Black Saturday Wildfires Flashcards
1
Q
When did the wildfires happen
A
February 2009
2
Q
What did the temperatures reach
A
40 degrees Celsius
3
Q
How long had there been a drought for?
A
10 years
4
Q
What is the name of the fire promoting plant in the area
A
Eucalyptus
5
Q
What had there been a build up of
A
Highly flammable material
6
Q
What were the primary impacts
A
- 173 killed
- 400 injured
- 2000 properties damaged over 78 communities
- around 4300 km2 of land burned
7
Q
What were the secondary impacts
A
- 60 businesses were lost, meaning damage to people’s incomes
- power cut off to over 60000 homes
- Over 1 million animals died
- major tourist destinations were destroyed eg Marysville
8
Q
What were the short term responses?
A
- The Australian bureau of meteorology priedicyed where the fires would hit, so death toll was lowered as evacuations took place
- more than 20000 firefighters and volunteers helped with stopping the fires and helping victims
9
Q
What were the long term responses?
A
- more than AUD $400 million was donated to assist the rebuilding of homes, but some were rebuilt to a more fire proof standard, meaning some didn’t have the fund to continue building
- fire shelters were set up in vulnerable areas
- better warning systems put in place
- better evacuation plans
