Being a victorian-born person, the victoria bushfires have affected me greatly. 181 people have died due to the fires and the deathtoll is sure to increase. People have lost friends, family and possessions. I have relatives down there but they are safe at the moment. I have already donated money and I hope many others will too.
Does anybody have any connections to the bushfires in Victoria, Australia?
It shocking what has happened. especially when you think some were started on puprose by sone sick individuals.
BBC ran the story of a man who lost eveything in the fire. Just beofre leaving the house he put the family photo albums in a fire proof safe. When he returned to the house the safe had failed and all the pictures of his family were gone.
I am very sad for what your country is going through.
It is very disturbing that people have lit these fires on purpose. I do understand that the offenders are actually 'sick' with a mental illness that gives them a high on lighting fires.
That is terrible, who would have the nerve to start a fire, EVEN as a prank, i such a fire prone place as Australia. It makes me mad, even though i have no connections with Australia, it is sick that someone would do something that would cause so much damage and death.
I hope that you guys get it under control, i have included Victoria in my prayers lately.
I do understand that the offenders are actually 'sick' with a mental illness that gives them a high on lighting fires.
The staggering majority of major bushfires are indeed started by arsonists (and also, to a lesser degree, negligent campgoers). The reason the fires happen to be so devasating is obviously because of Australia's fire-happy climate.
However as a Victorian resident and somebody keenly interested in mental health, I feel it would be important (in the order of billions of dollars) to encourage that we come to understand arsonist behaviors more so that they can be managed and, where required, preempted so as to prevent such tragedies as that which is unfolding now.
For my part, I plan to donate blood (if I qualify :P) as my contribution to the relief effort. I wonder if the hospitals I'm attached to will be receiving any airlifted patients from affected areas.
I don't think it is possible to understand them. They are just blooming idiots. They start a fire for fun or entertainment, then they forget how fire prone Australia is, then ditch it. Fags...
And they are the really jack---who start the fires just to destroy and kill. >:8
Well, I'm of the opinion that management via understanding is ultimately more effective than management via suppression. Not least because it might confer a certain amount of predictive and therefore preventive power.
Also, typical arsonist patterns involve somebody lighting a fire because it is a hot and windy day because obviously this creates a bigger, wilder fire. I think that in itself provides a few hints.
we come to understand arsonist behaviors more so that they can be managed and
Well I don't think it would be limited to arson's behaviors. I think this would be related to what can lead to arson. I could be repression, or a depression. So it would be more broad, as to say you need to understand depression as to understand arsons, but that would be making the prejudice that all arsons are depressed, but I think you get my point.
Since I've lived near a bunch of wildfires in Southern California (last one stopped right outside my school's tennis courts), I know the feeling. My thoughts and prayers go out to any of you affected by the blaze.
I also live in Australia but i live in NSW when i heard the news of the bushfires i never thought such a dsastrous event could happen and the fact that someone would do this too so many people is just terrible. I feel for any of the people affected from the bushfire and know that even know im not a religious person my thoughts and prayers are with all affected.
