AUSTRALIAN BUSHFIRES

REBUILDING THEIR LIVES

because of the bushfire ……..

People had lost their jobs, houses, families, etc…….

Gas stations and gas bottles blew up like a bomb.

People were unemployed.

Strong winds made the fire spread more quickly.

The effects of the bushfire

REBUILDING THEIR LIVES

BEFORE ANYONE CAN REBUILD THEIR LIVES THEY WILL HAVE TO…

MAKE SURE NO BODIES ARE LEFT IN THE RUINS

MAKE SURE EVERYONE IS ACCOUNTED FOR

VAPOURISE BODIES-NOTHING LEFT BEHIND,MAKE LISTS OF MISSING PEOPLE

CLEAN UP ALL THE FIRE DAMAGED TOWNS.BURNT OUT CARS HAVE TO BE CLEANED UP.RUBBLE TO BE TAKEN AWAY.

ELECTRICITY-REBUILD INFROSTRUCTURES,WATER GAS PIPES

ELECTRICITY-POLES,PYLONS AND WIRES

REBUILDING THEIR LIVES

LOTS TO PLAN FOR THE NEXT STEPS

FIRE DEPARTMENTPOLICEAMBULANCESCHOOLSHOSPITALSSHOPSPLAYGROUNDS

PEOPLES JOBS

SCHOOLS

CLASSROOMSLIBRARYBUILDINGSOFFICEPLAYGROUNDSTAFFROOMTEACHERSHALLSCOMPUTERSDESKS

SCHOOLSCARPETCHAIRSBOOKSBINSLIGHTINGSHEDDENTAL CLINICSPORTS SHED[BALLS,BATS,NETS]

SCHOOLSoSICK BAYoUNIFORMSoCOURTSoCARE TAKERSoTUCK SHOPoWATERoELECTRICITY

STAFF

PRINCIPALSDEPUTY PRINCIPALASSISSTANT PRINCIPALTEACHERSRELIEVERSCARE TAKER

VICTORIAN BUSHFIRESABOUT 340 SCHOOLS WILL BE CLOSED IN THE SOUTHERN STATE OF VICTORIA AS THE REGION BATTENS DOWN THE HATCHES,HOPING TO AVOID A REPEAT OF THE DEVASTATION WROUGHT BY THE BLACK SATURDAY BUSHFIRES.

THE AUTHORITIES HAVE WARNED RESIDENTS OF COUNTRY VICTORIA TO BE PREPARED FOR THE HOT AND DANGEROUS CONDITIONS

VICTORIAN BUSHFIRESTHE DVI(DISASTER VICTIM IDENTIFICATION) TEAMS RECOVERED FOUR BODIES FROM TWO PROPERTIES IN STEELS CREEK;THE FIRST TO BE FOUND OUT OF THE TOWNSHIPS 40 HOMES.

AUSTRALIA BUSHFIRES

THERE ARE STILL 35 PEOPLE UNACCOUNTED FOR.THEY LEFT THE BUSHFIRE AREAS AND HAVEN’T TOLD THE POLICE.THEIR BODIES ARE STILL TO BE FOUND.THEY ARE IN EMERGENCY SHELTER, WITH FRIENDS, IN THE HOSPITAL OR HAVE LEFT THE AREA.FAMILIES NEED CLOSURE, TO GRIEVE AND RECEIVE COUNCELLING.THEY NEED TO KNOW WHAT HAPPENED TO THEIR FAMILIES AND GET THINGS INTO PERSPECTIVE.

CONTRIBUTING FACTORS OF A BUSH

FIREDIFFERENT WAYS A BUSHFIRE CAN START… DROUGHTSTRONG WINDSFIRES DELIBERATELY LIT BY ARSONISTS WITCH CAN BE PUT TO JAIL.BURN OFFS GETTING OUT OF CONTROL.

