Bush_Fire

Australia is one of the country that experience incidents of bushfire. Bushfire in Australia has been happening for hundreds of years and it is a phenomenon natural to Australia. Bushfire incidents can be caused in many different ways. Namely, lightning strikes, collision of power lines, spark from explosives and machinery as well as irresponsible human activities such as deliberate burning, cigarettes and also campfire. These conditions make Australia vulnerable to bushfire, stunting the economy and creating social distress, thus resulting in loss of human lives and property damages. The incidents of bushfires had caused several impacts on the Australian economy. Many agricultural lands and livestock were destroyed, causing the farmers to lose their income. Most of the farmers came from a poor background and farming is the only way they can earn some money. Besides, numerous parks including national parks, cultural sides and historical sides were also damaged. For instance, the Alpine National Park in Victoria has been affected by bushfire several times and each fire that occurred has caused part of the grassland areas to be burnt down. As a result, tourism has been reduced in that particular area as the number of visitors has fallen. Another major economic effect of bushfire is property damages. Many towns and buildings were destroyed from the happening of bushfire hence affecting the Australian economy financially. There are huge sums of money needed to restore the houses and buildings that were destroyed. The property damages were estimated to cost millions of dollars every year. As stated in the article “No limit to cost of fires: Landy”, the cost of recovery of Black Saturday bushfires that took place on the 7th of February, 2009 in Victoria was approximated at least $40million. The huge amount of money was distributed to families of the deaths, seriously injured people and also to those who lost their homes. More funds are essential to renovate schools, police stations, churches and hospitals that were damaged in the event of bushfire. Therefore, the large amount of bill caused by the fire has affected the Australian economy. Similarly, the Australian society was also affected by the happening of bushfires. Many were terrified and fears bushfire more than any other natural disaster. The amount of death and property damages were increased over the years and it doesn’t seem to be improving. The worst bushfire that happened in the history of Australia is the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria that brings about a total of 173 deaths and over 4000 property damages. The incidents of bushfire has caused effects in several aspect including the business, education and also family. Various businesses were destroyed in the bushfire and it was devastating as the community depends on them to get basic wants such as food and clothing. In the phase of education, lots of schools were burnt down and ruined. As a result, the education system of Australia was affected. Many students have to find a new place to continue with their studies. Some students couldn’t afford to go other places as they have insufficient money while some students may have lost their valuables in the fire. Moreover, university students might have to repeat their examination in order to graduate since the bushfire has destroyed all the exam papers. This decision waste a lot of time and it is inconvenient. As well, the occurrence of bushfire also affects the family. Many families lost their homes and valuables in the fire. During the fires, a lot of families were separated. Children were separated from their families as well as husbands and wives were separated from each other over a period of time. Some even lost their loved ones and it causes them to feel grief. This may lead changes in the families’ lives and create separation in the communities. The event of bushfire also affects the family financially. Many families lost their job and they were lack of income. Parents need to buy school stuffs such as school uniform, books and stationery for their children to continue studies in other places. Most importantly, they need to make sure that everyone is safe and not left hunger. In addition, the bushfire also causes impacts on the wildlife in Australia. A lot of animals were killed through burning and suffocation in the fire. The animals were in shortage of food and water. According to the article “Millions of Australian Wildlife Devastated by Weather Extremes”, many animals that were saved during the bushfire were treated are taken care of volunteers that offered to lend a hand to help save these wildlife. In conclusion, the incidents of bushfires had caused several effects on the Australian economy and society. Bushfire prevention and safety solutions should be determined to assure a safe and protected community. (792 words)