The Black Saturday Bushfires

What was the Natural Hazard? The natural hazard that I chose was the Black Saturday bushfires, they are very frequent in Australia around summer especially in bushland areas like Melbourne. This was classed as catastrophic and the worst ever fires Australia has ever seen. Where did it occur? The Black Saturday Bushfires occurred in the Australian State of Australia of Victoria in Melbourne. There were at least 400 bushfires. Some of the hardest hit towns of the fires were:

Kinglake Narbethong Flowerdale Kilmore Yea Churchill Narre Warren

When did it occur? The main Black Saturday Bush fires occurred on the 7th of February 2009. Because of the numerous bushfires that were alight that day it is unknown when each of the bushfires began. It is believed that the East Kilmore fire, which killed 121 people, began at 11:49am, and then the fire reached other communities, such as Kinglake, several hours later. The fire at Horsham in western Victoria started around 12:30pm. The Black Saturday Bushfires lasted about one day. But overall counting every bushfire it lasted about a month with the continuous bushfires from the 28 January 2009 till Wednesday 4th March.

Why did the hazard occur? In February 2010 the Royal Commission officially blamed faulty power lines and an incorrect fitting to be the cause of the Black Saturday fires. But the fires were also caused by excessive amount of dried debris (dead leaves and trees etc.), the hot temperatures, strong winds and lighting. Arsonists are also to blame but they have not found any anyone they can formally charge. Many others think the fires were also caused by lightning; cigarette butts, and sparks from power tools. What were the economic, environmental and social impacts of this hazard? The impact of the bushfires was large. Many people were killed and hurt and masses of building were destroyed. The Black Saturday bushfires caused extensive damages. It destroyed 2 029 houses and 3,500+ structures in total, crops and even schools. The fires claimed 173 lives, injured 5 000 people, killed countless animals and burnt through roughly over 4 500 square kilometres of Urban/Rural Fringe Areas, Farmland, and Forest Reserves/National Parks. As many as 400 individual fires were recorded on 7 February. Over all the Because a lot of people lost their homes in the fire and didnt have insurance that covered bushfire related losses they a lot of people were left homeless with nowhere to go. At least one million dollars in insurance was claimed. How did the individual/community/government respond to this hazard (including preventative strategies?) There were many immediate response strategies some of these include: Donations of money, food, clothes, blankets, toys (for children). The SES responded extremely quickly rescuing people from homes. More than 4,000 firefighters from the Country Fire Authority (CFA) and the Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE have worked to battle the fires. The Victorian Government's Department of Human Services offered immediate assistance of up to $1,067 for people affected by the bushfires. The Federal Government announced a $10 million package of emergency assistance, providing $1,000 per adult and $400 per child for those who had been in hospitals with injuries or who had lost their homes. On 12 February, the Nine Network, held a benefit show for the victims of the bushfires, through the Australian Red Cross. Called Australia Unites - The Victorian Bushfire Appeal, it was hosted by Eddie McGuire, and along with many celebrities, athletes and entertainers, the event raised about $20.5 million. Some of the ideas the government and other organisations have done are:

The government has made TV ads and magazines ads to warn people about the threat of bushfire. Country Fire Authority (CFA) has also admitted the $54 million for a new radio system, and $20 million for a new paging system will be ready for the coming bushfire season. People are advised to make fire plans to prepare for bushfires to come. Numerous non-profit organisations have had fundraisers to help the people that lost their homes and possessions in the fire, e.g. the better homes and gardens knit-athon where people were asked to send in knitted squares to make into quilts, schools had numerous fundraisers.

By Sarah Saliba