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Natural disasters have been on the rise due to the rapid climate change and it has been causing a lot of suffering to the mankind. The recent huge fires in Australia, Amazon, and Siberia are a significant example of that.

Now it’s time to take a stand against the climate change through a number of measures such as prohibiting single use products and plastic. Also, stopping the use of coal and fuel. Together we can work for a better future.

By: Hazem Ali

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The 2013–2016 outbreak of Ebola virus disease, centered in Western Africa, was the most widespread outbreak of the disease in history and caused major loss of life and socioeconomic disruption in the region, mainly in Guinea, Liberia and Sierra Lione.

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The news broadcast exactly when the earthquake was hitting Japan. Magnitude was later corrected to 9.0, and the earthquake was felt almost in the entire region of Japan. I also experienced it when I was a third year grade student in an elementary school, but I clearly remember it.

Huge tsunami that the meteorological department was not able to expect reached the Pacific side of Japan especially in Iwate, Miyagi and Fukushima prefectures.

It destroyed nuclear power plants and people were told to save electricity. I was living about 300km away from the power plants, but my town was also slightly contaminated. A month later, some people moved from Fukushima to my town because his home was in the highly contaminated area.

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Japan Earthquake Early Warning 3/11/2011 (w/ English subtitles)

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https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=dTTm5zXiydg

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🌎 LIVE: La Palma Volcano Eruption, the Canary Islands (Feed #2)

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In 2019 the acqua alta in Venice has been so brutal that many people find their homes destroyed and the situation is going to be worse and worse with climate change

https://youtu.be/yOyQg3swkXo

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In 2015, Severe Tropical Cyclone Pam was the second most intense tropical cyclone of the south Pacific Ocean in terms of sustained winds and is regarded as one of the worst natural disasters in the history of Vanuatu.

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This is why snow is turning green in Antarctica

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Green snow created by blooming algae in the Antarctic Peninsula is likely to spread as temperatures increase as a result of climate change, researchers have said, after creating the first large-scale map of the organisms and their movements.

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Hi

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As a kid, I remember that on facebook, we’ve been putting flags of Haiti to our profile pictures- earthquake just destroyed the island and caused a catastrophe in every area. Haiti is still recovering from this natural disaster. It killed an estimated 200 000 people and injured about 300 000.

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Looking back at the 2010 Haiti earthquake a decade later

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Date

May 2020 - August 2020
(1 year and 5 months)

Location

Assam, India:

Cause

Heavy monsoon rains

Deaths

149

Website
sdmassam.nic.in

2020 Assam floods refers to the significant flood event of the Brahmaputra River in the Indian north-eastern state of Assam and coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic. Initial flooding started in May 2020 due to heavy rainfall affecting 30,000 and destroying crops across 5 districts. As of October 2020 the floods affected over five million people, claiming the lives of 123 people, with an additional 26 deaths due to landslides, 5474 villages were affected and over one hundred and fifty thousand people found refuge in relief camps.

Due to its tropical monsoon climate, the state of Assam is prone to annual flooding. While the monsoons are important for the largely agriculture dependent regional economy, they now cause annually recurring destruction of infrastructure, crops, livelihoods and loss of lives. Although annual precipitation is declining, daily rainfall data shows an increase in extreme rainfall events, leading to extreme flooding in Assam. Higher temporal and spatial variability of rainfall across the regions has been attributed to the impact of climate change.

During the 2020 monsoon season, particularly high rainfall was experienced across central, north, and northeast India, with 15 centimeters more rainfall than usual by the middle of July. The reason for the excess rainfall is attributed to Madden-Julian oscillation, thereby causing prolonged break-monsoon conditions which decreases the rainfall in North West India and increases it in North East India.

By 21 July, the meteorological subdivision of Assam and Meghalaya had received rainfall of 1,164mm as compared to normal rainfall of 894mm during the period, an excess of nearly 30%. The catchment areas of nearby states, Arunachal Pradesh and Sikkim also received excess rainfall nearly to the tune of 16% and 45% respectively aggravating the flood situation.

Into October 2020, although the situation began to improve with the number of people affected reduced to 135,000 the state was still affected by prolonged flooding, with 315 villages still submerged.

Flooding and subsequent landslides have caused damage to bridges, government buildings, roads, embankments and schools. The government has announced funding of 3.46 billion Indian Rupees ($42 million) for repairs and aid to the region. In addition to this aid, the central government, according to Chief Minister Sarbananda Sonowal, has "committed to passing an ordinance to set up North East Water Management Authority, to address flood and erosion problems" with more permanent solutions as an attempt to stop future monsoon seasons from being so devastating.

Millions of people living in the flooded area rely on crops and livestock to provide for their families. The flooding began just before harvest and has caused destruction to more than 267,203 hectares of crops and more than 45,000 domesticated animals have been forced to flee or be abandoned.

Assam is home to important wildlife sanctuaries and World Heritage sites which have been damaged by the flooding. Pobitora Wildlife Sanctuary has India's highest population of rhinoceroses and at the height of the flooding 90% was impacted by flood waters. Kaziranga National Park has also been affected with more than 150 wild animals rescued and 125 animals, including 12 rhinoceros have died.

Leadership in disaster management and relief operations is ensured by the Assam State Disaster Management Authority (ASDMA) in accordance with India's Disaster Management Act of 2005. As of 14 October 2020 a total 627 relief camps and 1662 relief distribution centers were set by up ASDMA, including hygiene and isolation measures for COVID-19 pandemic infected persons. Reduced carrying capacity of relief camps and difficulties in the provisioning of food and safe drinking water have been encountered.

Relief efforts have also been provided by NGOs including Red Cross India who supplied tarpaulin sheets, food and water and relief materials to flood affected communities. In preparation for the annual flooding, Red Cross India increased stocks of aid packages across the state to ensure timely and efficient response to flood affected families. Oxfam India and other NGOs have however called attention to the challenges of COVID-19 and extensive flooding, increasing vulnerabilities of displaced people and minority communities who took refuge on embankments and makeshift shelters.

Post-disaster response by ASDMA includes compensation schemes for homestead losses, infrastructure repair together with an Asian Development Bank and World Bank funded embankment and flood risk reduction program. Despite government efforts in disaster risk reduction, the dual effect of flooding and Covid-19 related job-losses increase distress and poverty of around 70% of the population, whose livelihoods are agriculture dependent and are not eligible for compensation without formal documentation or land rights.

Diseases such as Dengue, Malaria and Japanese Encephalitis are likely to increase in stagnant water left by receding floods. Treatment of these diseases have been hindered by fear of the COVID-19 pandemic and restrictions have hampered the efforts to destroy mosquito breeding sites and awareness-raising among at-risk populations. Resources available to the population have been obstructed due to infrastructure failures, causing difficulties of access for medical professionals.

Government flood reporting dated 14 October 2020 established a total of 149 deaths resulting from floods and landslides. Accidental drowning of children constitutes a reported 44.5% of these deaths caused by children often misjudging the strength of the currents. Women and children are among the most affected by the floods, unable to access clean water and hygiene supplies to prevent the spread of disease.

With over 200,000 COVID-19 cases reported in Assam, the spread of the virus has been exacerbated by the flooding with many not willing to relocate to relief camps thereby affecting relief efforts.

As a result of the yearly monsoon related destruction, the South Asia Flash Flood Guidance System (South Asia FFGS) was launched on 23 October 2020 by the World Meteorological Organization. The system will strengthen coordination of disaster risk reduction and preparedness in Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Nepal and Sri Lanka through forecasts and early warnings of dangers related to flash floods with the hope of lessening the loss of life and damage to property.

UNESCO World Heritage

World Meteorological Organization

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Date May 2020 - August 2020 (1 year and 5 months) Location Assam, India: Cause Heavy monsoon rains Deaths 149 Website sdmassam.nic.in 2020 Assam floods refers to the significant flood event of the Brahmaputra River in the Indian north-eastern state of Assam and coincided with the COVID-19 pandemic.

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Spain: La Palma volcano triggers further evacuations

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A volcano located on one of Spain's Canary Islands - La Palma, has erupted for the first time in 50 years. The eruption continues at similar levels as the past week, still, with no signs that could fuel hopes, it might stop any time soon, unfortunately.

Live: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dTTm5zXiydg&ab_channel=afarTV

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Volcanic activity on La Palma in the Canary Islands has prompted another round of evacuations, local media reported on Thursday.

According to Pevolca, the committee managing the emergency response, 500 people had to leave their homes overnight as molten lava moved deeper into the coastal town of Tazacorte.

Cumbre Vieja began to erupt over a month ago. Around 7,500 people have had to flee their homes since the start of the eruption.

Lava flow continues path of destruction

The lava flow has completely buried homes and businesses, destroying the livelihoods and possessions of many residents.

The mayor of Tazacorte, Juan Miguel Rodriguez, told local broadcaster RTVE that some are beginning to lose hope. "There is already a certain degree of despondency and desperation, waiting for the volcano to subside," Rodriguez said.

Some La Palma residents have lost everything in the eruption

The EU's Copernicus Earth Observation Programme said the lava flow has covered 866 hectares (2,100 acres) of the island.

Around 2,185 buildings have been destroyed since the eruptions began.

It's feared the volcanic activity could continue for the next three months and many more homes could be destroyed.

The Spanish government has vowed to assist in the rebuilding of destroyed and damaged infrastructure.

kb/wd (AP, dpa)

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Spain: La Palma volcano triggers further evacuations | DW | 21.10.2021

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Volcanic activity on La Palma in the Canary Islands has prompted another round of evacuations, local media reported on Thursday. According to Pevolca, the committee managing the emergency response, 500 people had to leave their homes overnight as molten lava moved deeper into the coastal town of Tazacorte.

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Wildfires began in Uttarakhand on October 15, 2020 and continue to destroy large tracts of forests

The forests of Uttarakhand have not stopped burning in the last six months. Fires have continued to erupt one after another.

While forest fires are a recurring and common phenomena, their frequency has been on the rise in the state.

The season between winter and monsoon, referred to as the 'forest fire season', is now increasing. Climate change and consequently scarce rainfall in the Himalayan regions plays a huge role.

There were 989 fire incidents in the forests of the state from October 1,2020-April 4, 2021, according to forest department figures. Some 1,297.43 hectares of forest got burned down in the fires, according to the estimates.

There were 470 incidents of fire in Uttarakhand's forests between November 2020 and January 2021. The figure for the same period in the previous year was 39.

