Toll rising

The death toll in the Victorian bushfires continues to rise - and seem more and more unreal.
We went through that region last year. Many of the homes are just weatherboard and some of them must be heritage listed they are so old. They are often tiny as well. But, they are still people's homes, filled with possessions and memories and irreplaceable treasures.
I cannot imagine losing what we have.
It is so strange and frightening to see the lost, blank look, the look of shock and numbness on people's faces. Will other people understand that, like the displaced people from other disasters in other places, some of these people will simply not be able to do anything. They will not have the emotional or physical energy to do anything - and they are the lucky ones. It will take months to positively identify the dead, hold services for them and even more months - perhaps years - for the burns victims to recover as far as they can - and they will all still be scarred for life.
I am still conscious that all it will take is one idiot and one match and it could all too easily be the same here. Australia is not a kind country in terms of fire and flood.