ZombieKitten said:

0419 BLOW ME didn't recieve the SMS either!

Amaxx said:

well you know the police point of view on hookers, they carn burn in hell for all they care

ZombieKitten said:

"Our crews have been instructed that if they are unable to pull the fire up on the first attack then they should consider backing off due to the expected inability to pull it up from there and the danger to firefighters"
you heard it here, unofficially

Hey!

fires aren't over yet! folks need to keep praying!

The sky is looking pretty angry & the trees here R bending in half! There's been reports of Morons lighting fires all around the metropolitan area!

Amaxx said:

what in the hell

ZombieKitten said:

Yep! I heard multiple grass fires lit in Resevoir and on the Peninsular!

Such a weird day, weather wise. Horribly overcast, windy yet humid.

Well, it's been raining for the last 20 minutes. Probably not that much in reality. Still hopefully it's had some positive effect on the fires.

Rain!!!!

It's been SO long since I've even SEEN rain

ZombieKitten said:

i check the thread everyday!

the media here has moved on to whomever will win the island caretaker job

purplesweat said:

my kid left his sneakers outside in a tree

BUT they weren't even wet this morning

Well, despite the rain, the same fires still seem to be out of control, particularly that Murrindindi one.

I guessing, though, that the rain might have prevented the complete catastrophe they predicted for yesterday?

It was pretty freaky seeing rain I have to admit. I sat outside, for a good while last night, just watching it.

TyphoonTip said:

it's raining here right now, it waited until I walked to school to get the kids, then bucketed down, and the wind turned our umbrellas inside out

Still raining here today, been raining all night

i want webcams on my thread, people! yay rain!

http://www.theage.com.au/...ml?page=-1

The worst is over, bushfire authorities declare
March 4, 2009 - 4:00PM

Authorities have declared the worst of Victoria's bushfires over. Now comes the task of rebuilding razed homes and shattered lives.

While the physical reconstruction can begin, questions remain over how the millions of dollars in the Bushfire Recovery Plan will be divvied up.

Four major fires continue to burn, but forecasts for the next few weeks promise firefighters some breathing room, Emergency Services Commissioner Bruce Esplin said today.

"We see a very bright light at the end of the tunnel now," Mr Esplin said.

"The pressure (from weather) has been in existence for well over a month now."

People in 78 affected communities are being told that now is the time to go home.

"There's an opportunity for the communities of Victoria to start their process of grieving, start their process of rebuilding, without the ever-present threat of fire," Mr Esplin said.

He said people deserved a rest from the "yo-yo" of going in and out of their communities.

"Victoria is tired, the emergency services are tired, it's been a deeply distressing period."

Up to 30mm of rain fell over the state yesterday, helping to dampen, but not extinguish the fires.

Country Fire Authority deputy chief fire officer Steve Warrington said if the fires were going to break out, yesterday was the day.

"Mother Nature threw just about everything at Victoria yesterday," he said.

"We had winds, we had dust storms, we had rain, we had fires, just about everything possible."

It was now time for overseas and interstate crews to go home and for volunteers to get some well-deserved rest, he said.

"It will take some weeks to mop it all up, but as long as there are no new starts, it should be okay," Mr Warrington said.

Ewan Waller, chief officer for the Department of Sustainability and Environment, said 1200 kilometres of containment lines surrounding the four enduring fires had held under the "worst conditions".

"It was due entirely to the massive effort that went into getting those containment lines in," Mr Waller said.

The entire country should be proud of the hard work thousands of firefighters had put in over the past month, authorities said.

Victoria Police Superintendent Rod Collins said police would resume searches for missing people, a job that could continue for another three weeks.

He said roads into devastated communities would open as quickly as possible but that came with a warning.

"Our advice is if people are going there just to have a look at what devastation fire has caused, you're not welcome," he said.

Mr Esplin echoed the warning, but reminded people that local businesses needed customers.

"If you're just going to have a rubberneck, stay away. If you're going back for tourism, you're more than welcome."

Meanwhile, a panel headed by former Victorian governor John Landy will soon announce how the more than $200 million raised through the Red Cross Bushfire Appeal will be spent.

Premier John Brumby admitted those who were uninsured may get more out of the fund than the insured, although everyone is likely to get something.

"Clearly people who haven't got any support, who've lost everything, who have been uninsured, maybe they will get a bigger hand along," Mr Brumby said.

"These are all of the things that are being looked at and examined."

The insurance bill for the bushfires had passed the $1 billion mark, the Insurance Council of Australia said.

Approximately 8150 claims had been processed, with 83 per cent relating to property and contents and 17 per cent to motor vehicles.

AAP

so how do they insurance companies afford this?

ZombieKitten said:

By increasing premiums and passing the cost on to all 'customers'.
Don't worry about them. They are well equipped to survive this. Insurance companies are swimming in money.

Cockroaches.

TyphoonTip said:

so they would borrow money now if they don't already HAVE it?

ZombieKitten said:

I guess some insurance companies might have an operating loss for a few months. But they recoup money pretty quickly.

It's actually possible they will benefit after all this is said and done. They are pushing for compulsory insurance for the affected areas in the future. This would include outrageous increases in premiums; to a point where it may not be viable living in these places any more.

When the companies risk assess these areas, they will cost it in such a way that they make money. And if they get their compulsory insurance request from the government, well Ch-Ching!!!

TyphoonTip said: