In what has now been dubbed 'Black Saturday', we take a look at the online Search activites this past month of the the deadliest wildfires in Australia's history - the Victorian bushfires which decimated entire communities.
Shocked and horrified searchers tapped multiple bushfire related queries into the Search box as soon as news of the fires broke out. The intense interest continued unabated with more and more people turning to the net for bushfire updates and general information surrounding the raging flames.
Over this past week particularly, there has been renewed interest in the Search box as bushfires which ravaged Victorian towns earlier in the month are back under the gaze of the national Search spotlight. Winds have stoked another potential inferno in Victorian towns. Fresh firefighters are coming onto the scene to challenge the threat of new blazes breaking out. Firefighters have made a heroic effort to contain flames and continue to work tirelessly to consolidate containment lines around existing bushfires. They're strengthening control lines even as they're tampered by strong and changing winds.
There was a veritable slew of bushfire queries from the start of the disaster. Searchers' interests ranged on suburbs which were hardest hit, such as Marysville in particular and Kinglake, to the brave activities of the Victorian CFA, map of fires and Red Cross Victorian Bushfire appeal.
News of the bushfires grabbed international headlines and there were many heart-warming stories of survival including an unexpected chapter of the bushfire garnering global attention - bushfire survivor Sam the Koala who captured the imagination of an international populace still reeling from the news of loss of human and animal life.
Shock and dismay gave way to anger as police revealed they suspected some of the fires were started by arsonists whom Prime Minister Kevin Rudd accused of 'mass murder'.
A National Day of Mourning was declared where grieving Australians prayed, sang and laid wreaths to honour victims of the deadly bushfires and gave thanks to the courageous firefighters and volunteers.
The generosity of Australians is often most felt following a disaster. The bushfire appeal has already netted around $140 million to assist individuals and communities in the bushfire disaster zones. Let's hope and pray even as the towns dare to rise from the ashes of the past that the nation will never again witness such a calamity.
Seriously though, Miss Iuliano, thank you for a well constructed and emotively scribed article. We too pray that towns we recently drove through have the heart and desire to rise and show the Aussie spirit that revels in adversity.
CJ