Whilst troubles continue to our North, South Australia has had its share, with more properties damaged or destroyed over the past two days.
Here in Victoria, there was a Statewide Total Fire Ban, and two zones classed as "Code Red", aka "Catastrophic" up North.
Temperatures high 30s/low 40s and wind around 100kmh for a while. I have the "Vic Emergency" app on my phone, and it has hardly stopped sounding the alert in my 10km radius watch zone; trees down, building damage.
Our family had a direct taste, a 15 metre branch popped off a gum tree next door. It dropped onto the top of a star picket, driving it another 40cm into the ground; luckily, there were tree loppers working near it, they cut it up, and we chucked the bits back. The wire fence was squashed down near the ground, but sprang back once the timber was removed. I'll use the post lifter to reinstate the star picket to correct height, and the fence strainer to re-tension the wire. Those gums tend to drop branches with hardly a sound, giving them the nickname of "widowmaker". Luckily, the ponies were not seeking shade there at the time; both were in their shed.
Meanwhile, one of our daughter's sheds was crushed under a falling pine branch. The State Emergency Service responded and sliced it up and the neighbours took most of it back to their side. They have to come back to finish later.
I don't know if you've heard, but Israel Folau, was sacked from The Wallabies rugby team for posting on line comments about gay people.
They played a recording of a sermon by him, in which he said that the bushfires are God's retribution because our government passed same sex marriage laws.
In a strange coincidence:
https://doublebaytoday.com/breaking-isr ... -bushfire/