Deadly Serious

I received this photo in an email just a few days ago:


That's one way to cool down!

While the photo is cute, what is happening in Australia at the moment is serious - deadly serious.

Some states are experiencing scorching temperatures of 44 degrees Celsius or more (some places have reported temperatures as high as 48 - that's almost 119 in Fahrenheit) as they experience one of the country's worst heatwaves.

It's estimated that almost 40 people are dead and there are fears that the death toll will rise as the high temperatures and winds present an even greater fire danger than Ash Wednesday which was Australia's worst bushfire tragedy, occurring 25 years ago and claiming the lives of 76 people.

I can still remember the bushfires of 1993/94. I was pregnant with Son#5, DH was away working, and I went to sleep at night with the smell of smoke in the air. By the front door was a basket packed with essentials: a change of clothes each, my Bible, a few photos (wedding and baby photos), important documents, and my wallet. If we had to evacuate, I planned to grab that basket if there was enough time and only if the children were safe first.

It never came to that.

We were safe but others lost everything.

And it's happening again.

We need to pray for my country. For those that are suffering. For those that have lost their homes. For those fighting the bushfires. Pray. Please.

Comments

SchnauzerMom said…
I will pray! Fires are terrifying things.
Linda said…
We all got a text message on our phones yesterday saying to listen to the radio. No winds have come yet, and I hope they don't come. We get our weather later as we are so far East.