next few days.

[hollyxu.livejournal.com]

I don't quite know what to say - your stories are really scary (the speed of the fires and the intensity seem unreal). *hugs* I'm glad you're okay.

Am on rather bad terms with God, so I'll just keep my fingers crossed for everyone who will (hopefully) live through this.

[complications-g.livejournal.com]

It pisses me off so much that they have that 'you can't donate blood if you lived in the UK between blah and blah years'. And then they have all the ads, and I'm like, I really want to help, but I can't! >:(

Thanks for collecting these links, I'm checking them out.

[maya231.livejournal.com]

Thank you so much for this post and all of your suggestions. According to anthimaeria (is it sad that I still haven't learned to do the lj user tag?) the minimum Red Cross donation amounts come to $5.00 AUD,$3.36 USD, 2.26 GBP, or 2.50 euros. In case people feel like making a donation isn't manageable, I'm sure even the minimum amount helps. And donating blood is free. I never would have thought of that being helpful (here in the U.S. I mean) in this situation.

I'm glad you are safe and I hope the danger passes soon. I am guessing they haven't counted the deaths in Marysville yet.

[cinnatart.livejournal.com]

Wanted to take a sec to say thank you for posting some ways that people can help. I know my sister, in particular, wanted to help in some way but hasn't had time to research how to go about doing so. I just sent her here. =)

[pingrid.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the reminder to donate! I'd meant to, of course, but apparently I'm as easily distracted as a particularly whimsical English Setter these days. I'm sure the Red Cross appreciates that I have you as a Jiminy Cricket to my Pinocchio!

No prayers from me, but I have just performed a rain dance of the "oh god, I hope there are no hidden cameras" variety.

How are you doing? I know you're not in the middle of it, but it must feel very close. *hugs you* while you're still in no squirming mode from Anthi's birthday post. :D

[sesheta-66.livejournal.com]

*hugs*

[pinque.livejournal.com]

Thank you for the links, I have put them in my own lj which is a different group of people.

I finally worked out how I can help. So I'm hoping to get parcels organised in the next few days.

[uminohikari.livejournal.com]

*snow dance* :x I hope it stops soon

[meredyth-13.livejournal.com]

Thank you for spreading the news, honey.

We're all in over our heads, but are slowly getting a workable support network in place.

*hugs tight*

My brain is melting, and my phone is tired.

[anabellhenry.livejournal.com]

Flexed the Amex card at the Red Cross site. Fingers and toes are crossed!!!

[bauhinea.livejournal.com]

Thanks for the links I've donated to TripleR and Wildlife Victoria. Fingers crossed the worst of the fires are over.