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EPIB Trail
Volume 12, Issue 3
A Quick Look at Disaster in Southern Australia By Kira Siligato
Beginning on Tuesday, November 19th, 2019, severe fire risk warnings forecasted what has grown to become a massive and catastrophic bushfire across southern Australia. It began in New South Wales where reported “at least 2,471,053 acres” (Freedman) has been overtaken by fire. This is three times the amount they saw in the previous year’s bushfire season alone, which is primarily January-February. This rapid and capacious spread so early into Australia’s summer (which doesn’t even officially start until December 1st) is accelerating concern of climate change’s role in this and what the trends predict for the upcoming future of Australia and its habitats.
How do bushfires start and why is this one worse than others? Bushfires are not uncommon in this region of the world. They occur in hot and dry conditions and can be set off either by natural causes like lightning and high winds or from human activity. The Forest Fire Danger Index (FFDI) is calculated from a sum of conditions including rainfall, evaporation, wind speed, temperature and humidity. In the case of Australia’s current and concerning early onset of bushfires, its FFDI has measured historically high rates. The map below shows the majority of the country “experienced between “above average” and “highest on record” fire conditions in winter when compared with the average since 1950” (Readfern et al.). Not only are this year’s conditions emphasized for their record breaking measures but also for their ability to affect areas that are rarely impacted by fires, at least to this extent. This includes “rainforests, wet eucalypt forests, dried-out swamps and organic matter in the soil where the water table has dropped” (Readfern et al.). The conditions are so serious that multiple total fire bans have been put into effect and have already penalized and charged people. The website for the Department of Fire & Emergency Services describes the penalties being “You may be issued with a $1,000 infringement, or upon conviction you may receive a penalty of $25,000 and/or be jailed for 12 months, if you breach a Total Fire Ban” (Emergency Services Authority). Those people have either deliberately started fires (mostly younger people who must think this is just an internet trend) or were doing thing like barbecuing or having campfires outdoors, openly smoking, operating or using any internal or external combustion engines without a spark arresting device, etc.
Who is being directly affected? Over the years, bushfires in Australia had not been a direct threat to human life. Hundreds of homes are already destroyed and multiple public buildings such as schools and hospitals have also burnt down. This year, reportedly four individuals have lost their lives already due to the fire. Without
