Duststorms batter Oz bushfires Fire ‘devastating habitats’ of endangered species
Sydney, Jan. 20: Thunderstorms and giant hail battered parts of Australia’s east coast on Monday after “apocalyptic” dust storms swept across drought-stricken areas, as extreme weather patterns collided in the bushfire-fatigued country.
Australia has since October been overwhelmed by an unprecedented bushfire season made worse by climate change.
Swathes of the country have burned, hundreds of millions of animals have died, more than 2,000 homes have been destroyed and at least 29 lives have been lost.
Violent hail storms pelted the capital Canberra on Monday, with footage showing the storm ripping branches off trees.
Emergency services were warning people there to “move cars undercover
■ VIOLENT HAIL storms pelted the capital Canberra on Monday, with footage showing the storm ripping branches off trees. Emergency services were warning people there to move cars undercover and away from trees and power lines.
and away from power lines”.
The bureau of meteorology told people in the southeast of New South Wales, including Sydney, to brace for the approaching storm.
“Severe thunderstorms are likely to produce damaging, locally destructive winds, large, possibly giant hailstones and heavy
trees and rainfall that may lead to flash flooding in the warning area over the next several hours,” the bureau said.
Two people visiting the popular tourist destination the Blue Mountains were taken to hospital when a 16-year-old boy was hit by lightning and a 24-year-old man suffered injuries while leaning on a nearby metal railing.
“These people are extremely lucky to be alive,” Ambulance New South Wales duty manager Greg Marshall said in a statement. “One centimetre either way and they would have faced a direct hit which could've been fatal.” They both remain in hospital in a stable condition. Dramatic images captured over the weekend from western New South Wales show a massive wall of dust rolling through outback towns.
Australia’s bushfires and other climate change effects are devastating the habitats of critically endangered species and driving the native platypus towards extinction, according to surveys highlighting the country’s vulnerability to rising temperatures.
The unprecedented blazes that have swept through an area the size of Portugal have claimed 29 lives but also tested Australia’s rich and often unique wildlife, with experts warning up to one billion creatures may have perished in the inferno.
Even animals that survive the flames may take years to recover and experts have cautioned it is too early to assess the damage on the habitats of already endangered species.
The government’s initial efforts to chart the impact showed the blazes had affected the habitats of 32 species defined as critically endangered — those which face an extremely high risk of extinction in the wild. These were mainly plant species, but the habitats of frogs, turtles and three types of birds were also hit, according to the preliminary list published on Monday by the Department of the Environment and Energy.