Australia 2019-20 Wildfire CS

Question 1

Describe the location of the wildfires:

Answer 1

• various regions of the state of New South Wales
• Eastern and North Eastern Victoria

Question 2

What were the causes of the wildfires?

Answer 2

• long, intense heatwave
• dry fuel moisture
• ongoing drought (precipitation deficit)
• changes in prevailing wind
• lightening storms (there were 91,000 lightening strikes recorded in one day in the DARWIN AREA)

Question 3

What were some social effects of the fires?

Answer 3

• over 33 people lost their lives, including several firefighters
• thousands of homes were destroyed
• many communities became isolated
• road closures and loss of communication infrastructure
• smoke caused major health and respiratory issues

Question 4

What were some economic effects of the fires?

Answer 4

• projected total cost to be around us$70 billion
  -tourism industry took a hit of $2.8 billion in total output
• 7300 jobs disappeared
• cost Australian agriculture industry between $4-5 billion

Question 5

What were some environmental effects of the fires?

Answer 5

• estimated 18.6 million hectares of land was burned
• significant damage caused to national parks and wildlife
• estimated over 1 billion animals were killed
• many endangered species died out
• significant air and water pollution

Question 6

What were some political effects of the fires?

Answer 6

• pressure on government to coordinate emergency plans
• changes in forest management policies to reduce chance of damage

Question 7

What were some short term responses to the fires?

Answer 7

• firefighters worked to contain and extinguish the fires as soon as possible
• warning and evacuation notices issued
• fire diverted away from settlements
• water sprayed onto land and buildings to reduce flammability
• search and rescue operations implemented
• monitoring of air quality to issue advisories about risk of respiratory illnessses

Question 8

What were some long term responses to the fires?

Answer 8

• public education campaigns to reduce chance of future risk
• preparation and training of emergency services
• creating firebreaks in forested areas to reduce spread
• using less flammable materials in construction e.g. using more stone and brick rather than wood
• improvement of monitoring and warning systems
• restoration of damaged ecosystems
• Aus gov provided 2 billion for recovery efforts
• organisations initiated reforestation projects (aimed to plant 1 million trees in regions effected)
• charities raised funds for rehab and animal restoration

Question 9

How successful were these responses?

Answer 9

While there were successful aspects in terms of firefighting and community support, there were also criticisms regarding preparedness and response times that highlighted areas for improvement In future disaster management strategies

Question 10

Any responses still ongoing?

Answer 10

• environmental restoration, including reforestation projects and wildlife rehab programs
• mental health support, supporting families who experienced trauma during the fires, counselling sessions/community support groups