Victoria 2009

• State of Victoria, south-east Australia

  7th February 2009-14th March 2009
• Bushfires


  • 4300 km squared burned
  • 400 bushfires started, 9 became major
  • 125 started before 7th Feb
  • Temperatures over 40° with strong winds, following 10 years of drought - record temperature of 45.1°
  • 3 days above 43°
  • High pressure system in the Tasman Sea and a lack of rainfall for weeks
  • Lack of management of controlled burning meant that there was a large amount of oil-rich material to fuel the fire
  • Wind lifted burning material
  • Several fires were caused by faulty power lines and failed electrical assets
  • Others from cigarettes, arson and sparks from power tools
• 173 people killed, 400 injured
• 40 died in Marysville
• 2300 houses in 78 communities destroyed
• 11,800 cattle lost
• 60 businesses destroyed
• $4 billion damage cost
• 4300 km squared of land was burned, including forest and national parks
• 500,000 hectares burned in total
• Millions of animals and rare species were killed
• Many suffered burns - only 22 major
• 414 injured
• 62,000 hectares of grazing pasture
• 32,000 tonnes of hay and silage
• 1,400 structures damaged - businesses, churches and medical centres
• Ash contamination in rivers and reservoirs
• People trapped in houses
• Loss of communications and electricity
• LONG-TERM IMPACTS

  • Many suffered from stress and depression
  • 8000 homeless
  • Timber industry lost $600 million
  • Destroyed habitats of 40 endangered species
  • Insurance claims of $1.2 billion - 84% residential, 16% vehicle
  • More water available due to loss of vegetation
  • Animals take years to recover
  • Leadbeater's possum - risk of extinction
  • Businesses struggled for years to recover
  • Ash and smoke caused localised climate change in Antarctica
  • High CO2 levels over Victoria for several months
• Australian Bureau of Meteorology


  Predicted how the fires would spread and told residents that they could evacuate or stay at home - "stay or go"
• Evacuation


  Reduced number of deaths, but many people were put at risk by choosing to stay in their homes
• Firefighters and volunteers


  • 20,000 helped put out the fires and support victims - 4,000 from Victorian Country Fire Authority
• Military aid


  Provided in the first few days
• Financial aid


  $1000 to adults and $400 to children who had been directly affected or injured
• Donations


  $400 million was donated to help rebuild homes and communities
• Making new housing more fire-resistant

  Increases costs, so not everyone could afford to finish building
• Investigation of the fires

  $40 million invested
• Long-term responses


  1. Building fire shelters in vulnerable areas

  2. Improving warning systems

  3. Improving the emergency evacuation strategy
• Criticised for poor communication
• Instructions were not followed by everyone
• LONG-TERM RESPONSE

  • Statewide Bushfire Recovery Plan - restore ecosystems and threats, controlling predators, relocating rare fish species, providing nesting boxes
  • Rebuilding communities
  • Providing medical and psychological support to victims
  • Improve future planning - “stay and go” policy was not communicated well
  • Billions of dollars was funded into ensuring power lines were updated
  • Royal Commission - strengthen public warnings, shelters, 4x more controlled burns