Red Cross psychosocial support for Australians who again face ‘catastrophic fire danger’
By the Climate Centre
The Australian Red Cross Register.Find.Reunite service was today (Sunday) up and running for four separate fire emergencies in the state of Victoria, where the Bureau of Meteorology (BOM) has spoken of catastrophic fire danger and media reports yesterday said bushfires were burning out of control.
The Red Cross TeleRedi call centre is supporting people at risk – from the elderly to anyone who is socially isolated or those living with an illness or disability.
A potentially record-breaking heatwave is one element in the fire-weather picture, along with wind and dry terrain; at one point late last week, outback south-east Australia was the hottest place on Earth, with temperatures peaking just short of 50°C, local media said.
Red Cross volunteers are working in relief centres providing psychosocial support and referring people to the latest warnings from VicEmergency.
“Our thoughts are with everyone impacted. In times like this, checking in on one another and sharing verified information can make a real difference,” the National Society said on social media.
‘An incredibly challenging period’
BOM listed the contributing factors behind the latest wildfires as: extreme heat that had dried out the landscape and led to an increased fuel local; dry lightning, where precipitation evaporates before it reaches the ground, potentially igniting new fires; and gusting, changeable wind that made it difficult to fight fires.
Victoria police confirmed one person has been found dead near the central Victorian town of Gobur.
In the most recent official update Sunday, Victoria Premier Jacinta Allan said 30 fires were burning across the state, ten of which were a particular concern.
Describing the latest fire emergency in Australia as “an incredibly challenging period,” she said 350,000 hectares had burnt as of late Saturday, adding that: “We will see fires continue for some time across the state and that is why we are not through the worst of this by a long way.”
In their most recent relevant study, World Weather Attribution scientists found climate change increased the chance of extreme fire-weather in Australia by at least 30 per cent, but added that the true figure could be higher because models underestimate the trend in extreme heat.
WWA expects to issue an updated report on the latest disastrous fire-weather episode and the wildfires that followed later this month.
Ten serious wildfire were still burning in the Australian state of Victoria this weekend, but the fire weather conditions are now said to have eased slightly. (Photo of Upper Murray region: Michael McCormack MP via social media)