A State of Disaster – Hell on Earth

Filipinos around the world are watching closely at the devastation caused by the bushfires in South Eastern states of Australia.

Many Filipinos in Victoria and New South Wales have received messages of concern from their families and friends around the world. Filipino Australian celebrity, Anne Curtis, who is originally from Melbourne has expressed her sadness through her Instagram account:

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The other country I like to call home is burning. The devastation is heartbreaking and alarming. I was really praying for stronger rains to come and soothe the burning land but it looks like it’s going to be a sunny day here in Victoria and probably across the country. If you are like me, who wishes they could do more physically to lend a hand to the firemen, communities and animals but cannot… here are some accounts/sites you can visit to donate. A little goes a long way. So much love has been coming in from people locally and globally but the battle hasn’t ended and their is still so much do for communities, land and animals who have been affected by the monstrous bushfires. Let us pray for more rain across the country, temperatures to stay at a low, strength and high morale for the firemen and volunteers and for healing for all those affected 🙏🏼 @redcrossau @vinniesvictoria @cfavic @animalsaustralia @salvosau @wwf_australia

A post shared by Anne Curtis (@annecurtissmith) on Jan 7, 2020 at 5:55pm PST

Fortunately, due to the location of the fires, and their distance from the main capital cities of Melbourne and Sydney, Filipinos, like the general population of Australia have been safe throughout the bushfire 2019/2020 bushfire season.

The severe bushfires that have occurred are well over 250 km away from Melbourne and Sydney, however a number of smaller communities have been significantly impacted, particularly those living in the NSW South Coast, and Victoria’s East Gippsland region.

State of Disaster in Victoria

In Victoria, over 30,000 holiday makers were in East Gippsland prior to the New Year’s eve celebrations. The tourists, along with 100,000 residents were advised to leave ahead of the extreme fire danger day on 30 December. Around 1000 firefighters were fighting the 14 fires that threatened dozens of communities in that region alone.

On 31 December, 4,000 people at the remote coastal town of Mallacoota were left stranded, which led the Prime Minister Scott Morrison to deploy the Australian Defence Force for rescue operations.

In the East Gippsland region and alpine region of Victoria, a state of disaster was invoked on 3 January by Premier Dan Andrews enabling the authorities to compel people to leave. Filipinos living in the towns of Lakes Entrance and Orbost were ordered to evacuate.

READ: Four Filipino properties severely damaged in Australian bushfires

The fires were reported by Victoria State Emergency Services to be out of control, creating their own dangerous weather systems.

These severe fires were blowing embers in various directions, turning skies red, while billowing smoke into the atmosphere which impacted on the air quality and visibility in Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne.

State services said that these fires were able to jump, travelling several kilometres on a windy day, which made it extremely difficult for firefighters to battle.

The Australian Bushfires across various states in the 2019/2020 season have been burning since October 2019. 25 people, which includes firefighters have died so far.

The peak of the fires occurred in the lead up to Christmas and New Year, and have burned a total of around 10 million hectares. Half a billion wildlife and farm animals have been killed as a result of these devastating fires.