Australia’s bushfire-stricken east welcomes drenching rain
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Intense thunderstorms with heavy rains dampened bushfires on Australia’s east coast on Friday and brought relief to farmers battling years of drought, but the city of Melbourne braced for another wave of unhealthy air over the weekend.
Australia, famous for its pristine beaches and wildlife, has been fighting bushfires since September, with fires killing 29 people and millions of animals, and destroying more than 2,500 homes while razing an area roughly a third the size of Germany.
Victoria, New South Wales and Queensland, three of the most affected states by drought and bushfires welcomed the drenching rain this week, with fire services saying the falls will not extinguish all the blazes, but will aid greatly containment.
Severe storms are forecast to continue in many fire-stricken regions of New South Wales and Queensland, including areas that have not seen heavy falls for months, Bureau of Meteorology in NSW said, easing slightly the state’s three-year drought.
New South Wales Fire Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons (L) presents Rural Fire Service volunteer firefighter Samuel McPaul’s helmet to his widow, Megan (2-R) during the funeral of New South Wales Rural Fire Service volunteer firefighter Samuel McPaul, at Holbrook Sports Stadium in Albury, New South Wales, Australia, 17 January 2020. EPA-EFE/BRAD NEWMAN
While the wet weather brings relief to fire fighters and drought-hit farmers, it also comes with dangers, such as flash flooding and falling trees, many structurally destroyed by the intense bushfires.
The heavy downpours have helped to clean smoky air in Australia, but Sydney, Canberra and Melbourne remained on Friday in the world’s top 100 polluted cities, according to AirVisual’s pollution ranking for major global cities.
