According to Our World in Data, 32.7% of the world’s population has had at least one dose of Covid-19 vaccine, and 24.6% of the world is fully vaccinated. That’s a significant increase from two weeks ago, when 15% of the population was fully vaccinated. Five billion doses have been administered globally thus far.

However, that increase is much smaller in low-income countries, where only 1.4% of the population has received at least one dose – up from 1.1% two weeks ago.

These increases come even as Covid-19 outbreaks, in many cases caused by the contagious Delta variant, continue to occur across the globe.

All Africa reported that 55 African countries had reached a total of more than 7,500,000 Covid-19 cases, and over 60,000,000 vaccinations had been given.

In West Africa, several countries are dealing with outbreaks of cholera, Ebola, and Marburg virus that pose a threat to already compromised emergency response systems. At the same time, Covid-19 fatalities in the region jumped by 193%, to 1,018 the week of August 9. Even as they deal with simultaneous outbreaks of other diseases, Cote d’Ivoire, Guinea, and Nigeria are all experiencing Covid-19 surges, according to WHO Africa.

In the Middle East and North Africa, vaccination rates remain low as the Delta variant causes a spike in cases, The New Humanitarian reported. In Lebanon in particular, hospitals are experiencing shortages of both electricity and medications, caused by the country’s financial crisis. Tunisia, which experienced a wave of Covid-19 cases in July, has seen the rise in cases subside but still has the region’s highest recorded death rate. In Yemen, where years of instability and conflict have overwhelmed the country’s weakened health care system, Covid-19 isolation centers are currently full. Doctors have expressed concern that the Delta variant will further overwhelm weakened health care facilities experiencing a shortage in medical supplies.

According to The Tribune India, a third wave of Covid-19 is expected in India in September and October, causing as many as 600,000 new daily cases. A lack of pediatric doctors and equipment may make children as vulnerable as adults to the risks of Covid-19. In the meantime, Al Jazeera reported, India’s drug regulator has granted approval for the emergency use of the world’s first DNA Covid-19 vaccine, in people over the age of 12 years.

As reported by Reuters, the Philippines reported record numbers of new Covid-19 cases (more than 18,000) on Monday. New cases are mostly concentrated in Manila and the surrounding area. Hospitals in the country are near full capacity, and some facilities report running out of ICU beds for Covid-19 patients, according to Al Jazeera.

Thailand is confronting a third wave of Covid-19, with approximately 4,000 new cases a day, making it one of the worst-hit countries in southeast Asia. Tightly crowded conditions, such as those in slums and markets, appear to be contributing to rapid spread, ABC News reported.

In Malaysia, according to CNBC, political and economic situations remain strained as the country faces its worst outbreak. Daily Covid-19 cases surpassed 20,000 in August – the highest globally when adjusted for population size – and the country has experienced more than 1.5 million cumulative cases and 14,000 deaths, according to health ministry data.

Even as unmasked protesters in Melbourne expressed their anger at a new round of lockdowns, Australia recorded its highest daily number of cases since the pandemic began, CNN said.

AP News reported that the only medical oxygen plant in Haiti’s south was damaged in the magnitude 7.2 earthquake that struck on August 14. Port-au-Prince has two active oxygen plants, but the demand for oxygen has doubled over the past month as the country’s Covid-19 wave continues.

In Cuba, according to The New York Times, oxygen supplies are running low, and the factory that produces the country’s canisters is currently closed.

A report from the Pan American Health Organization found that only one in five people in Latin America has been vaccinated, Merco Press reported. Even within the region, according to the news source, there is considerable disparity: In Chile and Uruguay, more than 70% of the population has received at least one dose, and countries including Peru, Paraguay, and Bolivia have each inoculated less than 30%. In Central America and the Caribbean, cases are on the rise, while they’ve been declining in South America. In Mexico, the Delta variant is currently circulating in 92% of the territory. On Tuesday, 1.75 million doses of the Moderna Covid-19 vaccine arrived in Mexico from the U.S. in a shipment facilitated by Direct Relief and via donated transport from FedEx.

