Australia Wildfires Flashcards
2009 fire background
February 2009, Saturday
80km radius of Melbourne
Hit 78 communities in Victoria, including Kinglake
450,000 hecatares
Vulnerability of region - 2009
Eucalyptus trees have oils which mean they burn very hot and last long
Increased number of people living in rural areas
Cold front from southwest also brings wind which means wind can change direction and spread fire quicker
Indian Ocean Dipole - Timor Sea is cooler so less water in clouds and drier and hotter weather in Australia + hot wind
Primary impacts of 2009 wildfire
173 people died
Destruction of 2,100 homes
Entire towns wiped out - Kinglake
Infrastructure damage
Secondary impacts of 2009 wildfire
Mental health and trauma
Loss of community services
~ $4.4bil costs
Loss of farmland and crops
Long term ecosystem damage, threatened species like Leadbeater’s Possum faced extinction
Policy changes - government recommendation strictly to evacuate in future
Short term human response - 2009
Poor communication
5,000 firefighters
Water drops
Australian Red Cross provided first aid, rescue operators
22,000 calls to Victoria’s emergency hotline
6,000 people in relief centres
Australian public donated $372mil
Government recommended to leave early and get away or stay and fight fire
Long term human response - 2009
$200mil on rebuilding homes and schools
Fire-resistant building codes introduced
Programmes to rehabilitate burned land - planting native species + monitoring endangered wildlife
Education on fire safety and evacuation plans
Royal commission established national bushfire warning system and improved emergency communication
Background - 2019
24mil hectares burned - 21% of Australia’s forested areas
July 2019 - May 2020 - peaked in December
Megafire
Vulnerability of region - 2019
Enhanced fire through:
Drought
Global warming
Positive Indian Ocean Dipole
Substantial fuel loads
High temperatures
Primary impacts of 2019 fire
34 direct deaths
$50 billion cost
1 billion animals lost - 1/3 of Koala population - eucalyptus
Fire tornadoes
3,500 homes destroyed
Secondary impacts of 2019 fire
445 indirect deaths (smoke inflation)
Air pollution
Water pollution - SR - broken water system - LR - algal blooms, due to increased nutrient run-off from ash
Released 250mil tonnes of CO2
Mining accounts for 10% of GDP and smoke slowed down production
Causes of 2019 fire
Hottest summer on record - 42 degrees
Lowest rainfall on record - 300mm in 2019 - 40% below average - both attributed to climate change
Forest fire danger index highest on record
- 3500 compared to 3000 next highest
Southern Annular Mode was negative meaning westerlies pushed north, meaning fires were fanned out and spread quicker and pushed warm air in Victoria/NSW
Worst lightning storms - 91,000 in Darwin on Christmas day
Positive Indian Ocean Dipole - drier weather in Australia
Short term response to 2019 fires
Firefighters fought fire with water cannons, ditches, controlled burning
Aerial fighting - airtanker dropping water → 44,000 litres
Smoke forecasting system
Initial $1bil recovery fund
WWF airdropped supplies for animals
Mandatory evacuation
Long term response to 2019 fires
Black Summer Bushfire Recovery Grants Programme - $276mil made available over three years
Increased smoke forecasting
WWF set up camera traps and monitoring equipment to record species diversity
National Recovery + Resilience Agency set up - May 2021
Adaptation - some evidence of moving away from risky areas, community cohesion, policy reforms.
However: 2 years after fire, NSW families still live in caravans as they struggle to rebuild in face of red tape, skills shortage and dwindling government support
