Bushfire Update

Last night, my mom called and said, "If it gets any hotter, come home!"

Thankfully, the weather has calmed down considerably and Sat's scorcher is now a recent memory.

But not for the families and friends of the 108 people who lost their lives in bushfires last week.

We spent most of Sunday afternoon watching news updates and images of the bushfires. Brave (and outnumbered) firefighters. Tearful home owners who have had to watch their dream homes reduced to ashes. Farmers who have had to euthanase their cattle and horses. Residents worrying about missing neighbours (what a loving neighbourhood that must be!) and puzzled by why the fires hit some houses and missed others.

Most of the affected areas are in regional VIC: Ballarat, Bendigo, Kinglake... But one outer suburb (Narre Warren) was a casualty as well, which was surprising because you would think densely populated areas would be safe from raging bushfires. There's a suspicion that that particular fire was an act of arson. The madness of some humans!!

We had plans to go up to Bendigo on 15 Feb with my cousin for Chinese New Year yum cha, but we might think twice now. At least 50 homes were lost in Bendigo. The Bendigo homepage has been updated with advice on temporary housing solutions, location of recovery centre, advice about financial assistance...It gives you an idea of how bad things are there.

The Prime Minister has called the 108 deaths 'mass murder' and the Police Commissioner has labelled all bushfire areas 'crime scenes' because there is evidence that some of the fires were deliberately lit.

Which makes you wonder: what's going on in the perpetrators' minds? What drives some people to act cruelly and callously towards their fellow humans?

Truly the heart is deceitful and desperately wicked. The more outward progress we make in science, math and technology, the more divine redemption we seem to need.