Natural disaster Literature & Language Essay Paper (Essay Sample)

NATURAL DISASTER REPORT
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2019- 2020 Australian bushfires
Australia has always been rocked with several instances of bushfires over the past decades. The events of the 2019-2020 season were, however, unprecedented in several ways. The bushfires trail started way back in June, even before the official arrival of spring, more devastating bushfires sprung up in early September 2019. The first incidence significantly worsened at the start of November, when the region was already experiencing higher temperatures and prolonged drought (Nolan et al, 2020). A wave of heavy rain in mid-January brought some relief in most areas affected by bushfires, but it still was not enough to completely distinguish the fires. Further escalation of the crisis can be attributed to drought, increased temperatures, and high winds, especially during early February. All the fires were finally extinguished by 4th march 2020.
The fires were mainly concentrated around the southeast coast of Australia and in Victoria and New South Wales. The most affected region was the southeast coast. The bushfires spread and burnt up to 46 million acres, a region that that be compared to the whole geographical area of Syria. The fires brought down more than 3500 homes, and 34 people lost their lives during this period. Most of the destruction and deaths occurred in New South Wales, whereas the northern territory recorded almost a third of the burned region. Close to three billion terrestrial vertebrates were affected, with the larger percentage being reptiles (Lucas et al, 2019). Several endangered species are also feared to have been driven to extinction. The air quality within the region dropped to levels considered hazardous. There have been projections that the cost of managing the bushfires will surpass the A$1 billion that was spent on the 2009 black Saturday fires. The tourism sector was also affected, with revenues from the sector falling by over A$1 billion. Estimations on the economic loss and property damage could surpass A$ 103 billion, making it the worst natural disaster in Australia’s history.