Wanderer Returns Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 If you believe the BBC News at the moment you’d be forgiven for thinking that the world is about to end in Australia – words like ‘apocalyptic’, ‘evacuation’, and phrases like ‘state of emergency’ frequently appearing in the editorial. I’m finding this rather unnerving because I'll be returning to Brisbane to live and work in less than two weeks. Is it really as bad as the media is making out? Are we talking localised areas here, or are the effects much more widespread? I remember when I lived in Cairns the media used to go into overdrive every time a cyclone was a 1000 miles off the coast, but this seems a lot worse. I’m very sorry if anyone in the forum has been directly affected by this; losing one’s home and possessions must be heartbreaking. How well do insurers cover this type of calamity? I was in Brisbane in 2011 when they had the floods and I recall that some insurers didn’t pay out for damage caused by inundation from rising floodwaters. I’ve never owned property in Australia before, so how good insurance protection is against natural disasters is something I need to fully understand. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
calNgary Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 It is terrible down NSW and further south with another state of emergency given today as weather conditions are expected to get worse and fuel the fires further pn Saturday, complete villages have been wiped out, thousands of people being evacuated and just as many stranded on beaches to escape the flames. I read over half a million wildlife has perished and so far at least 7 people have died with many more missing. In comparison to whats happening down there, Brisbane is perfectly fine at the moment and for once the media haven't over reacted too much in their reports. Cal x 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nemesis Posted January 2, 2020 Share Posted January 2, 2020 3 hours ago, Wanderer Returns said: If you believe the BBC News at the moment you’d be forgiven for thinking that the world is about to end in Australia – words like ‘apocalyptic’, ‘evacuation’, and phrases like ‘state of emergency’ frequently appearing in the editorial. I’m finding this rather unnerving because I'll be returning to Brisbane to live and work in less than two weeks. Is it really as bad as the media is making out? Are we talking localised areas here, or are the effects much more widespread? I remember when I lived in Cairns the media used to go into overdrive every time a cyclone was a 1000 miles off the coast, but this seems a lot worse. I’m very sorry if anyone in the forum has been directly affected by this; losing one’s home and possessions must be heartbreaking. How well do insurers cover this type of calamity? I was in Brisbane in 2011 when they had the floods and I recall that some insurers didn’t pay out for damage caused by inundation from rising floodwaters. I’ve never owned property in Australia before, so how good insurance protection is against natural disasters is something I need to fully understand. have a read of some of the reports on ABC https://www.abc.net.au/news/ 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 (edited) 20 hours ago, Wanderer Returns said: If you believe the BBC News at the moment you’d be forgiven for thinking that the world is about to end in Australia – words like ‘apocalyptic’, ‘evacuation’, and phrases like ‘state of emergency’ frequently appearing in the editorial. I’m finding this rather unnerving because I'll be returning to Brisbane to live and work in less than two weeks. Is it really as bad as the media is making out? Are we talking localised areas here, or are the effects much more widespread? I remember when I lived in Cairns the media used to go into overdrive every time a cyclone was a 1000 miles off the coast, but this seems a lot worse. I’m very sorry if anyone in the forum has been directly affected by this; losing one’s home and possessions must be heartbreaking. How well do insurers cover this type of calamity? I was in Brisbane in 2011 when they had the floods and I recall that some insurers didn’t pay out for damage caused by inundation from rising floodwaters. I’ve never owned property in Australia before, so how good insurance protection is against natural disasters is something I need to fully understand. Yes, it is as bad as the media is making out - although not up in Brissie at the moment. Gippsland Vic and NSW - mainly the southern coast and southern inland are bearing the brunt at the moment but who knows where will be hit next. Even if you're in a city and not impacted directly, smoke travels. Canberra had just had 3 days of hazardous air quality although it's eased off a tad today. My DH and I just went to the local gym to sign up for a month because the warnings all say don't exercise outside (bloody frustrating as I want to walk up our local mountain) but the gym wasnt staffed because of the air quality and members were advised that exercise was at their own risk. The advice is to wear P2 masks outside - feel like a Charlie but at least the lungs aren't aching. Insurance premiums reflect the risk so if you're in a Bushfire prone area, premiums will be higher - read the fine print!!!!! I know when we lost 500 homes in Canberra, more than you'd think weren't insured at all - including some mansion type ones (they were screwed!!!!). We found that the insurance companies were very quick off the mark and whilst that sounded good, there was a bit of a sinister underlying reason - once the insurance settled, that left the destroyed block still owned by the homeowner but not covered by any third party liability insurance - and burnt out blocks can be lethal!!!! Some homeowners were stung when people who shouldn't have