User blog:Zaffie/Bushfire Season

So for those of you who don't live in Australia, the term 'bushfire' might be unfamiliar. Well, let me tell you, the term strikes a chord of fear into our hearts. In America, Canada, England or other places across the globe they might be called wildfires or forest fires, but here they're bushfires and they're a menace - our own personal natural disaster. Other countries have earthquakes, tsunamis and floods (well, ok, we get the floods too) and we have fire.

Right now, which is 9:41 PM on Monday, the temperature is still 23 degrees (that's roughly 73 degrees for those of you who use farenheit) and it soared to a whopping 38 (100) degrees during the day. From midnight tonight, a total fire ban has been placed on many of the communities and cities of NSW, Victoria and the ACT.

I don't know how many of you have ever been to Australia on holiday/live here, but you might have seen one of these signs. http://rfs.annangrove.org.au/assets/images/New_Fire_Danger_Sign.jpg (I was too lazy to embed it, sorry). As you can see, this is a 'Fire Danger Today' sign and we have them all through the rural areas and in every nature reserve/national park. The sign ranges from 'Low-Moderate' to 'Catastrophic' which is only used when fires are actually burning. Tuesday, aka tomorrow for me, is going to be a day of Extreme Fire Danger. The temperature is predicted to soar to 40 (104) degrees with winds getting up to 39 km/h (roughly 24 m/h). The last time my area had conditions like these was ten years ago. In January, 2003, huge bushfires covered the ACT and much of rural NSW. They destroyed hundreds of homes and took many lives. I was five, at the time, and when the fires came too close to my home I was evacuated to a friend's house along with my dog, two guinea pigs and all our family photos. (One guinea pig later died of smoke inhalation and shock. :( Ironically, her name was Smoky.) My overwhelming memories of that day were the unbearable heat, the tangy smell of burning eucalypts in the air (to this day I feel terrified everytime I smell woodsmoke. Most Australians have that reaction) the burning embers which were flying all around me, the ash which was thick in the air and underfoot, and the absolute bright orange colour of the sky, even though it was hours before sunset. The world had a smoky haze to it - http://resources3.news.com.au/images/2009/09/23/1225778/432351-orange-sky-over-bomaderry-from-howard-mitchell.jpg

So, when the government tells us that tomorrow might be another one of those days, we're all scared. I'm much older now than I was, and with my sister across the country and my mother needing to be at work during the day, I've been put in charge of the house. I'm going to spend Tuesday in a state of terror, opening windows and doors hourly to sniff the air for that old, familiar smell. I'm going to be staring out my window for smoke in the air, or a tint of orange in the sky. I'm going to watch the nature reserve (a huge piece of land covered in highly flammable Australian trees and very dry grass) right next door for any sign of a flame. I'm going to pack up my most treasured belongings and have them ready by the front door. I'm going to hose down the garden and the tiles of the roof throughout the day. I'm going to have the radio on all day, listening for news of fires, and keep both the home phone and my mobile beside me. And, if the worst comes to the worst, I'm going to pack up my toys (irreplacable) my photographs, my laptop, my dogs and my budgie and I am going to get the hell out of my house and leave it to burn. I might be forced to call 000 (the police) and have them evacuate me. I might just run like mad down the street. I might jump into the family car (my mum is leaving the automatic behind for me) and drive out of there, even though I don't have my license and have only driven a few times in my life on private property. I don't know what's going to happen, but I know that I'm responsible for a lifetime of memories, both mine and other people's, and three very fragile animal lives.

Quite frankly, I'm terrified.

Throughout January and February, Australia will be plagued with fires. People will die. People will lose their homes. People will suffer. I'm asking you, while you sit in your winter (or in New Zealand) to keep us in mind. Because we're going to need it for the next couple of months.

For now, I just want to make it through tomorrow.