planet earth looks blue

Southern Australia has been plagued by fires this week which are still raging.  What sparked the flames is unknown, although authorities believe it may be arson.  Whoever released such chaos on Victoria Australia couldn’t  possibly have predicted the resulting destruction.  Because of a combination of factors - drought, dry bush terrain, and record high temperatures the fires have been more devastating than anything else in Aussi history.  Almost a hundred people have been found dead, and many more are expected.  The flames are spreading so quickly that people are dying in their cars and homes, with not enough time to escape.  Many have been told they were safe, only to find the flames rushing towards their communities.  

At least 600 homes have burned to the ground, mostly in rural areas.  So far the fires haven’t reached any densely populated areas.  Australian Prime Minister Kevin Rudd has pledged $10 million for immediate assistance to the families that are left homeless.  Britain promised to send aid as well.  Troops are going to be sent  to help quell the flames.  But perhaps the biggest help is coming from other Australians, who have been pouring into relief centers with so many donations that the police have had to turn them away.  The support from other residents will hopefully continue as the people most affected have to start picking up the pieces of their broken lives.  

So is this the sign of a raging planet, another area a direct victim of global warming, or just a fluke of a careless arson and drought conditions?  However we categorize  the Victoria fires doesn’t really matter.  A thousand indirect factors could have played their part to this end result.  The real question is - how do we react now?  With deadly fires in both Australia and California, governments are going to have to take preventative measures, or put relief plans in place.  This is just another straw put on the camel’s back, another area devastated, more money that needs to be spent during the global financial crisis, another time to mourn, rebuild, and move on.