In an emergency, like a bushfire, making sure you have enough of your regular medication can mean the difference between life and death. But there are many ways to prepare.
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During bushfire season, managing medication as well as respiratory conditions should be part of any emergency plan.
Dale Palmer prepares his home in NSW for the bushfires. The decision to stay and defend one’s property requires a person to be mentally, as well as physically, prepared.
AAP/Darren Pateman
In catastrophic fire conditions, leaving early is the only safe option. But in other conditions, one thing that’s often overlooked in decisions to stay or go is how mentally tough you need to be.
Last year fire storms raged across California. Similar conditions could become more likely for Australia.
Giovanni is interested in how meteorological processes operate at multiple spatial and temporal scales to control air pollution events, and how this influence is mediated by topographic variation and characteristics of the urban environment. His current r
Babies are particularly vulnerable in emergencies, especially in hot weather. Here’s what your emergency kit needs to ensure they stay hydrated if you have to evacuate or you lose power or water.
Women and children are 14 times more likely than men to die in a disaster.
AAP Image/Darren Pateman
Natural disasters amplify the conditions leading to domestic violence. Yet Australia’s disaster policies are “gender blind”.
Firefighters conduct property protection as a bushfire approaches homes at Woodford NSW, Friday, November 8, 2019. Calls for more controlled burning are common after a major bushfire.
DAN HIMBRECHTS/AAP
Emergency Leaders for Climate Action have a simple message: we’re in “a new age of unprecedented bushfire danger” due to climate change. But Morrison refuses to acknowledge it as a central issue.
In many countries including America, computer models are being used to predict how a fire will burn.
The convergence of technologies such as 5G, artificial intelligence and virtual reality may offer hope for the way we manage future bushfire disasters.
As bushfires continue to burn across NSW and Queensland, the Prime Minister and Opposition leader have said policy arguments should be avoided until the immediate crisis has passed, but many disagree.
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Minister David Littleproud on bushfires, drought, and the Nationals
The Conversation, CC BY49.3 MB(download)
In this podcast, David Littleproud says "as elected officials, we've got a responsibility" to wait for the right time to talk about the link between climate change and the ongoing bushfires.
Residents evacuate themselves and their animals to a park in Old Bar, NSW, Saturday, November 9, 2019.
AAP Image/Darren Pateman
During an emergency it’s vital you know what your animals need, where you can take them and what your local rules are. Fortunately, there are plans in place and guidelines to help.
There are no guarantees in bushfires, but you can improve the odds your house survives a blaze.
Photo by Edward Doody, courtesy of Arkin Tilt Architects
Houses built more than 20 years ago are likely to be more vulnerable to bushfires than newer builds. But there are some simple and inexpensive ways to reduce your risk.
Smoke haze from the bushfires in NSW drifted over Sydney on November 12.
Paul Braven/AAP
Smoke from the bushfires has impacted air quality in affected and surrounding areas. To minimise any health risks, people with pre-existing medical conditions should take extra care.
Up to 45% of children can experience depression after a natural disaster.
Dan Peled/AAP
Service outages, network congestion and infrastructure at risk of being destroyed by fire are some of the issues worsening an already devastating situation.
A firestorm on Mirror Plateaun Yellowstone Park, 1988.
Jim Peaco/US National Park Service
Large, intense bushfires can pump so much heat into the atmosphere they form their own thunderstorm system. And that can make the weather on the ground even more dangerously unpredictable.
Prime Minister Scott Morrison inspecting a burnt-out property in the Gold Coast hinterland in September 2019. Mr Morrison has offered “thoughts and prayers” to those affected by the fires.
Dave Hunt/AAP
Fire officials warn that this week’s catastrophic fire conditions are “where people die”. Climate change has arrived, and politicians should drop the meaningless rhetoric.
Multiple large, intense fires are stretching from Australia’s coast to the tablelands and parts of the interior.
AAP Image/Supplied, JPSS