Black Saturday...2 years on..
#1
High in the Dandenongs
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Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Listening to Puffing Billy
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Black Saturday...2 years on..
Remembering those who lived, lost and fought on Feb 7th 2009.
A lot of people are still homeless, some living in government shelters (like school porta cabins) some in sheds and the really unlucky ones in caravans.
The insurance companies have been taken to court in many cases, most paid out. However they only paid out to the value of the home. So for example if the home was mud brick and someone got paid out 250K, there is no way, with the new regulations, that people can afford to re build. Apparently just the special covering blanket for a standard roof is an extra 50K!!! So people dont have the money. Then theres the glass thats 7 times as thick as normal glass, guess what? You cant get it in Australia!
What happened to the 107 million dollars raised for the appeal? Well some of it has been handed out The clean-up bill alone is likely to be at least $40 million even before rebuilding.
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The bushfire appeal has so far raised a $107 million, a figure that does not include corporate donations, government contributions, telethon pledges and funds yet to be raised at more than 200 authorised events.
About $30 million has been distributed from the appeal fund through $10,000 grants to families of the dead, $7500 payments to the seriously injured and $5000 grants to those who lost their homes.
The size of the disaster meant much more would be required, Mr Landy said.
Sooooo?
I'll get off my soap box, because really at the end of the day, I just wanted to say...lest we forget
A lot of people are still homeless, some living in government shelters (like school porta cabins) some in sheds and the really unlucky ones in caravans.
The insurance companies have been taken to court in many cases, most paid out. However they only paid out to the value of the home. So for example if the home was mud brick and someone got paid out 250K, there is no way, with the new regulations, that people can afford to re build. Apparently just the special covering blanket for a standard roof is an extra 50K!!! So people dont have the money. Then theres the glass thats 7 times as thick as normal glass, guess what? You cant get it in Australia!
What happened to the 107 million dollars raised for the appeal? Well some of it has been handed out The clean-up bill alone is likely to be at least $40 million even before rebuilding.
Advertisement: Story continues below
The bushfire appeal has so far raised a $107 million, a figure that does not include corporate donations, government contributions, telethon pledges and funds yet to be raised at more than 200 authorised events.
About $30 million has been distributed from the appeal fund through $10,000 grants to families of the dead, $7500 payments to the seriously injured and $5000 grants to those who lost their homes.
The size of the disaster meant much more would be required, Mr Landy said.
Sooooo?
I'll get off my soap box, because really at the end of the day, I just wanted to say...lest we forget
#2
Re: Bleak Saturday...2 years on..
Sad day it was too mate. its a worry if that's where the money went
Insurance companies out here are getting their act together and making the policies less complicated which has been a long time coming RIP to those who died and I hope those that survived will get the help they need
Insurance companies out here are getting their act together and making the policies less complicated which has been a long time coming RIP to those who died and I hope those that survived will get the help they need
#3
Re: Bleak Saturday...2 years on..
You're right Hevs, where does the fund raised money actually go?
There was something in the news a while back that the tsunami appeals, not all the money had actually been distributed and that was years ago.
Makes me laugh, as a condition of our mortgage we HAVE to insure to cover the rebuilding costs of the house BUT then they decide that they will only pay out if it gets destroyed in this way but not that way. Okay so maybe some destruction is a more likely risk but it still has to be rebuilt one way or another so calculate for those risks and increase the premium and then at least the client has the choice whether to pay or not.
It seems hard to believe two years ago it was so hot here and yet today it's cool and we've had all that rain and flooding. Aussie weather certainly is interesting.
Lets hope that the people involved get sorted out soon.
There was something in the news a while back that the tsunami appeals, not all the money had actually been distributed and that was years ago.
Makes me laugh, as a condition of our mortgage we HAVE to insure to cover the rebuilding costs of the house BUT then they decide that they will only pay out if it gets destroyed in this way but not that way. Okay so maybe some destruction is a more likely risk but it still has to be rebuilt one way or another so calculate for those risks and increase the premium and then at least the client has the choice whether to pay or not.
It seems hard to believe two years ago it was so hot here and yet today it's cool and we've had all that rain and flooding. Aussie weather certainly is interesting.
Lets hope that the people involved get sorted out soon.
#4
Re: Black Saturday...2 years on..
WA is definately remembering them.
Its a bit ironic that on the anniversary of such an awful day we have a repeat (albeit on a much much smaller scale and thankfully no deaths).
Very grateful also to the VIC firefighters that have flown over to WA to share their hard earned knowledge from 2 years ago.
Hoping that the people of the Black Saturday Fires are coping OK. It must be horrible to still be homeless 2 years later and makes their emotional recovery so much harder I would think.
Hevs, are the revised building codes now legally in force or are they still being debated?
Its a bit ironic that on the anniversary of such an awful day we have a repeat (albeit on a much much smaller scale and thankfully no deaths).
Very grateful also to the VIC firefighters that have flown over to WA to share their hard earned knowledge from 2 years ago.
Hoping that the people of the Black Saturday Fires are coping OK. It must be horrible to still be homeless 2 years later and makes their emotional recovery so much harder I would think.
Hevs, are the revised building codes now legally in force or are they still being debated?
#5
High in the Dandenongs
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Re: Black Saturday...2 years on..
No, they are in force (as far as I know) Cousins ex is still waiting for the stupid windows.....
#6
Home and Happy
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Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
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Re: Black Saturday...2 years on..
Lest we forget indeed. A horrible horrible time. Some of the guys from Victoria SES who worked during the Fires were up in Queensland working with us during the floods. They had some very sobering memories of that day and the aftermath
#7
Re: Black Saturday...2 years on..
Where are they having to import them in from? and are there any plans to licence the manufacturing of these special window in OZ at some point in the near future?
#8
High in the Dandenongs
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Re: Black Saturday...2 years on..
If you want to lose the will to live.....
http://www.royalcommission.vic.gov.a...1.005.0131.pdf
#9
High in the Dandenongs
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Re: Black Saturday...2 years on..
Actually, thats the short version, the one I found origionally was huge...and now I cant find it...
#10
Re: Black Saturday...2 years on..
thanks (I think ) LOL
I might well lose the will to live - thank goodness you gave me the 'short' version
I might well lose the will to live - thank goodness you gave me the 'short' version
#11
Home and Happy
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Re: Black Saturday...2 years on..
Trust me you wouldn't want to read the long one, we had to read the transcripts (the long version) every day and precis them for work. Very tedious stuff about building regs interspersed with the most horrific retelling of events by survivors. Some very long sobering nights one way and another.
#12
High in the Dandenongs
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Joined: Apr 2003
Location: Listening to Puffing Billy
Posts: 9,183
Re: Black Saturday...2 years on..
Trust me you wouldn't want to read the long one, we had to read the transcripts (the long version) every day and precis them for work. Very tedious stuff about building regs interspersed with the most horrific retelling of events by survivors. Some very long sobering nights one way and another.
#13
Re: Black Saturday...2 years on..
Trust me you wouldn't want to read the long one, we had to read the transcripts (the long version) every day and precis them for work. Very tedious stuff about building regs interspersed with the most horrific retelling of events by survivors. Some very long sobering nights one way and another.
#14
Home and Happy
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Location: Keep true friends and puppets close, trust no-one else...
Posts: 93,787
Re: Black Saturday...2 years on..
They were in places. Especially in contrast to the dry building regs stuff. Having to precis some of the experiences was heart-rending, and not a good one to be doing on a shift alone at night. This year we are going to have to do the same with experiences of people in Toowoomba and the Lockyer Valley.