Firestorm

Firestorm: 2 weeks later.

Bush fire – 2013

Saturday- 25/10/13

I was enraged and brought to tears this morning. Enraged first by the news that our inglorious federal government has tightened the eligibility criteria for people affected by the fires. That's right you bastards, just when fire victims are down and out and people are at the most traumatised you kick em in the guts. Our new bloody government has already put money before people. 

Bloody hell mate, we have the lowest national debt in the entire world and we can't even give a thousand dollars to people who cant go home. Miserable mongrels.

Then later in the news I was brought to tears by Director of Emergency Relief - Phil Koperberg telling a meeting of affected residents last night that here is my personal mobile phone number and if you are having any problems with assistance or aid, then you ring me and I'll get straight onto it for you. (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Phil_Koperberg). That is the Australian spirit. Everyone pitches in no matter how well educated or how rich, everyone is equal. Learn from Phil you lousy miserable politicians.

It's now midday of another beautiful spring day but the news from the fire ground is that many of the destroyed homes were built using asbestos sheet wall cladding. We called it Fibro here because it was made from asbestos fibro cement. It was cheap strong and easy to build with and every DIY home renovator home builder used it. The emergency teams have taped off the affected buildings and people cant go home to look for momento's, another blow!

Saturday- 2/11/13

It has been a week of cool temperatures with wednesday being only 13 degrees at 8 am instead of the 30 it was on the day of the firestorm. I think it got to 21 on wednesday and we nearly lit the wood stove to warm the house that morning. A peaceful week on the fire grounds. Today will be 29 and tomorrow 34 so everyone is nervous again.

An inversion layer has formed over the coast here today and the smoke from the ongoing fires and control burns sits in our little valley like a layer of fog. There is only the faintest smell of it so I don't expect there will be many patients suffering from breathing problems today.

The asbestos homes are a breathing disaster waiting to happen. Special teams have arrived there to spray the relevant parts of the damaged homes and debris with a blue coloured glue that will prevent the asbestos fibres from becoming airbourne. That's how it kills every one. Asbestos dust lodges in the lungs and because of the shape of the fibres it can never be dislodged so the body tries to form protective layers around the fibres and the lung tissue scars. Scars around every fibre. This turns into Mesothelioma, possibly one of the worst cancers in existence.

Men who worked in the asbestos mines and factories and breathed the dust died, everyone of them. Office workers and managers who inspected work sites and factory floors died. Wives who washed the dust covered clothes, died. All from the Meeso as it became known.

Now we have what is being termed the second wave of Meeso deaths, those people that built with fibro sheets. The rate of Meeso cases is steadily climbing and is expected to reach epidemic proportions in those people who did any home building or renovations or came into contact with the fibro sheets. So again wives who helped hold the sheets while they were nailed off. Children who played with the off cuts or who built cubby houses with left over sections.

Guess what, go on, try! The manufacturer knew all about the dangers and covered it up. When the campaigns for compensation began Hardies moved the company head quarters off shore. Where to, Holland, where they couldn't be reached by Australian Law and made to pay up for their negligence. Special laws had to be passed to make them responsible and a special fund was set up to pay people as they got sick. Campaigner Bernie Banton (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bernie_Banton) died before he could see all of it working properly. I cried when he died. He wasn't a saint but he is one to many aussies now.

So anyone who goes near the damaged asbestos houses has to dress in white overalls and face masks. The next kick in the guts for people will the rise in insurance premiums. Building codes are already changing but fire prevention will become stricter and putting in sprinkler systems adds 30-40 thousand dollars to the cost of a home.

The first clouds of the southerly change have arrived here now. It will be a cooler day. I hope the firies have a cooler day as well