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Sunday 8 December 2002
but anyway ..

i wanted to post something about the fires that are still blazing all across Sydney. this morning i woke up to smoke everywhere. all day now the whole city has been covered in a thick fog-like haze. though they had said today was going to be 'hell', there's good news that conditions will ease up compared to yesterday. i had ventured out early this morning to finish off a few things, but the smoke was just too much for me (and alot of people) so i came back and stayed at home and did what i could with whatever i had. i really can't complain though, at least i don't have to sit on my roof with a hose before the fire comes streaming towards my house. i'll put up with some smoke.

there's only 2 more weeks to my much needed break from work, and i can't wait to just do something fun for once. when was my last break? april? not sure what i'll get up to though, would of been cool to have seen Regan but that'll come in time anyway. last year i went away up to couran cove with my girl friends, i think this year i'll just stay put.

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here's just an article that i saw on the internet that i wanted to keep archived aswell.
also .. here is a map of the sydney fires - to place me on the map, i'm just about near Glenorie and Kenthurst (actually right next to the K in Kenthurst)

The NSW bushfires at a glance
December 07, 2002

The NSW Bushfires at a glance:

HOMES DESTROYED:

+ No further homes have been destroyed since Friday, however fire authorities revised the tally to 49 homes destroyed.

+ One house was destroyed in Medlow Bath, in the Blue Mountains this afternoon.

+ North of Sydney, 36 homes razed around Glenorie, Maroota and Brooklyn.

+ In Sydney's south, two homes lost at Sandy Point and one at Picnic Point.

+ In the Hunter region, one house destroyed.

+ West of Sydney, one house burnt to the ground in the Blue Mountains.

FIREFIGHTERS:

+ More than 4,500 firefighters on the ground

+ One aircrane and a convoy of 15 firetrucks with about 100 firefighters were diverted from other areas to help fight fires in the Blue Mountains.

+ NSW Rural Fire Service firefighters also joined by NSW Fire Brigade, the National Parks and Wildlife Service and State Forests.

+ 94 aircraft battling blazes, including two helitankers.

+ 'Elvis', a helitanker with a 9000 litres capacity, was due in Sydney tomorrow and expected to be in action by Tuesday.

FIRES:

+ At least 110,000 hectares burnt out since Wednesday.

+ About 80 separate bushfires still raging.

+ Major hotspot today was north of Sydney, near Brooklyn and Berowra.

CASUALTIES:

+ An 81-year-old man found dead inside his burnt caravan at Maroota on Friday.

+ About six firefighters have suffered minor injuries including broken limbs, burns and smoke inhalation.

COST:

+ NSW Premier Bob Carr said the bushfire bill this year would be in excess of $100 million.

POWER:

+ 1000 residents in northern Sydney remained without power, some since Friday.

+ Reports that up to two-thirds of residents in the Baulkham Hills area were without phone services.

ASSISTED:

+ Since Wednesday, the NSW Department of Community Services (DOCS) has operated 17 evacuation centres and received aid requests from 2000 people.

+ The DOCS Helping Hand fund has already provided $40,000 worth of aid and today had another 12 payments of $10,000 in the pipeline.

+ Evacuation centres were today operating at Castle Hill RSL, Wiseman's Ferry Bowling Club and Thornleigh Baptist Centre, and at Gosford RSL, on the central coast, with Gosford Racetrack and Nowra Showground, on the south coast, on standby.

TRANSPORT:

+ Great Western Highway at Medlow Bath was currently closed in both directions.

+ One southbound lane of the F3 Freeway linking Sydney and Newcastle currently closed.

+ Northern rail line out of Sydney closed until at least 2am (AEDT) Monday, substitute bus services have been introduced.

+ Pacific Highway heading north from Sydney closed in both directions between Brooklyn and Berowra.

+ Old Northern Road closed at Maroota in Sydney's north.

+ Berowra Waters Road closed at Berowra Heights.

+ South of Sydney, Heathcote Road was shut between St Georges Crescent and New Illawarra Road.

+ On the mid north coast, the Lakes Way was shut between Bulahdelah and Forster.

+ At Milton in the Shoalhaven area of the south coast, Clyde Ridge Road closed at the junction of Milton Bruman Road, and Milton Bruman Road closed at Monkey Mountain Road.

+ Further south at Batemans Bay, the Western Distributor was shut at the junction of the Kings Highway; Lyons Creek Road and River Road were both closed where they cross the Kings Highway.

+ Ku-ring-gai National Park and Ku-ring-gai Chase Road closed to both directions.