Hard to Imagine

The images and stories from the Australian fires are absolutely horrific. Three hundred people have died, including a number of children. There seems to be a huge amount of confusion as to the instructions given to people about evacuation, and this seems to have resulted in tragic results.

It's all beyond imagination; the bush is tinder dry and the dry winds are whipping across the mountains and catching people before they have time to get to safety. I heard a quote that the usual grass fire travels at about 40 km/hr, but that these fires are traveling in excess of 100 km/hr.

We had rain all day yesterday here in Auckland. It fell in a continual fine mist for most of the day, and this morning there is a moist humidity hanging over us. The trees are glossy and a rich deep clean green. The cicadas are singing at an almost deafening level, and the birds seem to be gorging on the many flying bugs that are on the wing today. It feels like a world away from the fires.

Last night the sky had a strange purple blush colour, possibly due to the high-atmosphere smoke that has crossed the Tasman from Australia, I guess. I can't imagine what it must be like for the fire victims, to have lost everything, to have lost even their lives. I used to live in Melbourne, and so can only feel a deeper connection to what is happening across Victoria. Let's pray for rain, and hope that the death toll is lower than feared.