Uttarkhand ranked second in the country after Madhya Pradesh in terms of active instances of fire on April 5, 2021 according to the Forest Survey of India. There were 93 active instances of fire in Madhya Pradesh and 71 in Uttarakhand.

Uttarkhand received only 10.9 millimetres of rainfall from January-March 2021 against the usual 54.9 mm, a deficit of nearly 80 per cent. The district of Pauri, which has been most affected by fires, received the least amount of rain, a measly 3.1 mm, against the usual 36.6 mm. The deficit in Pauri has been 92 per cent.

Temperatures too have been rising across Uttarakhand and other Himalayan states. The year 2020 was the second consecutive 'warm' year for the state.

We are a voice to you; you have been a support to us. Together we build journalism that is independent, credible and fearless. You can further help us by making a donation. This will mean a lot for our ability to bring you news, perspectives and analysis from the ground so that we can make change together.

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Still burning: Forest fires continue to rage in Uttarakhand

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Wildfires began in Uttarakhand on October 15, 2020 and continue to destroy large tracts of forests The forests of Uttarakhand have not stopped burning in the last six months. Fires have continued to erupt one after another. While forest fires are a recurring and common phenomena, their frequency has been on the rise in the state.

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Floods and typhons in China

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Amphan near peak intensity over the Bay of Bengal on 18 May

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Swarms of Locusts, Asia-East Africa-India-Middle East

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Swarms of Locusts, Asia-East Africa-India-Middle East

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Drawn to an emaciated avocado drooping from a drying mother tree, Esther Ndavu wonders aloud if it will ever mature into the fist-sized oval fruit that keeps city residents going. Like many others at her farm in Mathyakani village in central-eastern Kenya, this avocado tree has been attacked by desert locusts. With a wide sweep of her right hand, Ndavu counts about 10 avocado, mango and paw paw trees that are losing their boughs after the infestation.

The locust invasion that swept over farms in rural Kenya from December 2019 has left farmers like Ndavu not only counting crop losses, but struggling with emerging environmental and health problems. The swarms have been the worst seen in Kenya for 70 years, and experts are concerned that swarms later in the year will be even larger.

Desert locusts, or Schistocerca gregaria, have often been called the world's most devastating pest, and for good reason. Swarms form when locusts' numbers increase and they become crowded. This causes a switch from a relatively harmless solitary phase, to a gregarious, sociable phase. In this phase, the insects are able to multiply 20-fold in three months and reach densities of 80 million per square kilometre. Each can consume 2g of vegetation every day - combined, a swarm of 80 million can consume food equivalent to that eaten by 35,000 people a day.

In 2020, locusts have swarmed in large numbers in dozens of countries, including Kenya, Ethiopia, Uganda, Somalia, Eritrea, India, Pakistan, Iran, Yemen, Oman and Saudi Arabia. When swarms affect several countries at once in very large numbers, it is known as a plague.

Ndavu's village of Mathyakani, which covers about 50 sq km (19 sq miles), is home to about 10,000 people. At Ndavu's 1.6 hectares (four acres) of land, the locust swarms destroyed produce worth 50,000 Kenyan shillings ($460/£350), which she was set to begin harvesting in July.
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The vegetation that grows at the edges of her farm, where she used to collect fodder for her livestock, was also depleted by locusts. With nothing to feed her livestock, she has moved them to a neighbouring village which was spared the invasion. There, she pays about 100 Kenyan shillings (93 cents/70p) every day to her hosts for her cattle to feed. The manure produced by her six cows remains with the hosts as additional payment.

"I have gone through a lot of challenges growing up as an orphan," says Ndavu. "But this locust invasion is more than a challenge. It is a matter of life and death because it has left us hungry and confused."
The toll of defence
In February 2020, local media reported that a swarm covering 2,400 sq km (930 sq miles) was recorded in northern Kenya and could have been the largest on record in Kenya. At Ndavu's village, the locusts occupied about 20 sq km (7.7 sq miles) of vegetation when they swarmed.

The invasion has taken its toll on mental health in the village of Mathyakani. For more than a week during the infestation, Ndavu's children could not go to school. They stayed home to help their parents battle the swarm that had landed on their farm.

At first adults used the tools immediately available to drum away the locusts as well as lighting fires and burning vehicle tires, says Ndavu. Children were enlisted to scream at the pests to try to scare them away before the village was able to use pesticides. That drumming and screaming has left a lasting effect on her children.

"Most nights I do not sleep enough," says Ndavu. "The children wake me up when they begin screaming at night. When I ask them what the problem is, they tell me that they were dreaming that another locust invasion had come to our home."

Peninah Nguli, a teacher from a village neighbouring Mathyakani, adds women have been particularly affected. Women are typically responsible for crop farming in the region, while men look after livestock. Some women are suffering from throat problems due to the strain of shouting to scare away the insects, says Nguli, while most fear another swarm.

Another swarm is indeed likely, and it could be devastating. Another surge would put between five million and 25 million people at risk of acute food shortage in East Africa. A further 25 million people will face acute food insecurity.
Tools for resilience
In mid-February, Kenya's government announced it was focusing its intervention measures in areas heavily infested with locusts in the north. The interventions included manual and aerial spraying of pesticides, followed by deployment of response teams to assess the damage caused by the locusts. That assessment would then help the government come up with a plan on how it would support livelihoods of Kenyans affected by the locust invasions.

Kenya was one of nine beneficiaries of a $1.5m (£1.1m) grant given to the Intergovernmental Authority on Development in April by the African Development Bank to help the East and Horn of Africa battle the locust invasions. In May, the World Bank distributed a further £43m grant to aid 70,000 pastoral households and 20,000 farmers in Kenya to recover from locusts.

One way this funding could be used to help farmers like Ndavu is equipping them with technology so that they can battle new locust infestations, says Moses Muli, a social and conservation expert who has worked with Action Aid, Kenya, for six years.

The first line of defence is chemical insecticides, which can be distributed using packs on the ground, or by aircraft. During Covid-19, this protection has been made difficult or, in some places, impossible because of disruption to the chemical supply chain. And spraying, though one of the more effective methods, comes with drawbacks: the substances used can be harmful to the environment and to human health.

Alternatives include the use of drones and electrified metal grids to control locust swarms. Drones can be navigated to fly low enough to spray chemicals and do surveillance, without the need for larger planes with human pilots. Electric grids can be dragged over fields to generate vibrations in open fields to scare away the locusts and shock any that it comes into contact with. While early tests of the grids have been successful, they may be better suited to smaller swarms.

Another option is to use "biological pesticides", based on the fungus Metarhizium acridum that infects and kills locusts. Fungus-based pesticides are thought to be harmful to a much narrower range of species than conventional pesticides, and so pose less risk to the environment and people. However, some researchers have questioned whether fungal deterrents could also harm other species of insect, such as termites. They also take longer to kill the pests than conventional pesticides, which risks greater crop damage.

But some of the key protection comes before the swarm arrives. Remote weather alert stations within farms could also help farmers prepare for future locust invasions. Locust swarms usually happen when a prolonged drought is followed by heavy rains, says Muli. Remote weather stations could help to capture data that reveals such weather variations and gives farmers time to start spraying early.

For Munyithya Kimwele, a farmer in Mathyakani, investing in forecasting is the best option for families to be prepared for future locust swarms. "Long ago traditional forecasts would help villages prepare for locust invasions. This is the best intervention the government can give to poor farmers like us," says Kimwele.

In villages like Mathyakani, which has not been a priority area for spraying or government assistance, farmers are taking steps towards recovery by diversifying their crops. Instead of relying on traditional crops like maize and cowpeas, which are more vulnerable to locusts, a growing number of farmers are investing in fruit and vegetables.

This has been made possible by village irrigation projects that Action Aid Kenya, in partnership with some farmers, established there in 2009. About 40 families along the seasonal river Enzio enlisted with the project, which helps them grow cabbages, tomatoes, kale and capsicum, among other crops by sinking a series of boreholes along the river. This group is not as worse off after the locusts as farmers who had only grown maize, green grams and cowpeas, says Nguli.

"Hungry families from neighbouring villages come to us for help and we give them food," says Nguli. "We also train them on how to take advantage of the irrigation project and establish kitchen gardens to guard them against future food shocks."
Predicting plagues
The question of whether the Horn of Africa could experience worse plagues of locusts in future is a difficult one to answer, according to Ezra Kipruto Yego, the Sustainable Development Goal coordinator of the UN Sustainable Development Solutions Network.

Yego sees a possible link between climate change, extreme weather events and locust swarms in East Africa. For example, when last year's cyclones in the Indian Ocean made landfall, they may have created an attractive environment for locusts to swarm into the region from their nesting sites in the Middle East, he says.

"The locusts are not likely to go away soon. This is because of erratic weather, which has led to prolonged rains is providing the pests with enough vegetation to keep them fed and breeding," says Yego.

Another major challenge for controlling locusts in east Africa is political instability. For instance, Yego says, UN agencies that have committed to fight the swarms rarely risk taking their personnel to countries like Somalia, which experiences frequent attacks from al-Shabab militants.

Hence, when a country like Kenya makes headway in containing locusts, those that have bred and hatched in less politically stable countries often swarm across borders. That makes international peacebuilding and political stability a key part of dealing with locusts, says Yego.

Until such large-scale international solutions are possible, the people of Mathyakani are working hard to adopt and build post-locust resilience, says Ndavu. But all the while there is the threat of another swarm. The locusts of the most recent invasions laid eggs in the area, which could hatch later in the year close to harvest time.

People have lately seen locust hatchlings hopping around the village. They spray them with pesticides, and sometimes they die and disappear.

"I know this is not over yet," Ndavu says.

--
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Drawn to an emaciated avocado drooping from a drying mother tree, Esther Ndavu wonders aloud if it will ever mature into the fist-sized oval fruit that keeps city residents going. Like many others at her farm in Mathyakani village in central-eastern Kenya, this avocado tree has been attacked by desert locusts.

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We like to give special name to every strong typhoon that come to Hong Kong. Majorit of Hong Kong people like typhoon very much, especially when it bring us holiday. Student like them, worker like them, I like typhoon as well. We all look forward to it.

From Yip Yan Yee,Jojo

https://youtu.be/bDjOQpSPBSU

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Typhoon Molave No.9 Signal Strike in Hong Kong 香港

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Floods in the Northern part of Turkey 2021.

