In A Moving Post, Historian Spells Out The Harsh Reality Of Bushfires Raging Across Australia
The fires that have been raging since September 2019 have left 20 people dead and 28 missing. 480 million animals have been killed in New South Wales since September. The government has deployed military ships and helicopters to drop supplies and rescue people trapped along shorelines.
Tens of thousands of Australians are fleeing their homes as hundreds of fires rage across the continent¡¯s southeast coast, The fires that have been raging since September 2019, have left 20 people dead and 28 missing.
Thousands of firefighters are battling the blazes, and some have even sacrificed their lives for the same. 480 million animals have been killed in New South Wales since September. The ¡°highly conservative figure¡± includes mammals, birds and reptiles killed either directly by the fires, or due to loss of food and habitat.
The government has deployed military ships and helicopters to drop supplies and rescue people trapped along shorelines.
However, the situation is going from bad to worse by the day. For those who want to get a deeper insight into the actual situation the country is facing, writer and historian Bodie Ashton took to Twitter to shed some light on the ground reality. Ashton¡¯s straightforward explanation of the situation struck a chord among thousands.
Take a look at the thread below:
#1
I want to give some perspective for people not from Australia.
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 1, 2020
More Aussie land is currently burning than exists in the entire country of Belgium. The smoke is causing breathing problems in New Zealand, 2,000km away. Half a billion animals have been killed. Eight people are dead.
#2
One-seventh of the state of Victoria is on fire. The fire front in the state of New South Wales is so long that, if you made it a straight line, it would stretch from Sydney to Afghanistan. The fires are being fought by volunteers.
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 1, 2020
#3
The Australian government refuses to discuss the fact that the NSW fires have now been burning for three months, and will still be burning in three months. Climate change is a ¡°political issue¡± that shouldn¡¯t be discussed at this time, apparently.
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 1, 2020
#4
Many of the volunteer firefighters are unemployed; their benefits have been suspended because, while they¡¯re saving people and habitats and homes, they can¡¯t apply for the requisite number of jobs per week the government expects them to to continue receiving benefits.
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 1, 2020
#5
The Australian Prime Minister, at the height of the crisis, went on holiday to Hawaii, which his office first denied and then insisted he was trying to get home, but it¡¯s impossible to get flights from Honolulu to Sydney (???)
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 1, 2020
AFP/PM Scott Morrison
People on the frontline of the fire crisis have been struggling for three months, but the government, as mentioned by Ashton, has refused to take action and has almost been in denial about it. Heck, Sydney even went ahead with keeping a fireworks show on New Year's Eve amidst this crisis. Scott Morrison, in fact, had the guts to say that it shows the 'resilience' of the residents and their ability to put up a smile in the face of a disaster!
#6
The New South Wales emergency services minister has also gone on holidays. And in the midst of this, the prime minister has declared that the country should take heart from its brave and courageous...cricketers, who are playing against New Zealand.
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 1, 2020
#7
Also, while the entire country faced catastrophic fire warnings (so no barbecues, people!), the cities all had fireworks displays. One, in Adelaide, very unsurprisingly caused a (thankfully limited) brush fire. Millions were spent on these. But not to pay the firefighters.
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 1, 2020
#8
It is true that Australia has bushfires every year, but the sheer scale of this event is unprecedented, as well as the fact that the fire season is now so long that typical preventative initiatives, such as backburning, are far too dangerous.
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 1, 2020
#9
The devastation in Australia right now FAR exceeds the Amazon fires or the California fires by MANY ORDERS OF MAGNITUDE, and there is no expectation that it will recede for at least several more months. In parts of Sydney, breathing the air is equivalent to a pack of cigarettes.
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 1, 2020
#10
Public buildings have been forced to close in Sydney and the capital, Canberra, because the smoke is concentrating in the ventilation systems, and is setting off building fire systems.
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 1, 2020
#11
The average temperature across the entire country has been above 40C (105F). Australia is roughly the size of the contiguous United States. Imagine it being that temperature on average ANYWHERE in the country, from Denver to Boston, Seattle to New York.
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 1, 2020
#12
And that firefront? Imagine an unbroken line of fire, stretching from New York to Los Angeles, then back to New York, then heading back to Los Angeles and getting at least as far as Indiana. That¡¯s the firefront in JUST ONE STATE.
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 1, 2020
#13
So, if you were wondering why I keep yelling that @ScottMorrisonMP is a coward who must resign, this is why. He didn¡¯t start this, no. But he is the prime minister who, in this moment of Armageddon, continues to insist that climate change is not worth talking about.
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 1, 2020
#14
And it is HIS people who, learning that two people had been killed, quipped that it was okay because they ¡°probably voted Green.¡±
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 1, 2020
This man is a gormless quisling who fiddles (at resorts in Hawaii) while Australia burns, and he comes back to sing the praises of coal. Fuck him.
#15
Also this, concerning distances. I said that New Zealand is still a way away from Australia, yet is affected by the smoke. For non-Aussies or non-Kiwis, this might help you visualise it a little better: https://t.co/m7efTtAQXX
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 2, 2020
For those looking to help the victims affected by the fires, Ashton has collated a few links where donations can be made.
#1
Here's a thread of some ways you can donate if you have the ability to do so. 2/
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 3, 2020
#2
You can directly donate to the @NSWRFS via this link through the bank Westpac. 4/ https://t.co/jJWZ968ak7
¡ª Bodie Ashton (@manwithoutatan) January 3, 2020
Australians in fire-ravaged regions angrily criticized Prime Minister Scott Morrison for downplaying the dangers of climate change and failing to take the necessary action. Videos of people heckling him, refusing to shake his hand during his visit to fire-affected victims, shows the anger among residents.
On January 3rd, authorities urged Australians to evacuate parts of the eastern states of Victoria and New South Wales to escape bush fires they fear are set to burn out of control this weekend.
AFP
Victoria declared a state of disaster across areas home to about 100,000 people, with authorities urging people to evacuate before a deterioration expected on Saturday.
At the summer holiday peak, authorities have advised tens of thousands of holidaymakers and residents to leave national parks and tourist areas on the south coast of New South Wales,
