The recent bushfires in Victoria, Australia have captivated the minds and muscles of many.
On most recent counts, some 200 lives were lost in this tragedy with numbers expected to rise as forensic teams shift through the rubble of burnt out buildings and the mangled remains of vehicles caught in the inferno. 
Northern Australia was hit by devastating floods. At the time of writing, rapidly rising waters were still threatening several communities in Queensland and northern New South Wales. 
My wife quipped to me at the height of these disasters that if only, and only if, we could channel the floods up north into the bushfires down south! Yes, it feels like Australia has its head under water and its feet in the deep fryer/furnace.
Parts of Fiji was also flooded following heavy rains just weeks earlier. Much of the Fiji Diaspora in Australia was busy shipping goods and funds to victims at home. These same individuals are now raising funds for the bushfire victims of Victoria.
Much of Australia remains in drought. When the heavens open up, it does not just rain but pours here, as the flood victims up north would attest to. When the sun shines, it does so with fury. Those caught in the recent bushfires down south would tell you that these were no ordinary fires; being in a blast furnace would be an apt description if you see footage of molten window frames hanging off burnt-out building shells. 
Wind speeds of up to 100 km per hour with the raging fires is as close a visualisation of hell one can get to.
Nature's fury is impossible to resist. Islands are vulnerable to several catastrophies. The 2004 Asian tsunami is a constant reminder of the threat of the calm seas on islands communities.
I cringe to even think of the devastation this tsunami would have caused had it taken its fury on the Pacific. Many of our atoll communities would probably have been wiped off the planet.

Disaster preparedness
Preparedness to disasters is the key-a point I have been repeating for the past two consecutive articles in this magazine. 
Let me repeat the same warning once more.  The recent floods, devastating as they were, could not have been averted. The bushfires, even if some were deliberately lit, are impossible to avoid.
The fury of the fires could have been reduced with pre-emptive action such as clear felling and with early burn-offs to reduce fuel loads in the bush. 
We can all be wise in hindsight, but lessons from these disasters must be drawn if we are to come out better next time.
Fires have been part of the arsenal of mankind from times immemorial. The Australian aborigines have used this as effectively as any other community around. 
Fire has been indispensable for hunting, cooking, and clearing bush. As a kid who grew up in the rural sugar belt of Fiji, I have fought scores of bushfires in my life. 
What surprises me most is that the technology for fighting fires has hardly changed over time. Back burning is still the most effective strategy. The old men in the village told me ages ago to 'fight fire with fire'-true both in the literal and figurative sense. 
The fires in Australia, however, are a lot more unforgiving compared to those I am familiar with. We don't have heat wave conditions of a blast furnace in the islands. 
Summer time temperatures in Australia regularly reach into the mid-forties. The air during these episodes becomes stinkingly hot and dry to the extent that breathing becomes a struggle.
Fighting a fire in these conditions is hard, running away from them at the last hour even harder. 
The lesson from these disasters is the need for preparedness. If the warnings of the climate scientists are to be taken seriously, then we need to invest a lot more in early warning systems. Tsunamis remain a constant threat to many of our communities. What progress has been made in setting up a tsunami detection and information-dissemination system through out the Pacific islands? How prepared are we as a community with disaster relief and supplies? 

Disaster relief
Australians have raised approximately A$100 million to assist the recent fire victims. The government of Papua New Guinea has put in another US$1.3 million. This may sound like a lot of cash, but the damage bill is likely to run into billions of dollars. Like most disasters, no relief effort would be sufficient to defray the full costs of any disaster-forget the trauma of loss of life and property.
But could more have been done to assist the victims? New Zealand was quick to fly in a fully equipped fire-fighting team. 
The US has lent assistance and sent in a team of experts. The British PM and the Queen sent in their messages of condolence. To the best of my knowledge, just two Pacific leaders volunteered any words of comfort.
Could the near neighbours have done more?  I believe so. 
A colleague of mine here at the Australian National University urged his government back home to lend material support to the rescue efforts to the disasters in Australia.
While he is too modest to claim credit for the US$1.3 mllion his government volunteered, the timing of this assistance could not have been more coincidental. 
Most Australians contributed to the bushfire appeal. Children in schools spared their 'piggy-bank' collections, many families sent carton fulls of goods to the relief centres, a number of the fire fighters from the other States congregated to save propert-one from Canberra lost his life in this fight.
But a lot more could have been spared in the relief efforts. The A$100 million raised locally amounts to less than five dollars per Australian (the price of a mug of coffee here) and possibly A$10 per working Australian.  PNG's contribution amounts to some A$0.33 per PNG-citizen. And given the fact that per capita income in PNG is one-thirtieth of Australia, this is a substantial contribution.  Tonga offered F$100, 000 to recent flood relief efforts in Fiji-this sum amounts to approximately a dollar per Tongan. 
And for a country with a per capita income that is just two thirds that of Fiji, this is a commendable gesture of generosity.
Humanity shows its true colours in times of disaster. Call this a reflection of my social and family upbringing, but I strongly believe in the above. 
The lack-lustre enthusiasm shown by many in supporting those that are caught in nature's fury is an indictment on our civility.
In defence, many of my Pacific islanda friends have pointed out to me that "Australia is rich and can take care of the victims". 
Some of my (economist) colleagues have pointed out to me that those affected by the fires knew the risks they were taking when building in the bush. 
"Let them face the consequences," they retort. They question me as to why society at large should bear the costs of these decisions. Some suggest that insurance will cover the costs-and for those without the cover, "they better learn"! 
Sure some truth to all of the above, but my simple (modest) village upbringing reminds me that we still 'pitch in' when disaster strikes and this is done regardless of the wealth of the individual affected.

Words of comfort cost nothing but mean a lot!
If truth be told, then the initial reports tell us that (at a minimum) one in five properties affected by the bushfires in Victoria were not insured. And not all bushfire victims are rich. 
Even if fully insured, how do we compensate for loss of lives and loved ones? Who in their right minds will expose their family to an inferno never seen before? To be honest, I have little time for the arguments made by many of my colleagues. 
National borders, while real, are man-made. Think for a moment that no such borders existed. 
Would not the villager in the islands feel for his counterpart in bush-Victoria under the inferno? 
My guess is that if anything, the poor rural villager will dig a lot deeper into his/her (shallow) pockets than the urban elite in helping his fellow human being under distress.
Finally, even if we did not want to part with the spare coins for the disaster victims, why not lend a shoulder for support? 
Some timely words of comfort mean a lot but cost nothing. Yes, I was disappointed that many of our leaders from the neighbourhood, a neighbourhood to whose rescue Australia comes first in any disaster, remained silent during a major tragedy.