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Home » Australia Fires Lead to Mass Exodus, NSW State of Emergency… as Heatwave Approaches

Australia Fires Lead to Mass Exodus, NSW State of Emergency… as Heatwave Approaches

It’s “bedlam” in parts of Australia as fires continue to rage and officials expect conditions to worsen on Saturday. Mass evacuations are currently underway, and 17 people are already unaccounted for. On the New South Wales (NSW) South Coast, tens of thousands of tourists have been ordered to leave the area before it’s too late […]

By Jenni Baxter
02-01-20 15:21
in Eish!
australian fire

It’s “bedlam” in parts of Australia as fires continue to rage and officials expect conditions to worsen on Saturday. Mass evacuations are currently underway, and 17 people are already unaccounted for.

On the New South Wales (NSW) South Coast, tens of thousands of tourists have been ordered to leave the area before it’s too late and conditions deteriorate further.

Tomorrow morning a 7-day State of Emergency will take effect in NSW. Temperatures are expected to soar on Saturday, above 40 degrees, and winds to increase.

Many roads have been closed as officials try to keep those fleeing on a safe path. Apparently there is a 250km long line of cars evacuating.

Dee Mitchell, a Queensland resident who was holidaying in NSW, told SAPeople she is currently in that traffic.

She said: “It’s bedlam here (in NSW) so I’m heading to Canberra before I can get out at all! It’s bumper to bumper the last 24 hours, even at midnight!” Many others are heading to Sydney.

Along the routes photographs showed long, long queues of people at supermarkets, trying to stock up for the trip. Many shelves are apparently empty.

In the past 24 hours one person (67) has died at his home in the fires, and 17 people are still unaccounted for. Officials says they have “severe fears” for the missing people in East Gippsland, Victoria.

At 07h30 tomorrow morning (Friday), the first 800 people will be evacuated by a rescue army vessel from Mallacoota beach in Victoria, where thousands have been stranded by the fires since New Year’s Eve. All those boarding the army ship have to be “fit and healthy” because it’ll be a 17 hour journey to the nearest place where the ship can dock.

Three thousand tourists and 1,000 locals have been stranded on the beach since New Year’s Eve. While morale has been good and residents are bandying together, they are shrouded in an Armageddon-like smokey atmosphere. One resident John Priest admitted to SBS News: “I wouldn’t mind some fresh air.”

Black hawk helicopters have also been called in to help with the evacuations, but have been unable to land because of the smoke over the isolated town.

Not all those stranded will be able to leave… and a “dangerous turn” in the fires is expected on Saturday when winds and temperatures are predicted to rise. Officials say it is likely that some of the fires will join together and become even stronger.

According to SBS News, 382 homes have been lost in Victoria’s East Gippsland.

The Victoria Premier said 50 fires are burning across the state, and it is feared that the fires will join and become even stronger.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison has pledged the government’s ongoing assistance in rescue efforts, and to support recovery in the weeks and months ahead.

According to the Guardian newspaper, 2019 was Australia’s hottest year on record – 1.5C above average temperature. It was a year in which the country suffered “crippling drought, heatwaves, temperature records and devastating bushfires”.

“Severe fire danger” and “catastrophic” conditions are expected on Saturday, and there’s still plenty of bushfire left to burn.

Animal shelters have managed to evacuate all animals safely to foster care, and are advising pet owners to be vigilant and look out for their own and their neighbours’ pets.

Sydney University ecologists estimate 480 million mammals, birds and reptiles have been lost in the fires since September.

Locals say that coastal communities are rallying together.  Owners of an Indian restaurant are handing out free food to all those affected by the bushfires. In another town, one home owner who watched his house of 50 years burn down, is being hailed a hero for saving two families – he took them on his small boat into the middle of the lake while the fires burned all around them.

https://www.instagram.com/p/B6ujiLjh2KV/?utm_source=ig_embed

Residents in South Central New South Wales are evacuating to a local sports ground where they are all preparing for the worst, but praying for a miracle.

https://twitter.com/SeanBradbery/status/1212685428454612992