BUSHFIRES UPDATE

ON FEBRUARY 7 2009 AUSTRALIA WAS HIT WITH ONE OF THE MOST DISASTROUS BUSHFIRES AUSTRALIA HAS EVER FACED.EXTENSIVE DAMAGE WAS CAUSED THROUGHOUT HUNDREDS OF HOMES, FORESTS AND RURAL ENVIROMENTS IN VICTORIA. THE BUSHFIRE CAUSED A LOT OF GRIEF FOR FAMILIES AS OVER 250 PEOPLE Died. People aren't the only ones dying, animals such as koalas, kangaroos and plenty other animals have died. Some areas such as kingslake was devastated by the bushfires. houses and cars were all burnt out but some houses were left unscathed .

Bushfires update

The temperature was predicted to climb 100 feet for the first time since the February 7 blaze Strong winds and lightning area. 3,500 firefighters took advantage of slightly milder weather to contain the blazes. Wildfires in Australia are a recognized phenomenon as a part of the bush and forests ecosystems. The fire seasons occur at different times for different parts of the country. These fires can be started by lightning, carelessness or maliciousness on the part of humans. These people are called arsonists.

facts1) The fires spread quickly with a wind behind

it.2) It jumped across roads, trees and rivers.3) The oil from the eucalyptus tree leaves

helps the fire intensify.4) The fire burnt it’s way through anything in

it’s way ; houses,trees,buildings,animals and people who couldn’t escape .

5) People who had to flee from the fire only had the clothes they had on.

Feb.-march 1926;forest fires burnt across large areas of gipps land . Sixty lives were lost and farms, homes and forests destroyed. The fires came to a head on February 14, with 31 deaths recorded at Warburton.

Black Friday jan 13 1939; from December 1938 to January 1939 , burnt 1.5 million to 2 million ha . The fire severity peaked on Friday January 13 . the fires caused 71 deaths and destroyed more than 650 buildings and the town of narbethong.

Bushfires in history

January 14- february14 1944;AN ESTIMATED ONE MILLION HA WAS BURNT, WITH HUGE PASTORAL LOSSES AND 500 HOUSES DESTROYED IN THE WESTERN STATE . AT LEAST 15 PEOPLE WERE KILLED . AT IT’S PEAK, 440,000 HA WERE DESTROYED IN EIGHT HOURS.

JANUARY 14-16 1962; THIRTY –TWO WERE KILLED AND 450 HOUSES DESTROYED IN THE DANDENONGS AND MELBOURNE OUTSKIRTS.

JANUARY 8,1969;FIRES BURNT 250,000 HA, KILLED 23 PEOPLE AND DESTROYED 230 HOUSES. TWELVE THOUSAND STOCK WERE LOST.

Bushfires in history

ASH WEDNESDAY,FEBRUARY 16 1983;MORE THAN 100 FIRES IN VICTORIA , WITH 210,000 HA BURNT AND 47 PEOPLE KILLED. MORE THAN 270,000 STOCK AND 2000 HOUSES LOST. IN SOUTH AUSTRALIA ,208,000 HA BURNED ,28 PEOPLE DIED AND 383 HOUSES WERE LOST.

JANUARY 8-MARCH 2003; FIRES STARTED BY LIGHTNING IN ALPINE PARTS OF THE EARSTERN STATE COMBINED TO FORM THE LARGEST FIRE IN VICTORIA SINCE THE 1939 BLACK FRIDAY BUSHFIRES . OVER 1.3 MILLION HA, 41 HOMES AND 9000 livestock WERE DESTROYED.

BUSHFIRES IN HISTORY

Black saturday,february 7, 2009;more than 200 feared dead. 400,00 ha and 1000 homes destroyed. Towns razed include Marysville, kingslake and st Andrews. Of all the bushfires Australia has ever faced this years bushfire has been the worst. This year has had the most number of deaths and the most deaths and has had over 5000 square kilometer destroyed.

Bushfires in history

After people had known that a bushfire had started some people were in shock. They had ran for their life but before that people wanted to bring their most special belongings which could be a photo album or special jewelry they got from their grandmother or anyone. I think it is wise to get something that has very special meaning to them.

belongings

The people who had escaped the bushfire were sent to an evacuation centre where they were looked after with shelter. some people had to wear the same clothes they were wearing. Some of them were donated with clothes and houses to say in by some people. In nearly every house five or more people from different areas had to stay in the same house. Not everyone went to stay in a donated house, most of them had gone to stay with relatives or friends. Hundreds of people were devastated to learn that they were the only ones alive among there families.

