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Once More — Why Now?
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Once More

by Bryan

The threat returns to Victoria in Australia: Black Saturday warning as Victoria braces for the worst

Victorians are being warned to be ready for fire conditions that could be as bad as Black Saturday when strong winds and high temperatures hit the state tomorrow.

Fire authorities say it will be too late to leave properties tomorrow morning, and anyone planning to evacuate should do so as soon as possible.

Northerly winds are expected to pick up tonight, and winds are predicted to reach gusts of up to 150kph.

Authorities warn that strong wind gusts could lead to power cuts and falling trees.

About 2,200 firefighters are continuing to battle four fires – in Bunyip State Park and Wilsons Promontory, and two in Kilmore East-Murrindindi.

With hurricane force wind gusts anything is possible, including fires sparked by downed power lines. All they can do is wait and hope that this passes.

2 comments

1 Kryten42 { 03.02.09 at 3:56 am }

It’s going to be bad over the next day or two. Many schools are closing tomorrow and several bus services will be canceled as we expect hot winds of up to 150km/hr.
A friend who drives a school bus has the day off, and the school will close for the day. The authorities have been SMSing and eMailing everyone they can about the threat and warning that if you don’t absolutely need to travel, not to. They say the network was overloaded as they sent out over 600,000 SMS/min.

Vic ready for extreme fire threat, Brumby says

Mr Brumby says emergency services are prepared for the worst.

“We’ve got more people on the ground, more tankers, more resources, more people from interstate, more aerial appliances than we’ve ever had in the history of this state,” he said.

Winds of up to 150 kilometres an hour are expected to fan extreme fire risks throughout the state from this evening.

Mr Brumby says the strong winds are of major concern.

“If these fires get away tomorrow, you will see them race up hills at literally 50 to 100 kilometres an hour and that’s why it’s such a dangerous, dangerous day,” he said.

2 Bryan { 03.02.09 at 8:29 am }

There are times when it would be nice to be able to call for a helicopter extraction/dust off [although not as many as the number of times I would like to be able to call in a air strike] and I would feel a lot better if that was an option, were I in your situation. The waiting really wears on you, like watching a major hurricane in the Gulf making up its mind who to smash.

It’s no help, but there are people on this side of the world who care about the situation.