The Victorians

I wake up wondering what is happening to the people who are still in tents.I know they have the things they need to keep clean and comfortable in a basic sense. If it rains then the tents will be another matter altogether.  As our school children started their school year at the end of January, some of the children in the Gaza Strip were going to school in tents because their teachers had asked for it and I felt nothing but admiration. Unicef is raising funds so the children in Gaza can go to school and get an education even though the conditions are horrendous. In Victoria our children are also at the mercy of people supporting them so their lives continue. The fund raising and support have been awesome. We have started matching people to accommodation through websites but now I wonder how many we still have in tents and if the children are able to go to school? In the gaza strip 7 schools were destroyed but we have had so many schools and homes destroyed in a big way too. Whole neighbourhoods and towns. People cannot return because it is too dangerous. Our sports people have been up to visit communities so the children have had a chance to play,  learn some skills and have some comfort. We are stretched to the limit and we have been nothing short of magnificent in getting practical help and solutions in place. There is talk here that we would shut schools in extreme heat. Our kids started school in really hot, dry conditions. Some of the worst we have had. They are at risk even without fires, so are adults...because going out in the heat is what really puts pressure on your body. The internet ought to provide some solutions with online delivery of assignments and then some work places could adapt to telecommuting and working from home. That is not so bad when in cold countries people are also prevented from attending work and school when the weather is extreme. Extreme heat is not properly computed in our calculations of daily living and yet technology has an adaptability built in which we could use. In the mean time , I think of those people in tents and wonder how they are managing and getting along because this will not be quickly returned to normal . We know that now . I have nothing but respect and admiration for the Victorians and then for us as a country . It's hard, but we are getting there.