The disaster I have chosen to discuss today is the Black Saturday bushfires. On the 7th of February 2009 these horrendous fires swept through many parts of Victoria and had a devastating effect. Many people lost their lives, millions of animals died and millions of acres of farming land were burnt. Entire towns were completely destroyed.
There are many different reasons why bushfires occur and why this particular one occurred. There are a few major factors which affect the progress of a bushfire. High winds, the amount of fuel (dry grass, leaves, branches, etc.), low humidity & high air pressure. The Black Saturday Bushfires included some of the worst bushfire weather conditions ever recorded. Temperatures…show more content… Large numbers of trees, crops and grasslands were burnt and in total 1 100 000 acres were destroyed. Millions of native and domestic animals were killed, many being family pets. The Black Saturday bushfires caused 173 fatalities, destroyed 2100 homes and a number of towns including Marysville and Kinglake. 414 people were injured and an additional 7 562 people were displaced from their homes. It is estimated that the fires caused over $1 billion worth of damage and 78 communities were affected, some communities losing absolutely everything. It is 6 years on now and many areas of Victoria are still repairing and rebuilding the many buildings that were destroyed on this tragic day. The Black Saturday Bushfires are some of the most devastating bushfires in Australia’s history.
It would have been very, very difficult for those involved in the Black Saturday bushfires. The conditions were so severe it was difficult to survive. Many lost members of their family and even more people lost their homes and entire belongings. So many people would have been devastated that their family pets and farm animals were killed in the fires. Many people would have lost their entire livelihoods and would have been left feeling a great sense of loss and hopelessness.
Here is a personal story from Paul Epworth about what it was like for his family to survive this terrible
