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Post by orfeo on Jan 19, 2003 17:59:22 GMT -5
Hello all,
I've logged in first thing at work wondering if any of you had heard about Canberra, only to discover I apparently didn't log out properly last time - so I've been online for two and a half days without knowing it! So you probably all thought I was here.
Well, for the record I'm FINE - and if you don't have the faintest idea what I'm talking about and why I would think you could be worried, the worst fires in Australian history swept through my city on Saturday afternoon. 368 homes gone, 4 people dead. I saw three different fires but none of them made it to my house.
OK, now I've probably stressed you all out when you were blissfully ignorant - but I know that the story was reported in at least some overseas countries, because people were getting phone calls from England for example.
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Post by ♣Miranda♣ on Jan 19, 2003 18:28:47 GMT -5
We're going through a drought in Colorado and fires are rampant, so I know what it's like. I'm so glad you're ok!  |
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Post by Daemeon on Jan 19, 2003 18:53:02 GMT -5
I never log out myself, I guess that is a bad thing since I catch myself doing that when I check my account balance.  |
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Post by orfeo on Jan 19, 2003 18:56:36 GMT -5
We're going through a drought in Colorado and fires are rampant, so I know what it's like. I'm so glad you're ok! And I'm glad someone has some idea what it's like! Honestly, I'd seen plenty of stories of major fires - like in Sydney a couple of years ago - but absolutely nothing prepared me for seeing it first hand. I never never never want to see anything like it ever again. |
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Post by ♣Miranda♣ on Jan 19, 2003 19:06:06 GMT -5
And I'm glad someone has some idea what it's like! Honestly, I'd seen plenty of stories of major fires - like in Sydney a couple of years ago - but absolutely nothing prepared me for seeing it first hand. I never never never want to see anything like it ever again. I hope to never see anything like it again either. The effects are devastating. |
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Post by undeniabledilemma on Jan 19, 2003 23:16:16 GMT -5
368 homes gone, 4 people dead. I saw three different fires but none of them made it to my house. Holy crap. I'm glad you and you're house are ok though. |
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Post by ♥Mary♥ on Jan 20, 2003 12:50:09 GMT -5
orfeo, orfeo.......so glad you are ok! Well I knew about the fires, but just found out about them last night. We were with my mom & dad over at my grandparents' house for a BBQ (btw, we had 'shrimp on the barbie' LOL) and to watch the Raiders (football) game & my Grandpa had seen something on the news about the fires in Australia that were really bad & I was asking "where, where in Australia?!", of course thinking about you!.....he didn't know the exact location, just that many homes were lost. The reason we were talking about it is because within the last 6 months here in CA we have had several fires......and one of them was a HUGE wildfire that spread through the Los Angeles hills directly above my parents house (I grew up in that house). They came dangerously close, but luckily the fire didn't jump down to their backyard (their house is on a Cal-de-Sac which literally backs up to the brush in the hills)....they were just left with TONS of ash all over the city for days & days. In fact it took months to completely get it all out of their pool in the backyard. About 50 homes & structures in the hills & canyon were lost, but thankfully theirs was not one of them....it's just so weird to see landmarks that you grew up with as just a pile of ash & debris....so sad. And just a few weeks ago, my grandpa's house was threatened by a major fire that was set by an arsonist during an extremely windy day.....it spread so quickly they had to close down the freeway near the fire for 7 hours. During that same time, my friend down in Malibu (by the coast) had to evacuate her home for fear of losing it to yet another fire down there....they had just had a baby & had to leave everything. So I do know about how very very scary FIRE is & how devastating it can be. I'm so very happy to come here & find that you are safe & well!  I really feel for Canberra & I hope that the city will recover swiftly. Hugs to you! ♥ Mary |
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Post by veela on Jan 20, 2003 13:45:07 GMT -5
Glad to hear you're okay!!! I actually just heard about the fires this morning on the radio (I try not to watch the news because it's soooo depressing). we had a friend from australia staying with us all weekend so i'm surprised he didn't mention it. i hope all your loved ones are safe as well.
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Post by Monika on Jan 20, 2003 14:41:24 GMT -5
Hello all, I've logged in first thing at work wondering if any of you had heard about Canberra, only to discover I apparently didn't log out properly last time - so I've been online for two and a half days without knowing it! So you probably all thought I was here. Well, for the record I'm FINE - and if you don't have the faintest idea what I'm talking about and why I would think you could be worried, the worst fires in Australian history swept through my city on Saturday afternoon. 368 homes gone, 4 people dead. I saw three different fires but none of them made it to my house. OK, now I've probably stressed you all out when you were blissfully ignorant - but I know that the story was reported in at least some overseas countries, because people were getting phone calls from England for example. ACTUALLY I DID SEE THAT ON THE NEWS, THAT'S SO SAD, I'M SORRY IT AFFECTS U DIRECTLY.  |
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raisangrrl
Little Diamond
~*It always rains the hardest on those that deserve the sun*~
Posts: 17
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Post by raisangrrl on Jan 20, 2003 15:04:34 GMT -5
i'm so glad you're ok! i haven't even heard of this. i have other firends in australia. now i have to go call them. i hope the fires stop, i can't even begin to imagine how awful it is. be safe.
*hugz*
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Post by orfeo on Jan 20, 2003 18:12:22 GMT -5
Thankyou guys and gals for thinking of me. Unfortunately it isn't all over yet. Canberra is still completely covered in smoke. Today (Tuesday) the north-western suburbs are on high alert, including where my sister lives (on Saturday it was the Southwest that was hit hardest). After that we should get a couple of OK days, but they're forecasting extremely high temperatures (over 100F) for next weekend. The list of homes destroyed is up to 419 - not because more are gone, just because it's been so hard to count them in the worst hit suburbs. One suburb accounts for about 215 houses on its own. My suburb lost 1. My boss' suburb lost nearly 90 - amazingly he's in a little patch that was saved in between two of the worst hit parts. They published the addresses of all the houses that are gone and I recognised one of them as the parents of a friend. It had to happen sooner or later that I would know someone. Meanwhile I'm supposed to be working and I CANNOT concentrate properly. I'd leave if I thought I'd be any more useful anywhere else! Stay tuned for more miserable updates  |
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Post by LipGlossArsonist on Jan 20, 2003 19:25:47 GMT -5
I'm glad you're safe!!
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Post by orfeo on Jan 20, 2003 19:52:08 GMT -5
They've just added another 4 or 5 suburbs to the 12 that were already on high alert. And they're on the side closer to my sister.
F*** this for a laugh
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I really feel for Canberra & I hope that the city will recover swiftly. Hugs to you!
