Over the last weekend, country Victoria suffered its most severe bushfire in Australia’s history.
Up till present, at least 181 lives have been lost, more than 1000 homes have been lost and more than 7000 people are left homeless. They have nothing. I forget to mention the magnitude of the loss of animals and wildlife that once called the forest their home.
With high temperature and strong winds, the fire storms swept through many country towns and hectares of native bush lands without warning and with speed. The firefighters work through day and night trying to contain the fires. Help from all the over the world has also poured into the country.
I have been following the news quite closely these few days and I must say I am very saddened by the lost of lives, especially the young children. I have read many stories of survivors and also many sad ones where families with young children did not have enough time to evacuate. My heart really sank as I read and listened to all these devastating news. I guess I can never fully appreciate what the victims are going through right now. I can only pray for them and donate to the appeal.
At this time of writing, firefighters in country Victoria are still fighting about 30 fires (about 15 contained). People and animals there are still at risk. With high temperature forecast for next week, there is a real worry that the fires will be much harder to contain.
If you can, please pray that God will have mercy on the people in Victoria and that the fire storm will cease soon. Pray also for the safety of the many firefighters who are risking their lives and for the people who are suffering. If you would like to follow the news, you can go to http://abc.net.au/news. If you would like to make a donation, you can click on the picture above or follow this link http://www.redcross.org.au