If there's one distressing situation that keeps popping up in the news this week, it is the bushfires that continues to rage in the south eastern part of Australia. When I first heard of it, I thought it is just the 'usual stuff', as bushfires seem to be pretty common in that part of Australia. What makes it different this time round is that the fire don't seem to stop burning, even after it has claimed more than 180 fatalities. Some estimates put the final the number of fatalities at more than 200. It is reported that at least some of the fires, worst since 1983, has been set by arsonists.
It saddens me to hear stories about charred bodies found in homes, or in cars as the occupants tried to flee from the raging fire. It is no less distressing to hear that the fires came so quickly that sirens and other conventional warning signs were not effective in alerting residents of the impending danger.
I just read that the Indonesian Police force is sending their DVI (Disaster Victim Identification) forensic team to Australia to help out with the identification of bushfire victims, in addition to US$1 million aid to help reconstruct public schools. The sum may not be much, but in such times of emergency this is a sign for solidarity between neighboring nations. Action is always better than simple sympathies. The state owned news agency, Antara, also noted that Australia as a friendly nation who has provided assistance when Indonesia was hit with natural disasters, notably after the tsunami in Aceh-Nias in 2004 and 2005.