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2021 Haiti Earthquake and Tropical Storm Grace - Center for Disaster Philanthropy

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Overview Just before 8:30 a.m. ET on Aug. 14, an M7.2 earthquake struck the southwest of Haiti in the mountains between the Nippes Department and Sud Department. This earthquake occurred at a depth of only 6.2 miles (10 km), which is critical because shallow earthquakes usually cause more damage. Fo…

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At 2:10 p.m. local time ( UTC-5) on 28 January 2020, an earthquake of 7.7 struck on the north side of the Cayman Trough, north of Jamaica and west of the southern tip of Cuba, with the epicenter being 80 miles (130 km) ESE of Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands or 83 miles (134 km) north of Montego Bay, Jamaica. Schools in Jamaica and buildings in Miami were evacuated after shaking was observed in parts of the U.S. state of Florida. Light shaking was also reported on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. It is the largest earthquake in the Caribbean since 1946. A tsunami warning for the Caribbean Sea was issued by the Pacific Tsunami Warning Center and later withdrawn.

The eastern part of the Cayman Trough forms part of the Gonâve Microplate, which lies between the North American Plate and the Caribbean Plate. It is bounded to both north and south by large transform faults that together accommodate the relative displacement of the two major plates. To the north the boundary is the western part of the Septentrional-Oriente fault zone, which accommodates 6-11 mm per year of plate boundary motion, while to the south the boundary is formed by the Walton fault zone to the west of Jamaica and the Enriquillo-Plantain Garden fault zone to the east, accommodating about 8 mm per year.

The earthquake had a magnitude of 7.7 M ww  and an estimated depth of 14.8 km (9.2 mi). The focal mechanism, combined with an analysis of seismic waveforms, is consistent with strike-slip motion on the Septentrional-Oriente fault zone. The mainshock was followed by a series of aftershocks, with the largest being a 6.1 M ww  event that occurred less than three hours later, to the southeast of Grand Cayman. The modelled rupture zone extends from just west of the epicenter of the M 6.1 aftershock to just east of the mainshock epicenter, suggesting unilateral westward propagation. Two episodes of supershear rupture have been identified from the inversion of teleseismic P waveforms.

There were cracked roads and many sinkholes. A minor tsunami of 46 cm (1 ft 6 in) was recorded. All government schools were closed to allow inspections for possible damage, but they were all reopened on January 30 as no major damage had been found that related to the earthquake.

A six-story building on the Mona campus of the University of the West Indies, containing approximately 300 students, was evacuated. Damage was reported from at least two parishes in western Jamaica.

Several buildings in and around the New Kingston vicinity were evacuated promptly after the earthquake, with several reports of shaking. The area was virtually shut down.[citation needed ]

Tremors were felt on the southern coast of the island. A spokesman for Guantanamo Bay Naval Base stated that there were no reports of damages or injuries. Granma Province was affected by the strongest shaking, being closest to the epicenter. A survey carried out by the National Center for Seismological Research, found that one house had completely collapsed and another 300 showed some damage. The houses affected were all ones that were not in good condition before the earthquake. Damage was also reported from some schools and daycare centers.

Tremors were felt throughout southern Florida and several buildings were evacuated, particularly in Miami-Dade County (450 miles away) and the Florida Keys. Several government buildings in Downtown Miami were evacuated, initially on a volunteer basis until a full evacuation was ordered by the local fire department.

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At 2:10 p.m. local time ( UTC-5) on 28 January 2020, an earthquake of 7.7 struck on the north side of the Cayman Trough, north of Jamaica and west of the southern tip of Cuba, with the epicenter being 80 miles (130 km) ESE of Cayman Brac, Cayman Islands or 83 miles (134 km) north of Montego Bay, Jamaica.

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Haiti earthquake 2021.

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Philippine volcano eruption: How dangerous is it? | DW News

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L’Aquila is a city in the nord-eat of Italy, it is located in a earthquake high-risk territory.
Structures were not projected to resist to this threat and in 2009 an aggressive earthquake destroyed everything, just a less of buildings survived and 308 peoples died.
At our days not all buildings were restored.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2009_L%27Aquila_earthquake

https://www.wantedinrome.com/news/laquila-italy-pm-opens-park-in-memory-of-earthquake-victims.html

- Salvatore

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‘Catastrophic’ flooding in Western Germany.  Patricija&Maka

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‘Catastrophic’ flooding in Western Germany.  Patricija&Maka

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Nearly two months-worth of rain fell in just 24 hours, leading to horrible floods, which causes the death of 165 people.

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'Catastrophic’ flooding hits western Germany leaving dozens dead

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Intense bushfires can seriously impact the environment, such as here by the Big River, near Anglers Rest, East Gippsland, after the 2003 Victorian fires

Bushfires in Australia are a widespread and regular occurrence that have contributed significantly to shaping the nature of the continent over millions of years. Eastern Australia is one of the most fire-prone regions of the world, and its predominant eucalyptus forests have evolved to thrive on the phenomenon of bushfire. However, the fires can cause significant property damage and loss of both human and animal life. Bushfires have killed approximately 800 people in Australia since 1851, and billions of animals.

The most destructive fires are usually preceded by extreme high temperatures, low relative humidity and strong winds, which combine to create ideal conditions for the rapid spread of fire. Severe fire storms are often named according to the day on which they peaked, including the five most deadly blazes: Black Saturday 2009 in Victoria (173 people killed, 2,000 homes lost); Ash Wednesday 1983 in Victoria and South Australia (75 dead, nearly 1,900 homes); Black Friday 1939 in Victoria (71 dead, 650 houses destroyed), Black Tuesday 1967 in Tasmania (62 people and almost 1,300 homes); and the Gippsland fires and Black Sunday of 1926 in Victoria (60 people killed over a two-month period). Other major conflagrations include the 1851 Black Thursday bushfires, the 2006 December bushfires, the 1974-75 fires that burnt 15% of Australia, and the 2019-20 bushfires. It is estimated that the 2019-2020 bushfires led to the deaths of at least 33 people and over 3 billion animals.

The gradual drying of the Australian continent over the last 15 million years has produced an ecology and environment prone to fire, which has resulted in many specialised adaptations amongst flora and fauna. Some of the country's flora has evolved to rely on bushfires for reproduction. Aboriginal Australians used to use fire to clear grasslands for hunting and to clear tracks through dense vegetation, and European settlers have also had to adapt to using fire to enhance agriculture and forest management since the 19th century.

Epicormic shoots sprouting vigorously from epicormic buds beneath the thick bushfire damaged bark of a Eucalyptus tree - one of the mechanisms evolved by plants to survive bushfires

According to Tim Flannery (The Future Eaters), fire is one of the most important forces at work in the Australian environment. Some plants have evolved a variety of mechanisms to survive or even require bushfires (possessing epicormic shoots or lignotubers that sprout after a fire, or developing fire-resistant or fire-triggered seeds), or even encourage fire ( eucalypts contain flammable oils in its leaves) as a way to eliminate competition from less fire-tolerant species. Early European explorers of the Australian coastline noted extensive bushfire smoke. Abel Janszoon Tasman's expedition saw smoke drifting over the coast of Tasmania in 1642 and noted blackened trunks and baked earth in the forests. While charting the east coast in 1770, Captain Cook's crew saw autumn fires in the bush burning on most days of the voyage.

The fires would have been caused by both natural phenomenon and human hands. Aboriginal people in many regions set fire to grasslands in the hope of producing lusher grass to fatten kangaroos and other game and, at certain times of year, burned fire breaks as a precaution against bushfire. Fire-stick farming was also used to facilitate hunting and to promote the growth of bush potatoes and other edible ground-level plants. In central Australia, they used fire in this way to manage their country for thousands of years.

Flannery writes that "The use of fire by Aboriginal people was so widespread and constant that virtually every early explorer in Australia makes mention of it. It was Aboriginal fire that prompted James Cook to call Australia 'This continent of smoke'." However, he goes on to say: "When control was wrested from the Aborigines and placed in the hands of Europeans, disaster resulted." Fire suppression became the dominant paradigm in fire management leading to a significant shift away from traditional burning practices. A 2001 study found that the disruption of traditional burning practices and the introduction of unrestrained logging meant that many areas of Australia were now prone to extensive wildfires especially in the dry season. A similar study in 2017 found that the removal of mature trees by Europeans since they began to settle in Australia may have triggered extensive shrub regeneration which presents a much greater fire fuel hazard. Another factor was the introduction of gamba grass imported into Queensland as a pasture grass in 1942, and planted on a large scale from 1983. This can fuel intense bushfires, leading to loss of tree cover and long-term environmental damage.

A depiction of the 1851 Black Thursday bushfires in Victoria

Australia's hot, arid climate and wind-driven bushfires were a new and frightening phenomenon to the European settlers of the colonial era. The devastating Victorian bushfires of 1851, remembered as the Black Thursday bushfires, burned in a chain from Portland to Gippsland, and sent smoke billowing across the Bass Strait to north west Tasmania, where terrified settlers huddled around candles in their huts under a blackened afternoon sky. The fires covered five million hectares around one quarter of what is now the state of Victoria. Portland, Plenty Ranges, Westernport, the Wimmera and Dandenong districts were badly hit, and around twelve lives were recorded lost, along with one million sheep and thousands of cattle.

New arrivals from the wetter climes of Britain and Ireland learned painful lessons in fire management and the European farmers slowly began to adapt - growing green crops around their haystacks and burning fire breaks around their pastures, and becoming cautious about burn offs of wheatfield stubble and ringbarked trees. But major fire events persisted, including South Gippsland's 1898 Red Tuesday bushfires that burned 260,000 hectares (640,000 acres) and claimed twelve lives and more than 2,000 buildings.

Large bushfires continued throughout the 20th century. With increasing population and urban spread into bushland came increasing death tolls and property damage during large fires.

Extent of the 1939 Black Friday bushfires in Victoria

The 1939 fire season was one of the worst on record for Australia, peaking with Victoria's devastating Black Friday bushfires of 13 January, but enduring for the full summer, with fires burning the urban fringes of Sydney, Melbourne and Canberra, and ash falling as far away as New Zealand. The Black Friday fires were the third deadliest on record, with some 71 people killed and 650 houses destroyed. They followed years of drought and a series of extreme heatwaves that were accompanied by strong northerly winds, after a very dry six months. Melbourne hit 45.6 °C (114.1 °F) and Adelaide 46.1 °C (115.0 °F). In NSW, Bourke suffered 37 consecutive days above 38 degrees and Menindee hit a record 49.7 °C (121.5 °F) on 10 January.

