Whether you’re reading this in an emergency relief centre, while evacuating a fire risk area or at home dealing with toxic smoke, you’ve most likely been touched by Australia’s bushfire crisis in some way.
The scale and intensity of the bushfires we’re experiencing is unprecedented.
If you’re wondering what you can do to help, here’s a list of organisations to support in Victoria.
You can also find fundraisers for specific towns through Go Fund Me.
Like many people, I planned to spend the summer break holidaying with my family in the Australian bush. We were heading to Dinner Plain in the Alpine region but it was declared an evacuation zone.
We were lucky. Many thousands of people have had to flee for their lives, some rescued by Navy boats.
Over the last few weeks friends and family have shared stories of fighting for their lives to save homes and loved ones. Many are environmental activists who’ve spent decades campaigning to defend forests from chainsaws and bulldozers, only to see these areas burned in unnaturally savage fires.
Our hearts go out to them and to the firefighters, community volunteers, wildlife carers, health workers and asthma sufferers on the frontline of this crisis.
We are also grieving the potential loss of unique ecosystems – like rainforests from Terania Creek in Northern NSW to Errinundra in East Gippsland – that have dried out so much because of the extraordinary heat. They are flammable for the first time in 50 million years. You can read more about the threat to Victoria’s rainforests here.
If you’ve also been affected by the fires and you think there’s something Environment Victoria can do, please get in touch. Our community is suffering and we all need to pitch in. This is a moment to act together, so send us any thoughts or ideas.
For up to date information on the fires, including how to get prepared, visit the Vic Emergency website.
Under climate change Australia has experienced record breaking heat, creating the conditions for the unprecedented bushfires we face right now.
If you want to find out what you can do to solve the climate crisis that is fuelling these bushfires, sign up here.