Australia authorities plead for last-ditch evacuation, with terrible fire conditions ahead
By Ben Smee
3 January 2020
(The Guardian) – Australian authorities have made a final plea for people to flee bushfire-affected areas in three states before the onset of extreme conditions so dangerous that firefighters may be unable to defend entire towns.
On Friday, authorities in New South Wales urged people still in a 14,000 square kilometre area of the state’s south coast, and in other high risk areas in the Snowy Valley, to leave overnight.
In Victoria – where there are grave fears for 28 people still missing in the East Gippsland region – authorities have sent 250,000 text messages to people in affected shires and urged them to evacuate.
Late on Friday, authorities said 3.5% of the Victorian landmass had been affected by fire.
Both NSW and Victoria have enacted emergency measures that give firefighting authorities the power to forcibly relocate people if necessary.
In South Australia, warnings have been issued for two fires on Kangaroo Island, which firefighters have said they cannot prevent from spreading. SA country fire service chief officer Mark Jones said he would be “astonished” if homes were not already lost.
Forecasters have predicted temperatures in the mid-40Cs on Saturday for some parts of south-east Australia. The fire danger will be increased by strong winds. […]
The NSW premier, Gladys Berejiklian, held a press conference on Friday afternoon to tell people on the south coast and in other affected areas that by Saturday morning it would be too late to leave.
“There is a window until tonight, for people to get out and we encourage them to do so, please do not stay in the area unless you absolutely have to,” she said. […]
Fires continued to burn uncontrolled, and bushfire smoke continues to shroud a massive area. Air quality in Canberra again ranked among the poorest in the world on Friday, thanks to smoke from the bushfires. [more]