New South Wales also lost hundreds of houses, thousands of stock and poultry, and thousands of hectares of grazing land. By 16 January, disastrous fires were burning in Victoria, New South Wales and the ACT at the climax of a terrible heatwave. Sydney was ringed to the north, south and west by fires from Palm Beach and Port Hacking to the Blue Mountains. Fires blazing at Castle Hill, Sylvania, Cronulla and French's Forest in the city. Disastrous fires were also reported at Penrose, Wollongong, Nowra, Bathurst, Ulludulla, Mittagong, Trunkey and Nelligen. Meanwhile, Canberra faced the "worst bushfires" it had experienced, with thousands of hectares burned and a 72-kilometre (45 mi) fire front driven towards the city by a south westerly gale, destroying pine plantations and many homesteads, and threatening Mount Stromlo Observatory, Government House, and Black Mountain. Large numbers of men were sent to stand by government buildings in the line of fire.

The state of Victoria was hardest hit, with an area of almost two million 2 million hectares (4.9 million acres; 20,000 square kilometres; 7,700 square miles) burned, 71 people killed, and whole townships wiped out, along with many sawmills and thousands of sheep, cattle and horses around Black Friday. Fires had been burning through December, but linked up with devastating force on Friday 13 January, plunging many areas of the state into midday blackness. The Stretton Royal Commission later wrote:

"On [13 January] it appeared that the whole State was alight. At midday, in many places, it was dark as night. Men carrying hurricane lamps, worked to make safe their families and belongings. Travellers on the highways were trapped by fires or blazing fallen trees, and perished. Throughout the land, there was daytime darkness... Steel girders and machinery were twisted by heat as if they had been of fine wire. Sleepers of heavy durable timber, set in the soil, their upper surfaces flush with the ground, were burnt through... Where the fire was most intense the soil was burnt to such a depth that it may be many years before it shall have been restored..."

-  Stretton Royal Commission.

The townships of Warrandyte, Yarra Glen, Omeo and Pomonal were badly damaged, and fires burned to the urban fringe of Melbourne, affecting towns including Toolangi, Warburton and Thomson Valley. In the Victorian Alps, the towns of Bright, Cudgewa and Corryong were also hit, along with vast areas in the west, in particular Portland, the Otway Ranges and the Grampians. Black Range, Rubicon, Acheron, Noojee, Tanjil Bren, Hill End, Woods Point, Matlock, Erica, Omeo, Toombullup and the Black Forest were also affected. Huge amounts of smoke and ash were generated, with reports of ash falling as far away as New Zealand.

In the summer of 1974-1975 (southern hemisphere), Australia suffered its worst recorded bushfire, when 15% of Australia's land mass suffered "extensive fire damage". Fires that summer burnt an estimated 117 million hectares (290 million acres; 1,170,000 square kilometres; 450,000 square miles).

The fires killed six people, approximately 57,000 farm animals, farmers' crops, and destroyed nearly 10,200 kilometres (6,300 mi) of fencing.

On 20 February 1980, a series of bushfires tore through the Adelaide Hills, 120 kilometres (75 mi) north of Adelaide, leaving more than 70 buildings destroyed and 75 farms affected by the fires. Three years later on 16 February 1983, about 180 fires in an event known as the Ash Wednesday bushfires caused widespread destruction across parts of South Australia and Victoria, burning an area of 3.74 million acres (1.51 million hectares; 15,100 square kilometres; 5,840 square miles) of bushland and exceeding the loss of 75 people. The bushfires, caused by years of severe drought and extreme weather, were amongst one of the deadliest bushfires in Australian history during the late 20th century.

A pall of bushfire smoke over Sydney during the 1994 Eastern seaboard fires.

From 27 December 1993 to 16 January 1994, over 800 severe fires burned along the coastal areas of New South Wales, affecting the state's most populous regions. Blazes emerged from the Queensland border down the north and central coast, through the Sydney basin and down the south coast to Batemans Bay. The 800,000 hectares (2.0 million acres; 8,000 square kilometres; 3,100 square miles) spread of fires were generally contained within less than 100 kilometres (62 mi) from the coast, and many burned through rugged and largely uninhabited country in national parks or nature reserves. Dramatic scenes of the city of Sydney shrouded in thick bushfire smoke, and bushland suburbs on fire were broadcast around the world.

On 29 December, the Department of Bushfire Services was monitoring more than a dozen fires around the state, and homes were threatened in Turramurra by a fire in the Lane Cove River reserve, and a scrub fire had briefly cut off the holiday village of Bundeena in the Royal National Park, south of Sydney. reported on 7 January that one-quarter of NSW was under threat in the worst fires seen in the state for nearly fifty years, as hundreds of firefighters from interstate joined 4,000 NSW firefighters battling blazes from Batemans Bay to Grafton. Fires in the Lane Cove River area at Marsfield, Turramurra, West Pymble and Macquarie Park were threatening hundreds of homes, and the fire in the Royal National Park raged toward Bundeena, where rescue boats evacuated 3,100 people caught in the path of the fire. With the Prime Minister Paul Keating on leave, Deputy Prime Minister Brian Howe, ordered 100 soldiers to join firefighting efforts and placed a further 100 on standby.

On 8 January, the Royal National Park fire swept into the southern Sydney suburbs of Como and Jannali where many homes would be destroyed, along with two schools a church and a kindergarten. The Como/Jannali fire burnt 476 hectares (1,180 acres) and destroyed 101 houses - more than half of the total homes lost in New South Wales during the January emergency period. Also on 8 January, fires had reached to within 1.5 kilometres (0.93 mi) of Gosford city centre, and some 5,000 people had been evacuated over that weekend with homes destroyed at Somersby and Peats Ridge.

By 9 January, more than 16,000 people were on standby for evacuation from the Lower Blue Mountains. Thousands of people were sleeping on the football field at the Central Coast Leagues Club, after the evacuation of Kariong, Woy Woy, Umina, Ettalong and Brisbane Waters. Much of Gosford, Kariong and Somersby had been evacuated, along with Terry Hill. Homes at Menai, Sutherland, Chatswood, Lindfield, Turramurra, Macquarie Park and Sydney's northern beaches had been lost. 60 fires were burning on the north coast, as firefighters battled infernos over 30 hectares (74 acres) from Coffs Harbour to the Queensland border. Fires were approaching towns in the Blue Mountains including Blackheath and in the Shoalhaven, including Ulladulla.

Some 20,000 firefighters were deployed against around 800 fires mainly along the coast and ranges. The fires caused mass evacuations, claimed four lives, destroyed some 225 homes and burnt 800,000 hectares (2.0 million acres; 8,000 square kilometres; 3,100 square miles) of bushland. They were met with amongst the largest firefighting efforts in Australian history. A lengthy Coronial inquest followed the fires, leading to the formation of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service. The Rural Fires Act 1997 was proclaimed on 1 September 1997.

2003 Canberra bushfires

From September 2019 until March 2020, when the final fire was extinguished, Australia had one of the worst bushfire seasons in its recorded history. 2019 had been the hottest record year for Australia, with the bushfire season starting in June 2019. This caused massive damage throughout the country, with fires in each state and territory. The east coast experienced widespread destruction from mega-blazes, such as the Currowan bushfire, which was just one of many catastrophic bushfires during the 2019-2020 season. In terms of the area of land burnt, wildlife deaths, and damage to the environment, some of it permanent damage, such as the burning of remnant rainforest, the 2019-2020 fires were the worst in Australian history.

Many fires are as a result of either deliberate arson or carelessness, however these fires normally happen in readily accessible areas and are rapidly brought under control. Man-made events include arcing from overhead power lines, arson, accidental ignition in the course of agricultural clearing, grinding and welding activities, campfires, cigarettes and dropped matches, sparks from machinery, and controlled burn escapes. They spread based on the type and quantity of fuel that is available. Fuel can include everything from trees, underbrush and dry grassy fields to homes. Wind supplies the fire with additional oxygen pushing the fire across the land at a faster rate. Electric power lines being brought down or arcing in high winds have also caused fires.

In recent times most major bush fires have been started in remote areas by dry lightning. Some reports indicate that a changing climate could also be contributing to the ferocity of the 2019-20 fires with hotter, drier conditions making the country's fire season longer and much more dangerous. During periods of drought, the fuel for wildfires is greater than normal, and bushfires combine to become megafires, generating their own weather and spreading fire further.

Strong winds also promote the rapid spread of fires by lifting burning embers into the air. This is known as spotting and can start a new fire up to 40 kilometres (25 mi) downwind from the fire front.

In New South Wales, dry Föhn-like winds originating from the Great Dividing Range abruptly raise air temperatures in the lee of that mountain range and reduce atmospheric moisture, thus elevating fire danger. This occurs because of the partial orographic obstruction of comparatively damp low-level air and the sinking of drier upper-level air in leeward of the mountains, which is heated because of the adiabatic compression.

Bushfires in Australia are generally described as uncontrolled, non-structural fires burning in a grass, scrub, bush, or forested area. The nature of the fire depends somewhat on local topography. Hilly/mountainous fires burn in areas which are usually densely forested. The land is less accessible and not conducive to agriculture, thus many of these densely forested areas have been saved from deforestation and are protected by national, state and other parks. The steep terrain increases the speed and intensity of a firestorm. Where settlements are located in hilly or mountainous areas, bushfires can pose a threat to both life and property. Flat/grassland fires burn along flat plains or areas of small undulation, predominantly covered in grasses or scrubland. These fires can move quickly, fanned by high winds in flat topography, and they quickly consume the small amounts of fuel/vegetation available. These fires pose less of a threat to settlements as they rarely reach the same intensity seen in major firestorms as the land is flat, the fires are easier to map and predict, and the terrain is more accessible for firefighting personnel. Many regions of predominantly flat terrain in Australia have been almost completely deforested for agriculture, reducing the fuel loads which would otherwise facilitate fires in these areas.

Australia's climate has warmed by more than one degree Celsius over the past century, causing an increase in the frequency and intensity of heatwaves and droughts. Eight of Australia's ten warmest years on record have occurred since 2005. A study in 2018 conducted at Melbourne University found that the major droughts of the late 20th century and early 21st century in southern Australia are "likely without precedent over the past 400 years". Across the country, the average summer temperatures have increased leading to record-breaking hot weather, with the early summer of 2019 the hottest on record. 2019 was also Australia's driest ever year since 1900 with rainfall 40% lower than average.