The evacuation centre

Every year, thousands of hectares of Australian bush land go up in smoke. More often than not fires are raging in remote areas but when they threaten local communities ,lives are at stake. Big cities are not safe from the ferocity of fires. Such tragedies as the Canberra bushfires of 2003, where four lives were lost and as many as 431properties were damaged , the ash Wednesday fires of February 1983 (71 deaths in Victoria and south and Australia) or the Tasmanian fires of February 1967 (62 lives, more than 1400 houses and buildings lost) place bushfires high on the list of Australia's natural disasters.

Australian bushfires hotspots

The roads to Kinglake have been reopened - but not all residents are welcoming visitors back.Some people driving out of Kinglake this afternoon angrily gestured at cameramen filming police removing the roadblock into town.

Others chatting to police before the reopening appeared glad they would no longer need a wristband to get and from their homes.

Kingslake reopens

More than 30 new fires have been started by lightning in eastern Victoria over the past 24 hours.The majority of them are burning in remote forest areas of East Gippsland.The blazes are around the town of Genoa, near the New South Wales Border, at Wingan Inlet and in the Coopracambra National Park between Cann River and the border.Eight fires have been put out around Myrtleford and there are several others burning in the Kiewa Valley The Department of Sustainability and Environment's (DSE) duty officer, David Miller says three more fires are burning in remote country, south of Lake Dartmouth."It's only the three down at Lake Dartmouth that we haven't got under control and that's because we looked at them yesterday and we just didn't have the resource going in," he said."We're in autumn, quite cool overnight. None of these fires yesterday actually took much of a run.“

Lightning

Almost a month after the worst bushfire disaster in Australian history, Victorians are beginning to hope they can relax.The complete toll of a horrific bushfire season is still not entirely clear, and for too many Victorians the road towards a new life looks long and difficult. Things will never be the same

Australia Bushfires Update: Public shows faith in Salvation Army as appeal raises millions of dollars

THE Salvation Army in Australia is playing a key role assisting members of the emergency services and helping victims as bushfires continue to cause devastation in the State of Victoria. At least 181 people are now known to have lost their lives in the disaster and well over 1,000 homes have been destroyed.

Rebuilding shattered lives

The Salvation Army public appeal has raised Aus$5.5 million nationally. An initial amount of $825,000 has already been released for distribution to the 11 recovery centres in fire-affected areas.

More than 250 Salvation Army volunteers are working around the clock in rotating shifts to provide whatever help they can. Officers and staff from Australia Southern Territorial Headquarters in Melbourne, along with training college officers and cadets, are part of the support teams. The Salvation Army is serving more than 2,000 meals per day to firefighters, police, emergency services, ambulance drivers and support service personnel.

Salvation army

Australia is known to have some of the worst Bush Fires / Wild Fires prone country in the world! Due to our extreme weather conditions it is not uncommon for us to have Wild Fires every fire season which are started by a wide variety of causes. They can be attributed to natural causes such as lightning strikes and accidental causes such as sparks from farm machinery, incinerators, power lines, vehicle crashes, escapes from burning off and camp fires. Unfortunately, a large number of bush fires are also deliberately lit.

wildfires

Bushfires and grassfires are common throughout Australia. Grassfires are fast moving, passing in 5 to 10 seconds and smouldering for minutes. They have a low to medium intensity and primarily damage crops, livestock and farming infrastructure such as fences. Bushfires are generally slower moving, but have a higher heat output. This means they pass in 2 to 5 minutes, but they can smoulder for days. Fire in the crown of the tree canopy can move rapidly. Bushfires are an intrinsic part of Australia’s environment. Natural ecosystems have evolved with fire, and the landscape, along with its biological diversity, has been shaped by both historic and recent fires. Many of Australia’s native plants are fire prone and very combustible while numerous species depend on fire to regenerate. Fire is both feared and harnessed. Indigenous Australians have long used fire as a land management tool and it continues to be used to clear land for agricultural purposes and to protect properties from intense, uncontrolled fires.

