Volunteer Paints A Picture Of How Terrifying The Bushfires Actually Are
The entire world is currently aware of the situation in Australia, where bushfires are ravaging the country. The flames have already consumed an estimated 10.7 million hectares (26 million acres; 107,000 square kilometers; 41,000 square miles), along with over 5,900 buildings (including over 2,204 homes). Unfortunately, the number of human casualties is growing by the day with the current number being 28 (as of 8 January 2020). And as people from all around the globe donate as well as spread awareness, one woman decided to share what it really feels like to be in the midst of an uncontrollable bushfire.
The remedial therapist volunteered to help during the Black Saturday bushfires that hit Victoria in 2009. The fires of 2009 are amongst Australia’s all-time worst bushfire disasters that claimed 173 people’s lives. Bec Helvete details the absolute horror she witnessed during her two weeks of volunteering.
Massive bushfires are currently ravaging Australia
Image credits: AFP
In the midst of people’s reactions, one woman decided to share her story of what it’s like to be in the middle of things
Bored Panda reached out to Bec for additional comment and she provided more information on the situation. “I used to be a massage therapist but these days, I work in offices,” Helvete started by introducing herself. “I am a burlesque performer who hangs out in the goth and metal scenes. I am an animal lover and activist type.” She also mentioned that it was people arguing over politics in regards to the fires that prompted her to post the message on Facebook. “People were reading articles and not really understanding the situation,” she explained. Bec penned the post to encourage people to help and it pushed her to talk about things that she’s not exactly comfortable with, but thought had to be said.
“I have not volunteered yet this time due to severe ill health I was plagued with for most of last year,” the woman elaborated on why she hasn’t joined the efforts this time around. “I am still trying to find something I can do.” Helvete encouraged people to contact various organizations, like the South Australian Country Fire Service (CFS), and see what volunteers they need. “The person who organizes the massage volunteers did this originally,” the former volunteer added.
When asked how people responded to her post, Bec said that it was mostly positive. “I kept the original post private to avoid issues,” she explained on why she tried to keep it mostly to herself. But as the post was picked up by other people, Helvete wanted people to focus more on the issue at hand rather than her.
Image credits: AFP
Here’s how people reacted to the story:
40Kviews
Share on FacebookI was a firefighter... Black Saturday broke me, my husband is still a firefighter (his out there right now) but after finding my best friend dead during Black Saturday I was done.
Please consider making your donations to any charity other than the Red Cross. They take in billions of dollars every year and refuse to open their books to show where the money goes. It is estimated that 90 cents out of every dollar goes to corporate expenses and they have been involved in scandal after scandal after major disasters about misuse of funds. Remember 911? They took in over 500 million dollars and only about 40 thousand dollars actually went to victims. The rest went into their "war chest".
Australian Red Cross is a completely different organisation to the American Red Cross. You can donate to www.redcross.org.au.
Load More Replies...the RFS (Rural Firefighting Services) is set up to help the volunteers. While it's a government department, it's majority-run via volunteers & donations. If you want to help these amazing men and women, and the communities they serve, donating directly to them, is the most effective way to do it. You can donate directly into their bank account, therefore dodging the fees that many other charities must pay to companies like paypal etc. https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/about-us/fundraising
Load More Replies...I cannot fathom why the government in Australia seems to be doing nothing? There should never have to be the reliance on charity and volunteers in this situations, the governments should be throwing everything they have at crisis' like this, else they wont have a country when its all burnt to the ground!
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is a stubborn climate denier and has politicized the fires. He was broadcast two days ago defending his administration's "handling" of the fires and decision not to declare a state of emergency. Heck, he already had his Hawaii vacation cut short, what more do people expect of him?
Load More Replies...Wait....the Australian government hasn't made this an official emergency? WTF. Half a billion animals have died...if not this then what IS an emergency
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is a climate denier and has doubled down on not declaring a state of emergency.
Load More Replies...This insight on the fires is really powerful. Please, donate money to the Red Cross or any other organization that’s accepting money that goes toward fighting the fires. Anything helps
These fires are just too massive. Without any cooperation from cooler weather or precipitation, there's basically nothing humans can realistically do. Even if they build firelines, flame-driven updrafts and winds will carry firebrands for miles. Even if they try dumping water & retardant, most of it will be converted to steam before it gets anywhere near the flames. I'm honestly not sure why firefighters are even being deployed to fight the infernos. It's almost as if the government is delusional enough to think there's something which can be done now. When wildfires come under these conditions, if they're not stopped immediately, they'll run their course with or without human intervention. If the places people live are not allowed to burn once in a while or have fuels mitigated in other ways, they'll eventually explode in flames. Anthropogenic climate change is almost a certainty, with some climates heating-up & drying to the extreme. Explosive wildland fires are our reality now.
