Friday 13 February 2009

Victorian Bushfires - update

The number of homes destroyed has jumped to almost 2000 leaving 7000 people homeless. Today we were saddened to hear that one of those homes is one of the houses I grew up in. It has been more than 20 years since we lived there but you do have an emotional attachment to the place you grew up in as a kid. Google Maps and Google Street View have views of the house as it was [pictured above]. Thankfully most of our friends and neighbours who still live in the area survived and did not lose their houses. Unfortunately though there were two deaths in the Barwidgee Creek / Mudgeegonga area and more than a dozen other homes were destroyed.
We can only imagine what these people have gone through and we're really sorry for their loss. Our thoughts are with everyone affected.

In slightly better news apparently my uncle saved my cousin's house in Yackandandah from the fire. At one stage the house was surrounded on three sides by the blaze and he had to shelter behind the building because of the radiant heat. I'm not sure whether my uncle needs a medal or a kick up the bum for risking his life and staying and fighting.

Here is the link to the Red Cross Victorian Bushfire Appeal again.



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