As a boy, I lived for two and a half years in Sydney, Australia with my family. I went to kindergarten, first grade and half of second grade in an Australian public school (uniform with a tie, shorts, knee socks and all). I had a great natural Australian accent (which I eventually lost). I was pretty much an "Australian" kid for my few years there (although I could never quite bring myself to try Vegemite).
Because of my time there, as an "Australian" I have a love for Australia and its people. Perhaps that's why it made me sick to read of the 135+ people killed there in the last few days in dozens of wildfires that literally wiped out whole towns and killed people in their homes and in cars and on the street as they fled the inferno. This is the deadliest disaster in Australian history. See the most recent report I read.
What makes it worse is that some of the more than dozen bushfires that engulfed more than 750 homes are thought to have been purposely set. That is just so sick.
After years of drought and a run of temperatures as high as 117 degrees Fahrenheit, the high winds (up to 60 miles per hour) swept the walls of fire so quickly that many just didn't have time to escape. As I have read some of the miraculous escape stories that are now emerging from survivors, it at least reminds me that there are things that can be done to prepare now to survive such a horrible experience.
Given the much publicized California wildfires of last year and the continuing drought conditions in many areas of the West and elsewhere, it makes sense for those who live in risk areas to think now about how to prepare for potential wildfires. Here are some links that may help in that wildfire preparation:
Selected information on Wildfire Preparation from Are You read?,FEMA.
Prepare for a Wildfire
Before a Wildfire
During a Wildfire
After a Wildfire
As FEMA encourages in its wildfire information, "Always be ready for an emergency evacuation. Evacuation may be the only way to protect your family in a wildfire. Know where to go and what to bring with you." In line with this advice, here are a few suggestions that may help:
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Make sure you have a 72-Hour Emergency Evacuation Kit ready to go at a moments notice
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Be sure to keep copies of important documents in this emergency kit
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Consider having a smoke mask and goggles or fire hood to protect you from smoke as you evacuate. For more information on smoke masks and fire hoods, see my previous post on Fire Preparedness - Smoke masks and Fire Hoods Can Save Lives)
Here is a full list of LifeSecure products that may help you prepare for a wildfire.
If you live an area that might be impacted by a wildfire, please take some time to prepare now. Though such preparation might not have saved all those who perished in the Australian bushfires, it may have made a difference for some. Certainly emergency preparation can saves lives and at the very least can lessen the discomfort and loss experienced in a disaster such as a wildfire.
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LifeSecure.com
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