Heatwaves and droughts dry out the undergrowth and create conditions that increase the risk of bushfires. This has become worse in the last 30 years. Since the mid-1990s, southeast Australia has experienced a 15% decline in late autumn and early winter rainfall and a 25% decline in average rainfall in April and May. Rainfall for January to August 2019 was the lowest on record in the Southern Downs (Queensland) and Northern Tablelands (New South Wales) with some areas 77% below the long term average.

In the 2000s, the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) concluded that ongoing anthropogenic climate change was virtually certain to increase in intensity and frequency of fires in Australia - a conclusion that has been endorsed in numerous reports since. In November 2019, the Australian Climate Council published a report titled This is Not Normal which also found the catastrophic bushfire conditions affecting NSW and Queensland in late 2019 have been aggravated by climate change. According to Nerilie Abram writing in Scientific American "the link between the current extremes and anthropogenic climate change is scientifically indisputable". In 2020, an international team of scientists found the hot and dry conditions that helped drive Australia's 2019-2020 bushfire crisis would be eight times more likely to happen if the earth warms by 2.0 °C (3.6 °F).

Until the 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season, the forests in Australia were thought to reabsorb all the carbon released in bushfires across the country. This would mean the forests achieved net-zero emissions. However, scientists now say that global warming is making bushfires burn more intensely and frequently and believe the 2019-2020 fires have already released approximately 350 million tonnes (390 million short tons) of carbon dioxide - as much as two-thirds of Australia's average annual carbon dioxide emissions (530 million tonnes (580 million short tons) in 2017) between October and December 2019. David Bowman, professor of pyrogeography and fire science at the University of Tasmania warned that so much damage has been done that Australian forests may take more than 100 years to re-absorb the carbon that has been released so far this fire season.

In January 2020, the British Met Office said Australia's bushfires in 2019-2020 were expected to contribute 2% to the increase in the atmospheric concentration of major greenhouse gases which are forecast to hit 417 parts per million, one of the largest annual increases in atmospheric carbon dioxide on record. Climate studies show that conditions which promote extreme bushfires in Australia will only get worse as more greenhouse gases are added to the atmosphere.

Southeast Australia experienced intensive and geographically extensive wildfires during the 2019-2020 summer season. The fires released substantial amounts of carbon dioxide into the atmosphere. However, existing emission estimates based on fire inventories are uncertain and vary by up to a factor of four for this event. Emission estimates are constrained with the help of satellite observations of carbon monoxide, an analytical Bayesian inversion and observed ratios between emitted carbon dioxide and carbon monoxide. It is estimated emissions of carbon dioxide to be 715 teragrams (range 517-867) from November 2019 to January 2020. This is more than twice the estimate derived by five different fire inventories and broadly consistent with estimates based on a bottom-up bootstrap analysis of this fire episode. Although fires occur regularly in the savannas in northern Australia, the recent episodes were extremely large in scale and intensity, burning unusually large areas of eucalyptus forest in the southeast. The fires were driven partly by climate change, making better-constrained emission estimates particularly important. This is because the build-up of atmospheric carbon dioxide may become increasingly dependent on fire-driven climate-carbon feedbacks, as highlighted by this event.

Bushfires in Australia can occur all year-round, though the severity and the "bushfire season" varies by region.

There is no formal definition for a single bushfire season across the whole of Australia. There is no one terminology used for periods of fire activity. The technical terms used for periods of fire risk and fire activity include fire weather season, fire danger season, bush fire danger period, fire danger period, fire permit period, restricted burning times, and, prohibited burning times, and fire season.

The term "Australian bushfire season", is a colloquialism broadly defined by common usage, from when the first uncontrolled fires start any time from June onwards, typically shortened to "bushfire season", and applies mainly to southern and eastern Australia. It can continue through to April. Central and northern Australia have two separately defined fire seasons. The colloquial term is typically used in conjunction with the technical terms when conveying information to the public.

Each Australian state and territory jurisdiction defines periods of peak fire risk or fire activity differently. New South Wales has a default statutory "bush fire danger period" defined in law, from 1 October to 31 March. The state government can then declare different start and end dates for bush fire danger periods for each local government area within the state. In 2019 these started 1 August. Victoria declares a "fire danger period" for each local government area. Victorian fire danger periods typically start in October and finish as late as May. The South Australia Government declares a "fire danger season" for each local government area, potentially starting in October and finishing at the end of April. The Tasmanian Government declares fire permit periods for local government areas. In 2019 this commenced 31 October. Western Australia requires each local government area to declare its own "restricted burning times" roughly aligned with spring and autumn, and "prohibited burning times" roughly aligned with summer. The Northern Territory defines two broad "fire seasons", a northern fire season, which can run from April to November, and a central Australian fire season, which can run from October to March. The Government also refers to these as "fire danger periods".

Bushfire seasons are commonly grouped into years such as " 2019-2020 Australian bushfire season" and typically apply to the season for southern and eastern Australia; from 1 June to 31 May annually.

Poster from a 1958 campaign by the New South Wales Bush Fire Committee

In the last ten years or so,[when? ] government licenses have been granted to fire-prevention programs on Aboriginal lands in northern Australia. In this area Aboriginal traditions, which reduce the undergrowth that can fuel bigger blazes, revolve around the monsoon. Land is burned patch by patch using "cool" fires in targeted areas during the early dry season, between March and July. These defensive burning programs began in the 1980s and 1990s when Aboriginal groups moved back onto their native lands. Since this process began, destructive bushfires in northern Australia have burned 57% fewer acres in 2019 than they did on average in the years from 2000 to 2010, the decade before the program started.

Bush fires kill animals directly and also destroy local habitats, leaving the survivors vulnerable even once the fires have passed. Professor Chris Dickman at Sydney University estimates that in the first three months of the 2019-2020 bushfires, over 800 million animals died in NSW, and more than one billion nationally. This figure includes mammals, birds, and reptiles but does not include insects, bats or frogs. Many of these animals were burnt to death in the fires, with many others dying later due to the depletion of food and shelter resources and predation by feral cats and red foxes. Dickman adds that Australia has the highest rate of species loss of any area in the world, with fears that some of Australia's native species, like the Kangaroo Island dunnart, may even become extinct because of the current fires.

One study from the Australian government in 2020 and paints a stark picture: 272 plants and 55 animal threatened species in Australia had a significant portion of their known distribution within the fire footprint. A further 49 species had more than 80% of their modelled likely and known distribution range affected by the fires.

Koalas are perhaps the most vulnerable because they are slow-moving. In extreme fires, koalas tend to climb up to the top of a tree and curl into a ball where they become trapped. In January 2020 it was reported that half of the 50,000 koalas on Kangaroo Island off Australia's southern coast, which are kept separate to those on the mainland as insurance for the species' future, are thought to have died in the previous few weeks.

Wildlife ecologist Professor Euan Ritchie from Deakin University says that when fires have passed, frogs and skinks are left vulnerable when their habitats have been destroyed. Loss of habitat also affects already endangered species such as the western ground parrot, the Leadbeater's possum, the Mallee emu-wren (a bird which cannot fly very far), and Gilbert's potoroo. Beekeepers have also lost hives in bushfires.

Kangaroos and wallabies can move quickly trying to escape from fires. However, The Guardian reported in January 2020 that dozens, maybe hundreds of kangaroos "perished in their droves" as they tried to outrun the flames near Batlow in NSW. The most resilient animals are those that can burrow or fly. Possums often get singed, but can sometimes hide in tree hollows. Wombats and snakes tend to go underground.

Next to the impact on wildlife stands the impact on fauna and flora. 85% of the plants found in Australia are endemic. Likewise, various species of extinct varieties plants are only found in the forests of Australia. Many species are adapted to recover from bushfires by for example growing from seeds waiting dormant in nearby soils. But the 2019-20 Australian bushfire season occurred at a scale and intensity that is unprecedented according to wildlife ecologist Sarah Legge.[citation needed ] During the 2019-2020 bushfires, 11 Australian bioregions, 17 major native vegetation groups were severely burnt. Also, up to 67%-83% of the globally significant rainforests and eucalypt forests and woodlands were severely burnt.

The most devastating impact on humans is that bushfires have killed over 800 people since 1851. In addition to loss of life, homes, properties, and livestock are destroyed potentially leaving people homeless, traumatized, and without access to electricity, telecommunications and, in some cases, to drinking water. here are some discussions about the number of people who were indirectly killed by the fires, but the number is most likely to lay somewhere around 400.

Bushfires produce particulate-matter pollution - airborne particles that are small enough to enter and damage human lung tissue. Following the Hazelwood fire in 2014, Fay Johnston, an associate professor of public health at the University of Tasmania's Menzies Institute for Medical Research, says young children exposed to smoke either as infants, toddlers or in the womb develop changes to their lung function. She says: "Unborn babies exposed to the Hazelwood smoke were more likely to experience coughs or colds two to four years after the fires." Other studies conducted in Australia show an increase in respiratory diseases among adults stemming from air pollution caused by bushfires.

As a result of intense smoke and air pollution stemming from the fires, in January 2020 Canberra measured the worst air quality index of any major city in the world. The orange-tinged smoke entered homes and offices buildings across the capital making breathing outside very difficult, forcing businesses and institutions to shut their doors. Studies show that residents of highly polluted cities also have an increased risk of heart attack, stroke, and diabetes. Professor Jalaluddin, a chief investigator with the Centre for Air Pollution, Energy and Health Policy Research, says: "There is increasing evidence around air pollution and (the development of) neurological conditions, for example, Parkinson's disease and Alzheimer's."

Prof David Bowman, director of the Fire Centre Research Hub at the University of Tasmania, referred to the 2019-2020 fires as "absolutely transformative and unprecedented" in scale and stated, "It's pretty much a third of the Australian population that has been impacted, with prolonged, episodic exposure and sometimes extreme health impacts." Since September 2019, close to 3,000 firefighters have been out every day in NSW battling blazes. The NSW RFS stated that close to 90% of those are unpaid volunteers. David McBride, associate professor of occupational and environmental medicine at the University of Otago stated, "They push themselves to the limit - they can suffer heat stress, which is a life-threatening injury, and end up with chronic bronchitis and asthma".