been on the block were rooting round trying to see what they could find then injured themselves. There's usually a Bushfire bonus payment for all properties lost - can't remember how much my son got but around $20-30k I think. He wasn't insured as it was a self built self sufficient mud bag place right on the edge of the National Park (predicted to be burned out again tomorrow so thank God he gave that idea up!!!) It's Australia, expect it to happen and if it doesn't then you're bloody lucky. Edited January 3, 2020 by Quoll 4 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 Brisbane is OK at the moment but yes, smoke definitely travels. We're in Melbourne and we've had smoke haze, sometimes from the fires in NSW - which are hundreds of kilometres away - and now from the East Gippsland fires. The haze has been bad enough that people with asthma have been told to stay indoors. However it's nothing compared to what my relatives and friends in Sydney are going through, thick smoke blanketing the city for days. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulya Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 1 hour ago, Marisawright said: Brisbane is OK at the moment but yes, smoke definitely travels. We're in Melbourne and we've had smoke haze, sometimes from the fires in NSW - which are hundreds of kilometres away - and now from the East Gippsland fires. The haze has been bad enough that people with asthma have been told to stay indoors. However it's nothing compared to what my relatives and friends in Sydney are going through, thick smoke blanketing the city for days. pales compared to the smoke haze in Canberra 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 We have lived here 45 years and have never, ever experienced bush fires on this scale. It is every bit as bad as the ABC and BBC are saying. I am speaking as a person who has experienced the fires personally in the past because my daughter and family lost everything in a fire 10 years ago but at that time there was only a few towns hit ( including Marysville) bad enough. 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 10 hours ago, Bulya said: pales compared to the smoke haze in Canberra Yup, been a bugger hasn't it! When it rolled in the other night it was like being hit with a dusty blanket in two breaths! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulya Posted January 3, 2020 Share Posted January 3, 2020 36 minutes ago, Quoll said: Yup, been a bugger hasn't it! When it rolled in the other night it was like being hit with a dusty blanket in two breaths! Used to it now. More important things to worry about Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 5 hours ago, Bulya said: Used to it now. More important things to worry about Indeed - hope you're well now! 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulya Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 2 hours ago, Quoll said: Indeed - hope you're well now! Remaining kidney ‘lazy’ and struggling with PHN (Post Herpetic Neuralgia). We came home early from Summernats as it hit 43C Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tootsie Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 (edited) On 02/01/2020 at 20:55, Wanderer Returns said: If you believe the BBC News at the moment you’d be forgiven for thinking that the world is about to end in Australia – words like ‘apocalyptic’, ‘evacuation’, and phrases like ‘state of emergency’ frequently appearing in the editorial. Well please remember that the media exists to make money - most of that by fear mongering Yes things are horrific and far worse than usual this year But in Brisbane CBD.... well life goes on as normal Keep it in perspective . Edited January 4, 2020 by Tootsie Spelling 1 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Gbye grey sky Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 On 02/01/2020 at 19:55, Wanderer Returns said: If you believe the BBC News at the moment you’d be forgiven for thinking that the world is about to end in Australia – words like ‘apocalyptic’, ‘evacuation’, and phrases like ‘state of emergency’ frequently appearing in the editorial. I’m finding this rather unnerving because I'll be returning to Brisbane to live and work in less than two weeks. Is it really as bad as the media is making out? Are we talking localised areas here, or are the effects much more widespread? I remember when I lived in Cairns the media used to go into overdrive every time a cyclone was a 1000 miles off the coast, but this seems a lot worse. I’m very sorry if anyone in the forum has been directly affected by this; losing one’s home and possessions must be heartbreaking. How well do insurers cover this type of calamity? I was in Brisbane in 2011 when they had the floods and I recall that some insurers didn’t pay out for damage caused by inundation from rising floodwaters. I’ve never owned property in Australia before, so how good insurance protection is against natural disasters is something I need to fully understand. Brisbane and its environs are good at the moment. We were affected somewhat by smoke in November but have been fortunate since, so far. We had some rain at Christmas which dampened things down a little but it is dry and hot again this past week with no rain forecast. Bearing in mind this is now our rainy season it is extremely dry everywhere. Dams are very low and fire risk remains high. As you are planning on being near the coast you will not need to worry about actual fires because the area is built up and suburban. The only short term concern would be potential poor air quality should fires break out inland. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 4 hours ago, Bulya said: Remaining kidney ‘lazy’ and struggling with PHN (Post Herpetic Neuralgia). We came home early from Summernats as it hit 43C Hope everything turns out ok Bulya- stay cool and keep away from that sun! 