What are bushfires

In 1982-83, large areas of central and eastern - particularly south-eastern - Australia experienced unprecedented low rainfall levels. This was the culmination of the four-year drought that had begun in 1979. It is estimated that the total cost to the economy was around $A7 billion. Agricultural losses, such as the death of livestock, resulted in massive job losses in rural areas. The effects of the drought contributed to the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires across Victoria and South Australia (see below).1991-95This drought in north-eastern New South Wales and much of Queensland, was the result of the lowest rainfall levels on record. A number of major water reservoirs went dry and many others fell to critically low levels. Average rural production fell by over 10 per cent and rural unemployment rose. Loss to the economy is estimated at around $A5 billion.2002-06 Eastern and southern Australia is once again experiencing widespread drought, with agricultural income in 2006-07 expected to be at the lowest level since 1994-95.

Australian bushfires

FireBushfires are different from controlled burning. Indigenous communities have used fire as a hunting and farming tool to assist with regeneration. Indigenous Australians used controlled burning and fire management to encourage the growth of new plants and to prevent the growth of long grass which contributes to the tinder or fuel for bushfires. Fire management also allowed animals to escape, although some were lost to hunters. Eucalypts, for example, require occasional burns to regenerate. Fire stick farming used over tens of thousands of years created the fertile grazing plains west of the Blue Mountains. Long periods of dry, hot weather and natural vegetation that burns easily makes Australia particularly vulnerable to bushfire. Australian bushfires can be particularly severe as eucalyptus trees contain large amounts of oil which can burn very fast and very hot. Other human management factors which have contributed to the severity of bushfires include high fuel loads, a change from fire prevention to fire fighting measures and not building adequate buffer zones to protect built assets (Nairn Inquiry, 2003). As Australians learn to understand more about bushfires, bushfire prevention strategies are being adopted.

Natural disasters in Australia

In 1967 southern Australian was experiencing drought conditions. On 7 February, 264,270 hectares were burnt in southern Tasmania in just five hours. Of the 110 fires burning that morning, the worst was the Hobart fire. The fire made its way over Mt Wellington and encroached on the city's western suburbs. Sixty-two people died, and 1,400 homes and other buildings were destroyed. At the time, it was the largest loss of life and property in Australia from fire on any single day in Australia's history.

In 1967 southern Australian was experiencing drought conditions. On 7 February, 264,270 hectares were burnt in southern Tasmania in just five hours. Of the 110 fires burning that morning, the worst was the Hobart fire. The fire made its way over Mt Wellington and encroached on the city's western suburbs. Sixty-two people died, and 1,400 homes and other buildings were destroyed. At the time, it was the largest loss of life and property in Australia from fire on any single day in Australia's history.

Australian bushfires

A heat wave is a prolonged period of excessive heat, which results from a certain combination of temperature, humidity, air movement and duration.Heat waves are the most underrated of the natural disasters, as the bushfires that accompany many heat waves tend to get most of the attention, and in Australia they have caused the greatest loss of life on any natural hazard (except disease). Unlike bushfires, there is generally no escaping a heat wave. While the 1939 'Black Friday' bushfires in Victoria killed 71 people and are written into our history, the accompanying heat wave - which triggered the blazes - claimed 438 lives and yet remains largely unacknowledged

heat waves

Australia has a history of severe bushfires. Such tragedies as the Ash Wednesday fires of February 1983 (71 deaths in Victoria and South Australia), the Tasmanian fires of February 1967 (62 lives, more than 1400 houses and buildings lost) and the New South Wales bushfires of 1994, place bushfires high on the list of Australia's natural disasters. Australia has a history of severe bushfires. Such tragedies as the Ash Wednesday fires of February 1983 (71 deaths in Victoria and South Australia), the Tasmanian fires of February 1967 (62 lives, more than 1400 houses and buildings lost) and the New South Wales bushfires of 1994, place bushfires high on the list of Australia's natural disasters.

bushfires

The states toll from the latest bushfire has exceeded the number of Victorians killed in the ash Wednesday fires in February 1983 , when 47 died.Firebugs are being blamed for several blazes that continue to ravage the state, the Country Fire Authority says, confirming fires are being deliberately relit.Emergency Centrelink payments are available to those needing immediate financial assistance.

Australian bushfires

From Kevin katafono