Research conducted at the University of Tasmania estimated that bushfire smoke emitted during the 2019-2020 fire season was responsible for 417 excess deaths. PM 2.5 levels in parts of Sydney reached nearly 400 μg/m ³, a level described by the World Health Organisation as hazardous.

In Australia, studies show that most male infants with drastically higher average birth weights were born in severely fire-affected areas. This is attributed to the fact that maternal signals directly affect fetal growth patterns.

Psychological problems following a major bushfire appear to develop when people have a chance to stop and reflect on their experience. A study of 1,526 people who experienced significant losses in the 1983 Ash Wednesday bushfires found that after 12 months, 42% met the criteria for a psychiatric problem which is double the prevalence in an unaffected community. After twenty months this figure had dropped to 23%.

A typical example of how people are affected is described by the 2016 fire at Yarloop in Western Australia. It virtually destroyed the town (population 395) including 180 homes, historic timber workshops, factories, an old church, the old hospital, shops, the hotel, the fire station and a part of the school. Two people died. Damage to infrastructure included the Samson Brook Bridge, Salmon River Bridge and power infrastructure supplying thousands of homes in the area. Two years later, people from Yarloop were still suffering from trauma distress from the fire. Apart from the economic losses suffered by those who lived there, the dislocation to their lives was so great that many in the community were doubtful that the town would be rebuilt. The WA Government subsequently spent A$64 million rebuilding the town and the surrounding communities.

Economic damage from 2009's Black Saturday fires, the costliest in Australia's history, reached an estimated A$4.4 billion. Moody's Analytics says the cost of the 2019-2020 bushfires is likely to exceed that figure and will cripple consumer confidence and harm industries such as farming and tourism. Medical bills from the current fires and smoke haze are expected to reach hundreds of millions of dollars with one analysis suggesting disruptions caused by the fire and smoke haze could cost Sydney as much as A$50 million a day. The Insurance Council of Australia estimates that claims for damage from the fires would be more than A$700 million, with claims expected to jump when more fire-hit areas become accessible. In January 2020, it was reported that the ANZ gauge of consumer confidence fell to its lowest level in more than four years.

In response to the current fires, the federal government announced that compensation would be paid to volunteer firefighters, military personnel would be deployed to assist, and an A$2 billion bush fire recovery fund would be established. New South Wales, which has been hardest hit by the crisis, has pledged A$1 billion focused on repairing infrastructure.

Photo from 2005-06

After many major bushfires, state and federal governments have initiated inquiries to see what could be done to address the problem. A parliamentary report from 2010 stated that between 1939 and 2010, there have been at least 18 major bushfire inquiries including state and federal parliamentary committee inquiries, COAG reports, coronial inquiries and Royal Commissions. Another report published in 2015 stated there have been 51 inquiries into wildfires and wildfire management since 1939. The authors noted that Royal Commissions were not the most effective way to learn from past bushfire events. Many of the inquiries into bushfires have recommended "hazard reduction burning" intended to reduce the available fuel and have set targets to burn a certain percentage of forest each year to reduce risk. Planned burns are difficult to do safely and many of the investigations and Royal Commissions have found these targets are seldom met. At the same time, fire management experts disagree on how effective planned burning is.

In January 2020, during the 2019-2020 bushfire season, Prime Minister Scott Morrison raised the prospect of establishing another royal commission, stating in an interview on ABC-TV that any inquiry into the crisis would need to be comprehensive and investigate climate change as well as other possible causes. Letters Patent were subsequently issued for the Royal Commission into National Natural Disaster Arrangements on 20 February 2020.

A manual controlled fire danger rating sign after the 2022 new system adoption

In 2009, a standardized Fire Danger Rating (FDR) was adopted by all Australian states. This included a whole new level - catastrophic fire danger. The first time this level of danger was forecast for Sydney was in November 2019 during the 2019-2020 bushfire season. In 2010, following a national review of the bush fire danger ratings, new trigger points for each rating were introduced for grassland areas in most jurisdictions.

The Australian Fire Danger Rating System was adopted in September 2022, replacing the previous rating system.

Remote monitoring of wildfires is done in Australia. Geoscience Australia developed the (real-time) Sentinel bushfire monitoring system. It uses data from satellites to help fire-fighting agencies assess and manage risks. There is also MyFireWatch, which is a program based on an existing Department of Fire and Emergency Services program, redeveloped by Landgate and Edith Cowan University for use by the general public. Besides the use of satellites, Australian firefighters also make use of UAV's as a tool for combating fire. Technologist Angus Dorney has observed that "[Australia's] fire services have developed in a largely tech-free environment" and it will be necessary to support cultural change alongside technological solutions if promising technological advances are to live up to their potential.

The Australasian Fire Authorities Council (AFAC) is the peak body responsible for representing fire, emergency services, and land management agencies in the Australasian region.

Fire and Rescue NSW (FRNSW), the Forestry Corporation of NSW (FCNSW), the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the New South Wales Rural Fire Service (RFS) work together to manage and respond to fires across New South Wales.

The Country Fire Service is a volunteer-based fire service in the state of South Australia. The CFS operates as a part of the South Australian Fire and Emergency Services Commission (SAFECOM).

Major bushfires in Victoria in the 2000s

Responsibility for fire suppression and management, including planned burning on public land such as State Forests and National Parks, which makes up about 7.1 million hectares (18 million acres; 71,000 square kilometres; 27,000 square miles) or about one-third of the State, sits with the Department of Environment, Land, Water, and Planning (DELWP).

The Department of Fire and Emergency Services (DFES) and the Department of Parks and Wildlife (P&W) have joint responsibility for bushfire management in Western Australia. DFES is an umbrella organization supporting the Fire and Rescue Service (FRS), Bush Fire Service (BFS), Volunteer Fire and Rescue Service (VFRS), State Emergency Service (SES), Volunteer Fire and Emergency Service (VFES), Emergency Services Cadets and the Volunteer Marine Rescue Service (VMR).

The Tasmania Fire Service manages bushfires in Tasmania with the help of Tasmanian Parks and Wildlife Service and Forestry Tasmania.

Local authorities provide education and information for residents in bushfire-prone regions regarding the location of current fires, preservation of life and property and when to escape by car.

Bushfires have accounted for over 800 deaths in Australia since 1851 and, in 2012, the total accumulated cost was estimated at $1.6 billion. In terms of monetary cost however, they rate behind the damage caused by drought, severe storms, hail, and cyclones, perhaps because they most commonly occur outside highly populated urban areas. The 2009 Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria claimed 173 lives over 21 days- the largest number of deaths recorded for any individual Australian bushfire or bushfire season. However, the severe fires of the summer of 2019-2020 affected densely populated areas including holiday destinations leading NSW Rural Fire Services Commissioner, Shane Fitzsimmons, to claim it was "absolutely" the worst bushfire season on record.

1. ^

2. ^ "'Extraordinary' 2019 ends with deadliest day of the worst fire season". The Sydney Morning Herald. 31 December 2019.

3. Readfearn, Graham; Morton, Adam (28 July 2020). "Almost 3 billion animals affected by Australian bushfires, report shows - megafires 'one of the worst wildlife disasters in modern history', say scientists". The Guardian.

4. ^

5. ^ "The Fire Book" (PDF). Tangentyre Landcare. 2005. Archived from the original (PDF) on 27 February 2015.

6. ^ Flannery, Tim (2002). The Future Eaters: An Ecological History of the Australasian Lands and People. Grove Press.

7. ^ Wilson, Nicholas; Cary, Geoffrey J.; Gibbons, Philip (15 June 2018). "Relationships between mature trees and fire fuel hazard in Australian forest". International Journal of Wildland Fire. 27 (5): 353-362. doi:10.1071/WF17112. hdl:1885/160659.

8. ^ "Gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus)". A-Z listing of weeds: Photo guide to weeds. Queensland Department of Primary Industries. 30 October 2015. Archived from the original on 14 October 2014.

9. ^ Head, Lesley; Atchison, Jennifer (2015). "Governing invasive plants: Policy and practice in managing the Gamba grass (Andropogon gayanus) - Bushfire nexus in northern Australia". Land Use Policy. 47 (47): 225-234. doi:10.1016/j.landusepol.2015.04.009.

10. "Lessons learnt (and perhaps forgotten) from Australia's 'worst fires'". The Sydney Morning Herald. 11 January 2019.

11. "Report of the Royal Commission: Introduction - Part 1". Victorian Government. 1939 - via Trove, National Library of Australia.

12. ^ Material was copied from this source, which is available under a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License.

13. Ellis, Stuart; Kanowski, Peter (2004). National Inquiry on Bushfire Mitigation and Management - 2004. Canberra, Commonwealth of Australia: Council of Australian Governments. pp. 339-345. ISBN 0-646-43442-X. Archived from the original on 13 January 2020 - via University of Wollongong.

14. ^ Teague, Bernard; Mcleod, Ronald; Pascoe, Susan (July 2010). "2009 Victorian Bushfires Royal Commission - Final Report Summary" (PDF).

15. ^ Newey, Sarah (2 January 2020). "Australia is burning - but why are the bushfires so bad and is climate change to blame?". The Telegraph. United Kingdom. Archived from the original on 12 January 2022.

16. ^ Drechsel, S., Mayr, G.J. (2008) Objective forecasting of foehn winds for a subgrid-scale alpine valley. Weather and Forecasting, 23, 205-218.

17. Sharples, J.J. Mills, G.A., McRae, R.H.D., Weber, R.O. (2010) ^ Elevated fire danger conditions associated with foehn-like winds in southeastern Australia. Journal of Applied Meteorology and Climatology.

18. Sharples, J.J., McRae, R.H.D., Weber, R.O., Mills, G.A. (2009) ^ Foehn-like winds and fire danger anomalies in southeastern Australia. Proceedings of the 18th IMACS World Congress and MODSIM09. 13-17 July, Cairns.

19. ^

20. ^ Merzian, Richie; Quicke, Audrey; Bennett, Ebony; Campbell, Rod; Swann, Tom (2019). Climate of the Nation (PDF) (Report). The Australia Institute. p. 3.

21. ^ "Bushfire weather in Southeast Australia: Media Brief" (PDF). The Climate Institute. 26 September 2007. Archived from the original (PDF) on 29 October 2013.

22. ^ Bushfire crisis conditions eight times more likely under 2C warming, analysis shows, The Guardian, 4 March 2020

23. ^ National Inventory by Economic Sector 2017. August 2019. p. 3.

