Comments on: Waiting For The Storm

By: Bryan

Bryan — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 06:09:43 +0000

I don’t understand the attitude of people who start screaming if they think someone else is getting more than they are. Whatever the government pays, it won’t make those people as whole as those who had insurance. The insurance companies surely don’t think they will be allowed to deduct government payments from what they are obligated to pay, so what’s their beef?

The goal, which is unattainable, is status quo ante. The government wants people rebuilding, and as soon as possible, to stimulate the economy. That should be obvious to anyone paying attention.

It’s nice to hear that you got some decent rain. At least the air got scrubbed, so it should be easier to breathe, and some seeds might get a head start on growing, even this late in the season.

By: Kryten42

Kryten42 — Thu, 05 Mar 2009 05:35:57 +0000

Seems the worst is over, for now. We’ve had rain the past couple days. Last I heard, the area surrounding Marysville had some 30 mm and the emergency services announced that it was helping with the fires.

The storms caused new problems here with power surges and the local phone exchange took a hit and we have had intermittent phone/internet for the past couple days. I’ve just gotten online again. Hopefully, that’s fixed now. 🙂

And… in a fit of (amazing) sanity… The Government said that disaster payments would be higher for people who didn’t have home insurance and lost their homes. Of course, some of the insured and their Insurance companies are crying foul. Personally, I’d say that anyone who complains get’s nothing. 🙂 I think this is fair.

You just can’t please everyone. Diddums!

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 07:01:33 +0000

I’m afraid you’re right about it being the new norm, and there are going to be some hard adjustments. As much as people hate change, you would have thought they would have been more willing to do something about it.

Well, I was never guaranteed an easy life, so I guess I’ll have to adjust.

Nice to know that things didn’t get any worse, for now.

By: Kryten42

Kryten42 — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:59:59 +0000

Well… so far, so good. 🙂

The good news is that no new fires have started, and the existing fires have been contained. However, authorities are worried about the strong wind change due this evening. The strong winds have been causing dust storms in many areas, which is also a problem. Police have asked companies in the CBD to allow people to leave for home early to beat the worsening conditions ahead of the wind change. Appart from a couple of power surges and 1 cracked window, we are OK. 🙂

I think that after 10 years, people should begin to at least suspect that we no longer have a ‘drought’. I think this is the new norm.

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:12:12 +0000

Unfortunately, the times, they are a-changing, and not for the better in my opinion.

The continuing drought is definitely not good news with summer and wildfire season approaching.

By: cookie jill

cookie jill — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 05:08:51 +0000

Santa Barbara homes generally don't have air conditioning either...we generally have not needed either cooling...nor heating....beyond what "adobe" could provide. cookie jill´s last blog post..skippy's mondy nite music club

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 03:39:16 +0000

It’s not the wind, it’s the debris that gets the windows. Dust bin lids and lawn furniture are the main culprits down here.

Any rain has to be counted as a plus to keep down the dust and ash, as well as extinguishing airborne sparks. It may not put out a fire, but might slow the spreading. You accept what you are given.

I wish I could have shipped you some of out rain, because it is totally wasted here and only adds to the humidity which is already high enough. We just turn on the sprinklers and that helps to control fires without involving the drinking water system.

Here’s wishing that the wind is the worst of your problems.

By: Kryten42

Kryten42 — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:25:39 +0000

Oh, we’ve had a little of what might jokingly be called rain… Been a while since I’ve seen horizontal rain though. 😉 If we are lucky, we may get a couple mm or so. Still, better than nothing I guess. *shrug*

By: Kryten42

Kryten42 — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 02:24:02 +0000

The wind is picking up fast. The sudden gusts are quite strong. We’ve already had a kitchen window crack when something was blown into it. Been busy with duct tape! Also been using lots of nails, bolts, octopus straps and rope all morning! We don’t have storm shutters here, never needed them before. Only a fool would build a house in QLD without them, we don’t usually get QLD weather this far South. We put some corrugated iron sheets we had over the windows facing the wind. There are a few big old (and very dry) trees in the path. We don’t plan to ask for trouble.

Going to be an interesting day.

I hope the fire and emergency crews stay safe!

And thanks again all. We appreciate the support. 🙂

I think the lesson from all this is simple: We humans can take nothing for granted any longer, and the ‘status quo’, isn’t!

By: Bryan

Bryan — Tue, 03 Mar 2009 01:32:00 +0000

They are forecasting rain with the front that’s causing the winds, but even the local meteorologists don’t think it will amount to anything.

All you can do is hope for the best and prepare for the worst – just like with a hurricane.