Lift, Train, Fitness

Finally spoke to my uncle on the phone, he has power and water but there is no food in the shops, no fuel and from the front of his house it is impossible to see his neighbours house across the street. He said there was hundreds of people huddled in the fisherman's club last night. Emergency services are now forcing people to leave. The worst is yet to come on the weekend.
 
Hugs and sympathy, that's all I've got...
 
My friend C sent me a message tonight, she is safe and has evacuated to Queanbeyan but is not confident her house will still be standing when it is all over.

Going shopping in the morning to buy masks to send to the boys in Canberra.

I would feel happier if my uncle would evacuate, they are closing some of the evacuation centres because they are unlikely to be able to defend them on the weekend when it gets bad, closing the Bermagui, Tathra and Eden centres and sending them all to the Bega showground, my uncle is in Pambula which is closer to Eden than Bega. He is a stuborn bloke who should not be trying to defend his home after recent knee replacement surgery.

The Timbillica fire south of Eden has joined with the Malacoota fire just across the border in Victoria.
 
Good about your friend, and hope the masks get there is double-quick time. Terrible news from many places. Hoping for the best for your uncle.
 
aiminglow said:
Good about your friend, and hope the masks get there is double-quick time. Terrible news from many places. Hoping for the best for your uncle.
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That particular Uncle is in Pambula, this morning they started evacuating the small Pambula hospital, many of the small towns and villages can only rely on themselves, all the media focus on is the tourist traps like Batemans Bay or small towns only after there has been a death :( . The town of Wyndam is likely to be wiped out if if (when) the fires to the north and west combine with the the Malacoota fire to the south. Whyndam resident are being told to evacuate to Canberra as Bega may not be safe either despite being a reasonably sized town where most local people evacuating have been sent.

Even though I am not down there at the moment, I spent a large part of my life there, I am getting information direct from family and friends in the middle of it and I am following the live media releases from the local media not the big networks who as I said only focus on tourists and death. I really wish one of the Cobargo people would have punched the PMs lights out rather than just having our fuckface PM run from the verbal thrown at him when he tried to stop for happy snaps with the locals.
 
Right now the ABC radio is putting it very very clearly what people think of him. I only hope the anger has effect.
It's really telling what communications are working and which aren't in this - people in east Gippsland have been alerted by SMS - but how many people do you know (and do I know) in small towns where they don't have SMS, older people who are uncomfortable with mobile phones - or the phones aren't working, anyway.

Adding later: I said "have been alerted by SMS" that's what the ABC said had happened, but I have a friend in the Alpine area, and she knew nothing of it, though she has and routinely uses a mobile phone. i.e. she had received no alert at all.
 
aiminglow said:
Right now the ABC radio is putting it very very clearly what people think of him. I only hope the anger has effect.
It's really telling what communications are working and which aren't in this - people in east Gippsland have been alerted by SMS - but how many people do you know (and do I know) in small towns where they don't have SMS, older people who are uncomfortable with mobile phones - or the phones aren't working, anyway.

Adding later: I said "have been alerted by SMS" that's what the ABC said had happened, but I have a friend in the Alpine area, and she knew nothing of it, though she has and routinely uses a mobile phone. i.e. she had received no alert at all.
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In places like Whyndam they have held town meetings to let people know what is happening.

SMS would be a complete fail for me personally if anything happened here because I do not have mobile phone reception, I have missed appointments because places send out reminders by SMS

I have seen coverage of the Cobargo confrontation from a couple of outlets, but the ABC sort of glossed over the reactions with selective editing of the footage and turned off the sound, making it all look more in favour of the PM. (They cut out the verbal and the images of the PM forcefully grabbing a womans hand to shake hands with her after she already said no), The ABC is usually my preferred channel for news but this coverage was shit. The Bega mayor commented that the PM got what he deserved.
 
The air quality on the East Coast of Australia right now is high according to the Real-Time Air Quality Index (AQI). This measures the pollution in the air, and how it affects people's ability to breath.

The AQI in NSW's Wagga Wagga NSW is 155 and unhealthy and in Batemans Bay 357 and hazardous.

In Tasmania, 165 kilometres North East of Lauceston is St Helens. The AQI is 322 and hazardous.

In Omeo, 245 kilometres East of Melbourne, the air quality is 525 and hazardous.
Comparitatively, the Real-Time AQI measures the air quality at US embassies around the world.
In Shanghai it is 124, in Delhi it is 260, in Bangkok it is 129 and in Dubai it is 95.
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It's very smoky here today, Tru. I just looked up the air quality index & it's probably up around 180. I won't be venturing outside again today. Hopefully, it will clear as the day goes on. What is it near you?
 
It will be hot, but air quality is good, it is cool enough outside this morning that hubby is out doing some cleanup around the house.
 
The biggest concern is still for family and friends who will be fighting hard this weekend, just had one friend check in as safe for the moment but she will be staying to fight for her farm when the fire comes through her place. Like many of the Dairy farms in the area it is a farm that has been in her family for generations.
 
I'm very glad the air quality's a bit better at your place, and glad that your husband can make things more fire-safe. Dairy-farmers have all the added concern for the cows - a terrible weight of responsibility. May things go well for your friend, and all those fighting and working for relief through these days.
About communications - my Alpine Shire friend (now safe, she and all her family) only received the alert via app a full 24 hours after the ABC reported it had been sent. I have no idea why.
 
aiminglow said:
About communications - my Alpine Shire friend (now safe, she and all her family) only received the alert via app a full 24 hours after the ABC reported it had been sent. I have no idea why.
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That is terrible, communication is sooo patchy
 
aiminglow said:
About communications - my Alpine Shire friend (now safe, she and all her family) only received the alert via app a full 24 hours after the ABC reported it had been sent. I have no idea why.
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@aiminglow In Bega they are doing a rush installation of Sky Muster at the showground (evacuation centre) to give free wifi communication to evacuees

currently one fire is less than 7 km from Bega itself and the other is 12 km

I hope your friends are ok Amy
 
1578118718447.png

One of my cousins just took this photo a couple of minutes ago at his house

however I also just read a report of police chasing around looking for an Arsonist on a motorbike riding around Tura where this pic is from.

Edit: The sky is now black
 
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Terrible times. Yes, thanks, my Alpine Region friends are all safe. I hope your cousin is also, and that your husband's team isn't called out.
 
Very sad reading all of this . I hope your uncle and all your friends and family remain safe . As I said a few minutes ago I just saw a newsflash that it's to worsen over the weekend. I agree our news coverage here is limited on it and concentrates a lot on tourist areas. Thank you for these updates and I pray your air remains cooler and fresh where you are and Cate too.
 
Thanks @Petal001

It will be a long night of worry, I have had no more updates from cousin, will try to call uncle in the morning and to top it all off, spot fires are now on the southern border of the ACT (Canberra)

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