24. ^ van der Velde, Ivar R.; van der Werf, Guido R.; Houweling, Sander; Maasakkers, Joannes D.; Borsdorff, Tobias; Landgraf, Jochen; Tol, Paul; van Kempen, Tim A.; van Hees, Richard; Hoogeveen, Ruud; Veefkind, J. Pepijn (September 2021). "Vast CO2 release from Australian fires in 2019-2020 constrained by satellite". Nature. 597 (7876): 366-369. Bibcode:2021Natur.597..366V. doi:10.1038/s41586-021-03712-y. ISSN 1476-4687. PMID 34526704. S2CID 237536364.

25. ^ "Monsoonal Climate". Questacon. Archived from the original on 20 March 2012.

26. ^ Maunder, Sarah (4 December 2019). "Bushfire season starts early with Gippsland residents urged to prepare after deadly 'practice run'". ABC News. Australia.

27. ^ Fuller, Thomas (17 January 2020). "Reducing fire, and cutting carbon emissions, the Aboriginal way". The New York Times - via NZ Herald.

28. Australia strengthens bushfire defences as economic, environmental costs mount, Reuters, 7 January 2020

29. ^ Borchers Arriagada, Nicolas; Palmer, Andrew J; Bowman, David MJS; Morgan, Geoffrey G; Jalaludin, Bin B; Johnston, Fay H (September 2020). "Unprecedented smoke‐related health burden associated with the 2019-20 bushfires in eastern Australia". Medical Journal of Australia. 213 (6): 282-283. doi:10.5694/mja2.50545. ISSN 0025-729X. PMID 32162689. S2CID 212678709.

30. (^ [1] registration required)

31. ^ O'Donnell, M H; Behie, A M (15 November 2015). "Effects of wildfire disaster exposure on male birth weight in an Australian population". Evolution, Medicine, and Public Health. 2015 (1): 344-354. doi:10.1093/emph/eov027. ISSN 2050-6201. PMC 4697771. PMID 26574560.

32. ^ Sim, M. (April 2002). "Bushfires: are we doing enough to reduce the human impact?". Journal of Occupational and Environmental Medicine. 59 (4): 215-216. doi:10.1136/oem.59.4.215. PMC 1740264. PMID 11934947.

33. ^ Young, Emma (9 January 2016). "WA fires: deadly Waroona blaze contained but not controlled, downgraded to 'advice'". WA Today.

34. ^ Australia, scheme=AGLSTERMS AglsAgent; corporateName=Reserve Bank of (2020). "Box B: Macroeconomic Effects of the Drought and Bushfires | Statement on Monetary Policy - February 2020". Statement on Monetary Policy (February).

35. ^ Senate Select Committee on Agricultural and Related Industries (13 August 2010). Chapter 2 - Previous bushfire inquiries. ISBN 978-1-74229-349-3.

36. ^ Eburn, Michael; Hudson, David; Chal, Ignatious; Dovers, Stephen (2 September 2014). Learning from Adversity: What has 75 years of bushfire inquiries (1939-2013) taught us?, Report no 2015.019 (requires download). Research Forum at the Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC & AFAC conference. Australian National University. Wellington, New Zealand: Bushfire and Natural Hazards CRC. p. 4. The fact that catastrophic events continue to recur is evidence either that the community is failing to learn the lessons from the past, or the inquiries fail to identify the true learning - that catastrophic events may be inevitable, or that Royal Commissions are not the most effective way to identify relevant lessons from past events.

37. ^ Morrison, Scott (9 January 2020). "Scott Morrison defends the Government's response to the bushfires" (Streaming video). 7.30 (Interview). Interviewed by Michael Rowland. ABC-TV. ... there will be a time, I think, to ensure that we work with the states and territories to get the proper inquiry in place. It needs to be comprehensive, it needs to deal with contributing factors which is everything from hazard reduction to climate change through to the response issues, the national coordination matters and, of course, resilience and planning for the future.

38. ^ "Fire Danger Rating Brochure". Government of Victoria. Country Fire Authority. 2020.

39. ^ "Rural Fire Service Queensland". Archived from the original on 4 September 2013.

40. ^ 2013 Tasmanian Bushfires Inquiry: Volume 1 (PDF) (Report). ISBN 978-0-9923581-0-5.

41. ^ "How to survive a bushfire" (PDF). NSW Rural Fire Service.

42. ^ 2009 Vicoria Bushfires Royal Commission (2010). "Final Report Summary" (PDF).

43. ^ Alexander, Harriet; Chung, Laura; Chrysanthos, Natassia; Drevikovsky, Janek; Brickwood, James (1 January 2020). "'Extraordinary' 2019 ends with deadliest day of the worst fire season". The Sydney Morning Herald.

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Bushfires in Australia are a widespread and regular occurrence that have contributed significantly to shaping the nature of the continent over millions of years. Eastern Australia is one of the most fire-prone regions of the world, and its predominant eucalyptus forests have evolved to thrive on the phenomenon of bushfire.

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Fires in California 2021.

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It begun on 19 September. Usually, when This Vulcano erupts, it takes around 3 months. And despite the vulcano, there happened an earthquake and also exists the warning about tsunami.

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Headlines

- Volcanic activity enters 33rd day on Friday, having begun on 19 September

- Stranded dogs rescued by mysterious A-Team

- More than 600 tremors were registered in La Palma in the last week, according to Spain's Instituto Geográfico Nacional

- Strongest earthquake registered on Tuesday night, 4.8 magnitude

- Lava flow now covers surface area of 811.8 hectares according to Copernicus radar imaging, with 22.2 hectares added in just seven hours

- 35,000 earthquakes and tremors recorded in La Palma during the past month

- Nearly 2,000 buildings destroyed by lava flow

- Cumbre Vieja eruption the "most significant since 1585", according to Copernicus

- No short or medium term end to eruption claim experts, as more La Palma residents forced to evacuate

- Delta has claimed around 40 hectares of new land from the Atlantic

Useful information

- Volcanologist speaks to AS about the effects of lava reaching the sea

- An overview of the active volcanoes on the Canary Islands

- When was the last volcanic eruption on the Canary Islands?

Spanish PM to return to La Palma on Saturday

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will make his fifth trip to La Palma since the start of the volcanic eruption on 19 September....

Second lava stream now 120 meters from the sea

A second lava stream originating from the Cumbre Vieja volcano is now just 120m from the sea. The first lava stream hit the Atlantic Ocean two weeks ago and has since formed new land covering more than 40 hectares on the La Palma coastline.

The technical director of the Canary Islands Volcano Emergency Plan (Pevolca), Miguel Ángel Morcuende, last night gave an update on the situation in La Palma volcano eruption.

As he indicated, the lava continues "to pass through the town of La Laguna slowly, but inexorably." Two streams have merged into one and it is moving towards "a crossroads where we do not yet know if it will take a northwest or southwest direction."

Reuters have shared this intriguing video of scientists taking samples of red-hot lava from the Cumbre Vieja volcano....

Lava flow now covers 886 ha as 229 more buildings destroyed

According to the lastest figures collected by Copernicus EMS, the lava is now covering 886.1 hectares, with 2,185 buildings destroyed, an increase of 229 in 48 hours.

h3>Lava flow now covers 886 ha as 229 more buildings destroyed

According to the lastest figures collected by Copernicus EMS, the lava is now covering 886.1 hectares, with 2,185 buildings destroyed, an increase of 229 in 48 hours.

Want to learn more about volcanoes to understand what is is happening in La Palma?

Check out this volcano explainer video put together by National Geographic.

BBC reports that scientists are taking samples in La Palma to understand "the viscosity of the semi-molten material."
The scientists from Spain's Geological and Mining Institute will use the samples to better understand the volcanic material left by the eruption to learn more about the volcanoes in the area.

La Palma ecosystem impact

The Spanish National Research Council has posted a video showing some of the marine life surviving following the volcanic eruption and lava spill into the sea. This footage is taken at a depth of 400m.

La Palma dog rescue revealed

Like a movie twist in Hollywood, the rescue of a hunter's podencos dogs - that had been trapped for almost a month by the eruption of the volcano of La Palma - was eventually undertaken.

A well-known drone company (see below) was already preparing their rescue but as the operation was put into action, they found that the animals were no longer there. A group of neighbours, calling themselves 'Team A', had taken them out of the affected zone.

"I can only confirm that the dogs are doing very well." a source confirmed to us, wishing to remain anonymous. But there was one exception.

"They found five podencos. One had passed away," the source confirmed.

Volcanic eruption captured

The Geological and Mining Institute of Spain has linked to cameras showing the new spectacular eruption at Cumbre Vieja.

New images of the volcanic eruption

New footage provided by the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan) show the state of the Cumbre Vieja volcano eruption from the San Nicolas road, in the town of Tacande, at 17:00 local time (12:00 ET).

Volcano, lava flow... footage and images

A number of our followers have admitted to us that, although sending their heartfelt best wishes to those affected by the volcano in La Palma, they are really keen to see the spectacular images that have come from it.

If you're in this camp, a follow of the newly created @LaPalmaErupcion is not the worst idea you can have today.

Keeping an eye on La Palma
We've got a camera or two hooked up on the island giving you a real-time glimpse into what is happening with the volcano and lava flow.

La Palma dogs saved...by the A-Team!

Despite the previously reported plan by Aerocamera drone operators to launch a daring rescue mission to carry several dogs out of a volcano's lava zone, it appears they can now move onto a new project. Upon closer inspection in their preparations they noticed that all of the dogs were already gone.

It was apparently the work of a group of mysterious rescuers, who left a spray-painted banner reading "The dogs are fine." The message was signed, "A Team."

The dogs' plight has made headlines for weeks, after emergency teams realized the animals had been stranded by lava from a volcano's prolonged eruption on the island of La Palma, Spain.

Aerocamaras will not leave La Palma dogs behind

The drone company Aerocamaras has stated that they will not be ending their attempts to free the dogs trapped amid the lava flow until it is achieved.

Three drones will be used to rescue these dogs. But before the dogs are removed from the ponds where they are currently stuck, one of the fundamental steps will be to accustom the animals to the presence of the drones.

Thermographic cameras will be used to examine the exact location for their extraction.

Satellite images capture the eruption in La Palma over time

PhD students travel to La Palma to monitor the eruption and help answer the question: " Why do some volcanoes reactive after taking a nap?"

