Australia burns

I often speak about preparation and make no apology for it either. You see, I feel that it is the responsibility of each and every one of us to have some degree of preparation in our lives, at least at the most basic of levels. Sure, make jokes about it...But dying when you could have lived isn't a joke really is it...

What's prepping? Things like having reserves of drinking water and non-perishable foods in the household, a first aid kit in the home and car plus the ability to use it. A small stash of emergency money or silver and a household fire evacuation plan, knowing how to do CPR or treat a cut of burn...These things are not difficult to have, or generally all that costly, but the cost of not having them could be beyond measure.

I don't want to make this a rant about prepping however it is about prepping. You see, prepping isn't all about having a doomsday bunker, a cache of weapons, gas masks and and an apocalypse vehicle...It's about being prepared for situations that may arise...Such as a house fire.

Australia is on fire

You may or may not know that my country is on fire...Seriously on fire. Wildfires have been raging from Western Australia, South Australia, Victoria, Canberra, New South Wales and into Queensland...Tasmania down south too. Devastating fires. New South Wales lost 368 homes since New Years eve alone! Plus seven lives lost including a volunteer fire fighter...Since Monday. All fire-affected areas have lost lives, homes, buildings, livestock, native animals and infrastructure and today the ADF (Australian Defence Force) was deployed to fill man-power gaps.

It's been very catastrophic for our small 25 million-people population.

Anyway, I don't normally watch the news but today turned on the ABC (Australian Broadcasting Corporation) and was amazed to see the level of unpreparedness of many, many people...And the government too. (This is about the people though.)

No food, no fuel, no water...

People can't evacuate certain areas as the power is out and fuel is not available through the inability to pump it (lack of power) or shortage. People have no reserves of water or food. There was a line hundreds of metres long to get into a supermarket that was only letting 20 people in at a time...And then there was zero fresh food there anyway, just non-perishable stocks; No new supplies are coming through to the supermarket. There is no internet across vast areas so people are out of communication (through single-minded reliance upon that method of connection) and they're broadcasting warnings on AM and FM radio...Most don't have these ancient devices though...See the issues? It's a powder keg situation with men and resources stretched to the limit.

We'll be OK though; We're Aussies you see, and toughing it out is what we do.

So, preparedness. Not worth it? Don't need it? Government will provide for you? Catastrophes don't happen these modern times? Think again.

We have such a short memory when it comes to catastrophe, or maybe it's because people are more concerned with things they feel are more important? (Facebook likes maybe?). Remember cyclone Katrina? Remember the Tsunami of 2004 (227,898 died)...One doesn't need to google too much to find examples of extreme adversity...It happens. People's houses catch alight and they die because they lack a satisfactory evac-plan - Doesn't make sense to me.

The head-in-the-sand casual who cares attitude simply doesn't cut it...People die...Then wonder what they could have done differently...But never do it. It's difficult to find a lot of empathy for that sort of stupidity.

I feel sad for those who have lost their houses; That hasn't happened due to their lack of preparation. Some 1300 residential houses have been lost in New South Wales alone in this fire season that only really began a month ago...Tragic. It makes me mad though, when I hear about people lack of preparation, even at the most basic of levels.

The blame for a person's failure to prepare lies purely at their own feet, along with the trials and tribulations that come from their lack of responsibility. It's difficult to feel empathy for them in this case, for me anyway. My mates are out on the fire-front and deep in hot-spots battling away and yet the homeowners who live in these areas can't take the responsibility for their own well-being at even the most base level, that is to say food and water. It's senseless I don't think there's a viable excuse, although you can try and offer one in the comments if you like.

The need for preparation is magnified if a person has children. You got kids and you're a disorganised, unprepared household? OK, your choice...But it's also your fault that you and your family are in danger, and may in fact suffer for that same lack of preparation. It's all shits and giggles until your 5 year old burns to death or drowns in the back yard pool and you don't know CPR. It happens, whether one wants to admit it or not...It happens.

Anyway, people will make their own choices I guess.

I don't know how much information is getting out to other parts of the world about the fires here...I don't know how many care...What I'd like to see though, is more people care enough about themselves, family and community in general to take some ownership for their level of preparedness. It's not just for crackpots and loonies, prepping I mean...It's for all of us.
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