Our PN is a useless selfish corrupt individual who keeps refusing overseas assistance and who is selling off our water and loads of other things. He has not acted in any way as any kind of leader and our country continues to burn, our firefighters exhausted and defeated, our precious animals suffering death and pain, people losing their homes and we have another few months of hot weather yet. Please donate anything you can, to the Firefighters, or to "Wires" animal assistance, or Humane Society. There are many charities striving to help and we appreciate so much, any assistance.
Bec mentions "Scomo" not declaring an emergency. Scott Morrison is the Prime Minister of Australia and a climate denier. He took off for a vacation in Hawaii in the early days of the fires and his staff fuffed and said he couldn't get a flight back. Many volunteer firefighters are men and women who were unemployed and decided to make themselves useful. An ugly side story: they are having unemployment benefits cut off because they aren't filing three job applications per week.
Firefighters are the true hero's of the Aussie Bush, one doesn't know how much they deal with&how little the Government rates them until something goes terribly wrong. More funding is needed&fast!
I watched a broadcast from Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister and a climate denier, who defended his administration's decision NOT to declare a state of emergency. Volunteers are NOT being paid.
Load More Replies...I was a firefighter... Black Saturday broke me, my husband is still a firefighter (his out there right now) but after finding my best friend dead during Black Saturday I was done.
Please consider making your donations to any charity other than the Red Cross. They take in billions of dollars every year and refuse to open their books to show where the money goes. It is estimated that 90 cents out of every dollar goes to corporate expenses and they have been involved in scandal after scandal after major disasters about misuse of funds. Remember 911? They took in over 500 million dollars and only about 40 thousand dollars actually went to victims. The rest went into their "war chest".
Australian Red Cross is a completely different organisation to the American Red Cross. You can donate to www.redcross.org.au.
Load More Replies...the RFS (Rural Firefighting Services) is set up to help the volunteers. While it's a government department, it's majority-run via volunteers & donations. If you want to help these amazing men and women, and the communities they serve, donating directly to them, is the most effective way to do it. You can donate directly into their bank account, therefore dodging the fees that many other charities must pay to companies like paypal etc. https://www.rfs.nsw.gov.au/about-us/fundraising
Load More Replies...I cannot fathom why the government in Australia seems to be doing nothing? There should never have to be the reliance on charity and volunteers in this situations, the governments should be throwing everything they have at crisis' like this, else they wont have a country when its all burnt to the ground!
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is a stubborn climate denier and has politicized the fires. He was broadcast two days ago defending his administration's "handling" of the fires and decision not to declare a state of emergency. Heck, he already had his Hawaii vacation cut short, what more do people expect of him?
Load More Replies...Wait....the Australian government hasn't made this an official emergency? WTF. Half a billion animals have died...if not this then what IS an emergency
Prime Minister Scott Morrison is a climate denier and has doubled down on not declaring a state of emergency.
Load More Replies...This insight on the fires is really powerful. Please, donate money to the Red Cross or any other organization that’s accepting money that goes toward fighting the fires. Anything helps
These fires are just too massive. Without any cooperation from cooler weather or precipitation, there's basically nothing humans can realistically do. Even if they build firelines, flame-driven updrafts and winds will carry firebrands for miles. Even if they try dumping water & retardant, most of it will be converted to steam before it gets anywhere near the flames. I'm honestly not sure why firefighters are even being deployed to fight the infernos. It's almost as if the government is delusional enough to think there's something which can be done now. When wildfires come under these conditions, if they're not stopped immediately, they'll run their course with or without human intervention. If the places people live are not allowed to burn once in a while or have fuels mitigated in other ways, they'll eventually explode in flames. Anthropogenic climate change is almost a certainty, with some climates heating-up & drying to the extreme. Explosive wildland fires are our reality now.
Our PN is a useless selfish corrupt individual who keeps refusing overseas assistance and who is selling off our water and loads of other things. He has not acted in any way as any kind of leader and our country continues to burn, our firefighters exhausted and defeated, our precious animals suffering death and pain, people losing their homes and we have another few months of hot weather yet. Please donate anything you can, to the Firefighters, or to "Wires" animal assistance, or Humane Society. There are many charities striving to help and we appreciate so much, any assistance.
Bec mentions "Scomo" not declaring an emergency. Scott Morrison is the Prime Minister of Australia and a climate denier. He took off for a vacation in Hawaii in the early days of the fires and his staff fuffed and said he couldn't get a flight back. Many volunteer firefighters are men and women who were unemployed and decided to make themselves useful. An ugly side story: they are having unemployment benefits cut off because they aren't filing three job applications per week.
Firefighters are the true hero's of the Aussie Bush, one doesn't know how much they deal with&how little the Government rates them until something goes terribly wrong. More funding is needed&fast!
I watched a broadcast from Scott Morrison, the Prime Minister and a climate denier, who defended his administration's decision NOT to declare a state of emergency. Volunteers are NOT being paid.
Load More Replies...
180
33