No let-up in lava onslaught

Mystery team claims to have rescued the dogs left trapped by the volcano

The Spanish drone company t hat was trying to airlift the animals has detected human tracks in the area and is preparing to abandon the project
Full story via El Pais (ENG)

Eruption "completely overwhelming" firefighters

Firefighters on La Palma have released a video of the advance of the lava flow in La Laguna, in a tweet in which they speak plainly about the difficulties they're facing as they battle the effects of the Cumbre Vieja eruption.

"The situation on the island of La Palma is completely overwhelming us and showing us that nothing can prepare you for this," the Gran Canaria Fire Service said.

"Nevertheless, we'll continue to be there because it hurts us as much as it does the people of La Palma."

Drones feed starving dogs abandoned near erupting La Palma volcano

The Independent - Alarming footage shows the moment a drone operator spots abandoned dogs near erupting the La Palma volcano and launches a rescue mission.

The volcano that has caused chaos and destruction on the island of La Palma, in Spain, has now been erupting for a month and authorities say there's no end in sight, leaving heartache for the towns here and people who live in them.

Over 2,000 buildings and 1,800 acres have been covered in lava as many animals like dogs have been left homeless or abandoned with drones bringing food to ones they found stranded.

Francisco Ramos, who was evacuated from his house one month ago, looks at the state of his home from a lookout as the Cumbre Vieja volcano continues to erupt on La Palma.

Photo: REUTERS/Susana Vera

Copernicus: Update 26

Copernicus, the EU satellite observation programme that has been offering updates on the size of the Cumbre Vieja lava flow and the damage it has caused on La Palma.

For the first time, it used its radar imagery to provide its 26th update.

- Extent of the lava flow: 866.1 ha

- 2185 destroyed buildings

Spanish Civil Guards check who enters an evacuated area at a checkpoint at El Charco on Wednesday, as the Cumbre Vieja volcano continues to erupt on La Palma.

Photo: REUTERS/Susana Vera

Eye-catching images of the Cumbre Vieja eruption

This video filmed on La Palma on Wednesday evening shows some striking images of the lava flowing from the Cumbre Vieja volcano.

La Palma volcano eruption updates: welcome

Hello and welcome to our live blog for Thursday 21 October 2021, bringing you the latest updates and information on the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma.

Many believed it would be short-lived when the lava first began flowing way back on 19 September. As we now know, that prediction was a long way from what has transpired since.

.

Headlines

- Volcanic activity enters 33rd day on Friday, having begun on 19 September

- Stranded dogs rescued by mysterious A-Team

- More than 600 tremors were registered in La Palma in the last week, according to Spain's Instituto Geográfico Nacional

- Strongest earthquake registered on Tuesday night, 4.8 magnitude

- Lava flow now covers surface area of 811.8 hectares according to Copernicus radar imaging, with 22.2 hectares added in just seven hours

- 35,000 earthquakes and tremors recorded in La Palma during the past month

- Nearly 2,000 buildings destroyed by lava flow

- Cumbre Vieja eruption the "most significant since 1585", according to Copernicus

- No short or medium term end to eruption claim experts, as more La Palma residents forced to evacuate

- Delta has claimed around 40 hectares of new land from the Atlantic

Useful information

- Volcanologist speaks to AS about the effects of lava reaching the sea

- An overview of the active volcanoes on the Canary Islands

- When was the last volcanic eruption on the Canary Islands?

Spanish PM to return to La Palma on Saturday

Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sanchez will make his fifth trip to La Palma since the start of the volcanic eruption on 19 September....

Second lava stream now 120 meters from the sea

A second lava stream originating from the Cumbre Vieja volcano is now just 120m from the sea. The first lava stream hit the Atlantic Ocean two weeks ago and has since formed new land covering more than 40 hectares on the La Palma coastline.

The technical director of the Canary Islands Volcano Emergency Plan (Pevolca), Miguel Ángel Morcuende, last night gave an update on the situation in La Palma volcano eruption.

As he indicated, the lava continues "to pass through the town of La Laguna slowly, but inexorably." Two streams have merged into one and it is moving towards "a crossroads where we do not yet know if it will take a northwest or southwest direction."

Reuters have shared this intriguing video of scientists taking samples of red-hot lava from the Cumbre Vieja volcano....

Lava flow now covers 886 ha as 229 more buildings destroyed

According to the lastest figures collected by Copernicus EMS, the lava is now covering 886.1 hectares, with 2,185 buildings destroyed, an increase of 229 in 48 hours.

h3>Lava flow now covers 886 ha as 229 more buildings destroyed

According to the lastest figures collected by Copernicus EMS, the lava is now covering 886.1 hectares, with 2,185 buildings destroyed, an increase of 229 in 48 hours.

Want to learn more about volcanoes to understand what is is happening in La Palma?

Check out this volcano explainer video put together by National Geographic.

BBC reports that scientists are taking samples in La Palma to understand "the viscosity of the semi-molten material."
The scientists from Spain's Geological and Mining Institute will use the samples to better understand the volcanic material left by the eruption to learn more about the volcanoes in the area.

La Palma ecosystem impact

The Spanish National Research Council has posted a video showing some of the marine life surviving following the volcanic eruption and lava spill into the sea. This footage is taken at a depth of 400m.

La Palma dog rescue revealed

Like a movie twist in Hollywood, the rescue of a hunter's podencos dogs - that had been trapped for almost a month by the eruption of the volcano of La Palma - was eventually undertaken.

A well-known drone company (see below) was already preparing their rescue but as the operation was put into action, they found that the animals were no longer there. A group of neighbours, calling themselves 'Team A', had taken them out of the affected zone.

"I can only confirm that the dogs are doing very well." a source confirmed to us, wishing to remain anonymous. But there was one exception.

"They found five podencos. One had passed away," the source confirmed.

Volcanic eruption captured

The Geological and Mining Institute of Spain has linked to cameras showing the new spectacular eruption at Cumbre Vieja.

New images of the volcanic eruption

New footage provided by the Volcanological Institute of the Canary Islands (Involcan) show the state of the Cumbre Vieja volcano eruption from the San Nicolas road, in the town of Tacande, at 17:00 local time (12:00 ET).

Volcano, lava flow... footage and images

A number of our followers have admitted to us that, although sending their heartfelt best wishes to those affected by the volcano in La Palma, they are really keen to see the spectacular images that have come from it.

If you're in this camp, a follow of the newly created @LaPalmaErupcion is not the worst idea you can have today.

Keeping an eye on La Palma
We've got a camera or two hooked up on the island giving you a real-time glimpse into what is happening with the volcano and lava flow.

La Palma dogs saved...by the A-Team!

Despite the previously reported plan by Aerocamera drone operators to launch a daring rescue mission to carry several dogs out of a volcano's lava zone, it appears they can now move onto a new project. Upon closer inspection in their preparations they noticed that all of the dogs were already gone.

It was apparently the work of a group of mysterious rescuers, who left a spray-painted banner reading "The dogs are fine." The message was signed, "A Team."

The dogs' plight has made headlines for weeks, after emergency teams realized the animals had been stranded by lava from a volcano's prolonged eruption on the island of La Palma, Spain.

Aerocamaras will not leave La Palma dogs behind

The drone company Aerocamaras has stated that they will not be ending their attempts to free the dogs trapped amid the lava flow until it is achieved.

Three drones will be used to rescue these dogs. But before the dogs are removed from the ponds where they are currently stuck, one of the fundamental steps will be to accustom the animals to the presence of the drones.

Thermographic cameras will be used to examine the exact location for their extraction.

Satellite images capture the eruption in La Palma over time

PhD students travel to La Palma to monitor the eruption and help answer the question: " Why do some volcanoes reactive after taking a nap?"

No let-up in lava onslaught

Mystery team claims to have rescued the dogs left trapped by the volcano

The Spanish drone company t hat was trying to airlift the animals has detected human tracks in the area and is preparing to abandon the project
Full story via El Pais (ENG)

Eruption "completely overwhelming" firefighters

Firefighters on La Palma have released a video of the advance of the lava flow in La Laguna, in a tweet in which they speak plainly about the difficulties they're facing as they battle the effects of the Cumbre Vieja eruption.

"The situation on the island of La Palma is completely overwhelming us and showing us that nothing can prepare you for this," the Gran Canaria Fire Service said.

"Nevertheless, we'll continue to be there because it hurts us as much as it does the people of La Palma."

Drones feed starving dogs abandoned near erupting La Palma volcano

The Independent - Alarming footage shows the moment a drone operator spots abandoned dogs near erupting the La Palma volcano and launches a rescue mission.

The volcano that has caused chaos and destruction on the island of La Palma, in Spain, has now been erupting for a month and authorities say there's no end in sight, leaving heartache for the towns here and people who live in them.

Over 2,000 buildings and 1,800 acres have been covered in lava as many animals like dogs have been left homeless or abandoned with drones bringing food to ones they found stranded.

Francisco Ramos, who was evacuated from his house one month ago, looks at the state of his home from a lookout as the Cumbre Vieja volcano continues to erupt on La Palma.

Photo: REUTERS/Susana Vera

Copernicus: Update 26

Copernicus, the EU satellite observation programme that has been offering updates on the size of the Cumbre Vieja lava flow and the damage it has caused on La Palma.

For the first time, it used its radar imagery to provide its 26th update.

- Extent of the lava flow: 866.1 ha

- 2185 destroyed buildings

Spanish Civil Guards check who enters an evacuated area at a checkpoint at El Charco on Wednesday, as the Cumbre Vieja volcano continues to erupt on La Palma.

Photo: REUTERS/Susana Vera

Eye-catching images of the Cumbre Vieja eruption

This video filmed on La Palma on Wednesday evening shows some striking images of the lava flowing from the Cumbre Vieja volcano.

La Palma volcano eruption updates: welcome

Hello and welcome to our live blog for Thursday 21 October 2021, bringing you the latest updates and information on the eruption of the Cumbre Vieja volcano on La Palma.

Many believed it would be short-lived when the lava first began flowing way back on 19 September. As we now know, that prediction was a long way from what has transpired since.

.

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.title
La Palma volcano, live updates today: eruption, tsunami warning and latest news | Canary Islands

# data[].attributes.attachment_link.description
Volcanic activity enters 33rd day on Friday, having begun on 19 September - Stranded dogs rescued by mysterious A-Team - More than 600 tremors were registered in La Palma in the last week, according to Spain's Instituto Geográfico Nacional - Strongest earthquake registered on Tuesday night, 4.8 magnitude - Lava