The Black Summer bushfires didn’t just impact human lives and homes — the massive fires were an “ecological disaster” that has pushed hundreds of unique, threatened species closer to extinction, the Royal Commission has heard.
The true toll of smoke which choked Australia during the Black Summer of bushfires, has been laid bare while NSW Senior Minister Andrew Constance has again lashed the Red Cross for its handling of donations.
The residents of Malua Bay, crammed onto the beach with apocalyptic flames chasing them to the water, became symbols of the black summer. But their nightmare continues almost six months on with a tight-fisted and painfully bureaucratic recovery effort leaving them “begging for money”.
Comedian Celeste Barber has hailed NSW firefighters as “rockstars like no others”, while looking on the bright side following a Supreme Court decision on how $51 million she raised for bushfire relief can be spent.
Two mates stayed behind to help RFS volunteers defend the hillside town of Wyndham for 16 hours at the weekend by strapping a 1000-litre tank and mechanical pump to the back of their ute and helping to save dozens of homes from bushfires.
The horror bushfire season, which claimed 25 lives and destroyed properties across NSW, has prompted a call for authorities to make it easier for residents to install fireproof bunkers in a bid to protect them from the unpredictable blazes.
The NSW Wildlife Information, Rescue and Education Services (WIRES) has received more than $60 million from around the world, but The Daily Telegraph can reveal only $6.5 million has been allocated to help treat thousands injured in the bushfires.
Prince William and his wife Kate are planning a trip to Australia to visit bushfire-ravaged communities and just need an invitation from Prime Minister Scott Morrison to make it official.
NSW’s horror bushfire season isn’t over yet but the RFS has delivered some welcome news off the back of torrential rain which has helped authorities get the upper hand on every blaze left burning in the state.
The Daily Telegraph’s comprehensive bushfire coverage has driven a 14.6 per cent jump in readers online as more people turned to news they can trust in a crisis.
Backpackers will be offered visa extensions to travel to Australia to help rebuild communities ravaged by the bushfires.
An organisation helping in bushfire recovery efforts wants the government to provide free transport to people on the dole who could come in to help ravaged areas recover.
The special squad — which is part of veteran-led disaster response organisation Team Rubicon — includes a former soldier, retired London police officer and even an arborist who has been helping to cut down trees around the devastated town of Cobargo.
When Scott Pape lost his home in the Black Saturday bushfires, he was forced to start over again. Now the author of The Barefoot Investor money bible wants to help this summer’s survivors.
Original URL: https://www.weeklytimesnow.com.au/bush-fire-support/page/5