Jules Jones

I posted under f-lock last night about the bushfires in Australia. This isn't just a far away tragedy for me -- I lived in Australia for several years, and some of my family are still there, though they're all safe.

Someone asked in comments for the link to the Red Cross donation site. There will be government assistance for the survivors, but donations still help, not least because the Red Cross is co-ordinating the immediate relief effort. I tried last night but was having trouble, I thought because I was using a non-Australian card but possibly because the site has simply been overwhelmed. Some of the Australians at the Making Light blog have posted useful links which I'll copy here for anyone who wants to donate:

Some links
http://www.redcross.org.au/default.asp – Oz Red Cross

about 2009 Victorian Bushfire Fund
about Bendigo Bank Appeal

Online donations
Red Cross
Bendigo Bank

The Red Cross donation site is swamped at the moment, but you might have better luck with a direct deposit. One of the papers is reporting that you can make a direct deposit to the Victorian Bushfire Relief Fund. The article is here:

http://www.news.com.au/story/0,27574,25027108-421,00.html