topic Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought in Community Spirit

Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

katydidthat — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 06:36:10 GMT

I don't get it ... we have floods and fires and droughts and we have inquiries about them, but nothing happens.

Couldn't we move the water around to help with fires and droughts? Couldn't we store some of the water from rain and flood to assist in droughts and fires? Couldn't we put systems in place to be prepared for natural catastrophes? Couldn't we do more to prepare for fires BEFORE they happen? Couldn't we make dams bigger, or make more dams, or store the water to prevent flooding?

Why do we just let disasters happen again and again and again?

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

crystal-gems — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 06:44:56 GMT

Shakes head and rolls eyes !!!!

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

meh_too — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 06:49:20 GMT

Its climate change.

They did do something - they taxed us for it :^O

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

cherry*135 — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 06:55:04 GMT

I don't see why areas that get flooded repeatedly can't have something done there...building stopbanks or something.

Droughts and fires... not much can be done to prevent those...especially bush fires.. no one knows where they are going to start.

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

shinynewid — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 07:03:18 GMT

Bushfires generally start in the bush

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

meh_too — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 07:08:06 GMT

I have lived in Rockhampton for 25 years. Everytime there is a flood we are cut off from the rest of the country. At the moment, we have no eftpos in town - we also have no bread, milk, toilet paper, fresh fruit or vegetables to buy. And if you could buy them you would need cash. We have had intermittent power, water, telephone for the last 3 days.

For 25 years there has been talk of raising the main road into town (which is built on a flood plain) to be flood proof. Why hasn't the government done anything? Because we have very poor representation in all levels of government. All Labour, and they just dont want to spend the money on a safe seat.

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

lionrose.7 — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 07:13:46 GMT

I always wondered why the Gold Coast Council let developers build on Floods Plains on the Gold Coast.

You can only do so much against Climate, but some times you would think the council would not allow places that have flooded in the past to be built on.

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

the*scarlet*pimpernel — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 07:16:11 GMT

they used to do something about bushfires, it was called backburning.

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

cherry*135 — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 07:25:19 GMT

Bushfires generally start in the bush

I think we all know that. What we don't know is what location one may start in... how can you prevent something if you don't know where abouts it is going to start?

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

freddie*rooster — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 07:31:21 GMT

They should have a lottery with ALL profits going into a national emergency relief fund.

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

jean2579 — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:00:48 GMT

I always wondered why the Gold Coast Council let developers build on Floods Plains on the Gold Coast.

You can only do so much against Climate, but some times you would think the council would not allow places that have flooded in the past to be built on.

The same applies to Coffs Harbour. Heaps of properties built on known flood plains, including the new base hospital. Every time we have this weather the same places get flooded.

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

twinkles**stars — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:12:03 GMT

...and yet again so many of them are still not insured. Stupidity.

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

katydidthat — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:27:37 GMT

I'm no engineer ... but would it be an idea to pipe water from areas of heavy rain (NT, N QLD etc) to areas that are prone to fire or drought?

Would it be an idea to set up stores of water in areas that are likely to catch fire? Situated in trees, or above trees, with an automatic release trigger on a certain temperature?

Could we, should we, do more backburning and create fire breaks around towns and dwellings?

Is it a good idea to situate plantations (like pine) away from dwellings?

I dunno ... am I nuts :-x or not?

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

ten*teeny*tiny*toes — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:34:03 GMT

Judgemental much.. Sorry twinkles

Insurers don't want to know. Quotes up here for home and contents, I've seen a premium of $16000 . Absolutely ridiculous... Who can afford that?

Yes they will shop around..but very limited now. Insurers are not taking on new people.

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

patchoo78 — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:36:36 GMT

..and yet again so many of them are still not insured. Stupidity.

Even if they were insured, try getting any money out of the insurance agencies... Apparently floods are considered an act of God which isn't covered under insurance

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

twinkles**stars — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 08:45:30 GMT

Judgemental much.. Sorry twinkles

Insurers don't want to know. Quotes up here for home and contents, I've seen a premium of $16000 . Absolutely ridiculous... Who can afford that?

Yes they will shop around..but very limited now. Insurers are not taking on new people.

Judgemental tttt? All our insurances have gone up not just those in areas that tend to flood or burn.....you must have insurance when the home is mortgaged but some don't continue the insurance. So they can be left with a huge mortgage, no house and no insurance payout. At least insurance companies are now being taken to task on none payouts.....has been in the news just in past few weeks re the last floods.

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

katydidthat — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:01:24 GMT

Well, let's see government supervision of insurance companies. It's not good enough to have insurance companies say that they won't cover this or that, is it? If you have your contents insured, it should cover every circumstance except negligence or deliberate harm.

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

cueperkins — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:26:32 GMT

Could we, should we, do more backburning and create fire breaks around towns and dwellings?

Is it a good idea to situate plantations (like pine) away from dwellings?

I dunno ... am I nuts :-x or not?

Not Nuts, we do less Fuel Mitigation these days than any other time in the past and then wonder why we have wild fires. It's crazy, not only does it increase the danger for people living in the path of unmitigated bushland, but also the firies who have to fight fires that shouldn't be this deadly.

But what does the Govt care?...they're immune from any liability under the Civil Liability Act in NSW, so they can do what they want. See recent case in Canberra vs NSW RFS = found negligent but immune from damages as they were able to argue they 'acted in good faith'. Of Course the Plaintiff is appealing on the grounds that 'good faith' wasn't spelled out. (Not knocking the firies, but their Bureaucracy and Pollies leave a lot to be desired)

Many of our local firies would tell you that rather deadly bushland that saw us declared 'catastrophic' just recently (new word to play with), was burnt back every few years before Green influence got in the way of common sense. Apparently humans are so far down the species list, we're less important than bush weed.

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

katydidthat — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:34:53 GMT

Thanks for your opinion, Cue.

We got the Snowy Mountain Hydro-Electric Scheme up and running, we got sewerage and water systems to just about every house in Australia, we have electricity and/or gas connected to just about every house ... why can't we protect every house from fire and flood and drought?

Re: Why Doesn't Our Government Do Anything about Floods and Fires and Drought

cueperkins — Mon, 28 Jan 2013 09:45:15 GMT

Why can't we protect our houses?.....Because it's no longer up to us.

I'd just love to get an excavator and get rid of the bushland verging onto our house in every direction, but I'd be fined beyond all imagination just for trying to protect my house and existence. See how that doesn't work?

Try to get bushland mitigated...I dares ya....it took me 5 years of bashing my head against a 'Yes Minister' bureaucracy, but when we're declared Catastrophic as a result of the same bushland being so close to our houses...it's a whole different story. Go figure - mediocrity rules.