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 It’s a very bad day today for the fires in NSW and Victoria. Ive just posted on chewing the fat, that I’ve had a message from a young family friend In Bundanoon in the Southern Highlands that she has just evacuated her house with 2 young boys, and that her husband has stayed behind to try to save their house. He is a very capable experienced ex farmer. Very real when someone you love is threatened. 2 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marisawright Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 16 hours ago, Tootsie said: Well please remember that the media exists to make money - most of that by fear mongering Yes things are horrific and far worse than usual this year But in Brisbane CBD.... well life goes on as normal Keep it in perspective I'm in Victoria and I don't think the media is exaggerating one bit. 8 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 On 04/01/2020 at 06:25, Quoll said: Yup, been a bugger hasn't it! When it rolled in the other night it was like being hit with a dusty blanket in two breaths! I've been wondering how you've been coping, Quoll - the smoke as well as the extreme heat to contend with. Must be a real shock after arriving from the UK. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Skani Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 On 03/01/2020 at 18:29, Marisawright said: Brisbane is OK at the moment but yes, smoke definitely travels. We even had some from the mainland fires here in Hobart yesterday but clear now. However New Zealand is really copping it. I've seen photos from Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown and the glaciers which all have that horrible thick yellow haze. My neighbours were in Nelson, at the north of the South Island, in late November - early December. Even then they were experiencing smoke from the northern NSW fires - they could even smell it. 3 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 52 minutes ago, Skani said: We even had some from the mainland fires here in Hobart yesterday but clear now. However New Zealand is really copping it. I've seen photos from Christchurch, Dunedin, Queenstown and the glaciers which all have that horrible thick yellow haze. My neighbours were in Nelson, at the north of the South Island, in late November - early December. Even then they were experiencing smoke from the northern NSW fires - they could even smell it. We could smell it a bit yesterday morning but nothing today. Very clear day and 21C. I've seen the pics of the haze in NZ. Suppose it depends on the direction of the wind. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Toots Posted January 4, 2020 Share Posted January 4, 2020 14 hours ago, ramot said: It’s a very bad day today for the fires in NSW and Victoria. Ive just posted on chewing the fat, that I’ve had a message from a young family friend In Bundanoon in the Southern Highlands that she has just evacuated her house with 2 young boys, and that her husband has stayed behind to try to save their house. He is a very capable experienced ex farmer. Very real when someone you love is threatened. Have you heard any news about the family in Bundanoon @ramot? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ramot Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 3 hours ago, Toots said: Have you heard any news about the family in Bundanoon @ramot? I haven’t heard anything, just been on fire update and houses are under threat, and it’s too late to leave. Hope her husband is ok. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Quoll Posted January 5, 2020 Share Posted January 5, 2020 7 hours ago, Skani said: I've been wondering how you've been coping, Quoll - the smoke as well as the extreme heat to contend with. Must be a real shock after arriving from the UK. Sure is! Paradoxically I've been coping really well - considerably lighter and much fitter than when I left but this last week has shown exactly why it was that back in the day I was obese and unfit. Anyway, all masked up, I've made a point of walking whenever I can (didn't go up the mountain today though, it was tough enough yesterday with much better AQI. We are fortunate in that my son, having been burned out in 2015 is paranoid about prepping for any and every possibility - we have a stock of high quality masks and a comprehensive bush fire plan With strategies and alternatives for all contingencies. 6 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tootsie Posted January 10, 2020 Share Posted January 10, 2020 On 05/01/2020 at 08:47, Marisawright said: I'm in Victoria and I don't think the media is exaggerating one bit. ? You miss my point I am in Sydney. And had friends and relations in the UK ringing, and emailing, in panic as they think the city has burnt to the ground. Some of the media in the UK (particularly the Daily Fail Mail) has been reporting the most exaggerated stuff and putting Armageddon fear of God into people. When in reality, for most cities, life is continuing as normal apart from some smoke. Brisbane city centre is not on fire. Just saying to keep things in perspective Hope you understand the meaning of my comment now 3 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bulya Posted January 13, 2020 Share Posted January 13, 2020 1.25 billion plus animals dead. 100,000 sheep gone on Kangaroo Island. It will take decades to recover 2 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
starlight7 Posted January 15, 2020 Share Posted January 15, 2020 We feel so helpless. Have given money but that is about all. Very smoky here today and it brings it all home. 2 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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