Horrific & Devestating...

Since the Victorian Bushfires started I have been glued to the news online, on the television and on the radio. The news of missing, injured and worse still, perished Victorians hits my eyes and ears with such force that it hurts. I don’t even know these people and yet I find my heart going out to them. I find myself with tears in my eyes and my hands drawn to my mouth in utter shock. The ever increasing death toll is deafening and I can not even begin to imagine what those poor people have witnessed. How do you describe to someone what it is like to be scared for your life, for the lives of your family, friends, neighbours and co-workers? How do you deal with such a thing? To lose loved ones in an instant… To lose everything you have worked for, building a marriage, a family, a home... To lose everything but the clothing you were wearing as you fled... Is it even possible to understand what that must be like if you have not been through it?

It frustrates me when television programs create stories of negativity at a time like this… stories about how the Federal Government is not doing enough. Instead of wasting time pushing political stories surely their time would be much better spent promoting charities and so forth. I am livid about the reports I heard this morning of charity scammers who are preying on the generosity of others and denying people the help that they deserve. I had no idea that such low lives existed. I place them in the same category as the arsonist/s who have taken the lives of innocent people through selfishness and shear insanity.

What can we do to help?
There are numerous charities that need urgent donations of food, clothing and blankets. Banks are taking cash donations in an effort to bridge the gap between the payments that the Federal Government has offered and the reality of what those in need require to start rebuilding their lives. Let’s not forget the Red Cross… They are in desperate need of more blood. Woolworths and Coles have donation strategies in place and Volunteers in the state of Victoria are also in high demand. I understand that every single one of us is not in the best financial state (money or time) however, just think of what one small charitable deed could mean to a someone who has lost everything. If that was you, wouldn’t you want someone to reach out generously and help you back to your feet?

Do whatever you can to help, however small and insignificant it may seem.