Australian wildfires hitting close to the heart for Lunenburg resident
It’s been a rough start to 2020 for Lunenburg resident and fisherwoman Kathryn Moore.
A native of Australia, Moore has been watching, worrying, hoping and praying for her family members back home who are being impacted by the unprecedented bushfires that are burning in New South Wales.
“It’s pretty difficult,” said Moore in an interview.
On New Year's Eve, Moore’s mother, Julie Moore, lost her home about 10 kilometres outside of Quaama.
“Just getting herself and two of her three horses out to safety was a mission in itself,” says Moore in an online fundraiser to help her mom.
“Despite the best preparations possible, there was nothing that could be done. She evacuated to
Quaama, then Cobargo, then Bermagui, then Narooma, as the fire threatened town after town," Moore says. "The horse she was unable to go back for was amazingly found alive, but has since had to be put down. Mum is now relatively safe, though cut off from family. This is all being pieced together from family members as communications are difficult.”
Moore said it’s mostly her siblings she’s been able to contact, but she was able to reach her mother on Jan. 3, who was safe for the time being at an evacuation centre in Narooma.
Going into this past weekend, Moore said two of her brothers, her father, her grandmother, as well as an aunt and cousins all have houses in what was the expected path of the fire on Saturday.
“As far as I know everybody got through that day without any negative instances,” she said. “Most have evacuated, with some staying behind to attempt to save property, if safe to do so.”
Besides the total destruction of the wildfires, “the atmosphere there is so unbelievable,” said Moore. A video her brother sent her shows everything covered in black ash. “It’s not even really safe to be outside breathing in the air because it’s just so sick with all the smoke,” she said.
The GoFundMe fundraiser started by Moore to help her mom and others impacted by the Quaama area bushfires is quickly getting support.
“It’s really been a big comfort for sure to have that support,” she said. “Every little bit is going to help. Mom’s a very pragmatic kind of woman who lives very simply. It will be a big help for her.”
It is estimated the deadly wildfires, which have been raging since September, have already burned about five million hectares of land and destroyed more than 1,500 homes. More than 20 people have died. Some estimates had stated that about half a billion animals have been killed. As of this past weekend, around 2,700 firefighters were battling the blazes, according to media reports.