In the United States, Pfizer’s Covid-19 vaccine became the first to receive full FDA approval on Monday, a development that is expected to lay the groundwork for more vaccine mandates by employers and other organizations, BBC News reported. The National Guard will be deployed to hospitals in Kentucky, according to CNN, as Covid-19 cases overwhelm hospitals. In rural Oregon, too, hospitals are running low on space, and Covid-19 patients are in emergency-room hallways waiting to be admitted to ICUs, the Los Angeles Times reported. The National Guard was deployed to 20 hospitals in the state, in part to settle arguments between hospital staff and patients’ families. In Orlando, Florida, residents have been asked to conserve water so that liquid oxygen can be preserved for hospital use instead, according to The Washington Post.

Direct Relief’s response

Since the start of the pandemic last year, Direct Relief has delivered more than 44,600 medical aid shipments, worth more than $2.7 billion wholesale. Those shipments have contained more than 440 million units of PPE, and other medical resources to partners in 56 U.S. states and territories and 107 countries.

The post Vaccination Rates Rise Unevenly as Covid-19 Waves Continue appeared first on Direct Relief.

Wildfires occur every summer in Australia (typically peaking in February), but the scale of these seasonal fires were unprecedented. A severe drought, which led into the hottest and driest year on record, combined with sustained high temperatures and windy conditions, created an exceedingly dangerous fire situation across many areas of the country. Hard-hit areas included New South Wales, Victoria, Tasmania, and South Australia.

Beyond the threat from high temperatures and burn-related injuries, wildfires can exacerbate chronic health issues such as asthma, bronchitis and other respiratory problems. For those with such conditions, fires deal a harsh combination of smoke, ash, dust, and other particulates in the air. Smoke from the wildfires inundated southern Australia – in December, the smoke in Sydney was recorded at 11 times over the hazardous limit – and was reported to have reached New Zealand. Hospital admissions dramatically increased in the smoke-affected areas, with some patients suffering from asthma for the first time in their lives. People were encouraged to stay inside and advised to wear masks to filter out unhealthy particulates when outside.

Direct Relief’s Response

Australia, an industrialized country with a universal healthcare system, had an adequate in-country supply of the medical goods needed to care for people affected by the fires at local hospitals and clinics. As a result, requests for emergency assistance with health-related products mainly focused on protective equipment, particularly N95 masks needed to support frontline workers and communities being inundated with smoke. A need for first aid and basic diagnostic products for use in conducting outreach services was also identified.

Neighbors Helping Neighbors in Fire-Ravaged New South Wales

Direct Relief delivered eight emergency medical shipments in response to the fires, all of which were transported on a charitable basis by Qantas Airlines. These shipments went to the Australian Red Cross, Rotary Club Melbourne, Victoria State Emergency Services, Convoy of Hope Australia, Team Rubicon Australia, and Qantas Airways.

A total of 430,000 N95 respirator masks were provided in the emergency shipments. The masks were then distributed by partner facilities and organizations to:

• National and state health authorities
• State emergency management agencies
• First responders including fire fighters, police, and ambulance crews
• Healthcare facilities and providers
• Schools and community groups

In addition to protecting people from heavy smoke during the fires, the masks were also used to protect public health workers and residents when returning to affected communities after the fires were extinguished. People were not only at risk of injury by falling branches and from sharp or smoldering objects hidden in rubble, but asbestos, fire-damaged septic systems, and chemically treated wood were identified for having negative respiratory health impacts.

Asbestos, Heavy Metals, Lead. Long After a Wildfire, Toxic Substances Linger.

After the fires were contained, a number of the N95 masks were provided to the Department of Health and Human Services, midwifery clinics located across the country, and first responders fighting the COVID-19 pandemic.

Also included in the relief shipments were 12 Direct Relief Emergency Medical Packs. These portable ruggedized backpacks are filled with medical products to help address community health needs in an emergency. Each pack contains supplies and equipment designed to meet a variety of prevalent disaster-related medical issues, including infection control, diagnostics, trauma care, and personal protection.

Two of the backpacks were sent to the Australian Red Cross and 10 went to Team Rubicon Australia for use when conducting medical outreach services in remote and hard-to-reach areas. Outreach services were conducted in New South Wales and on Kangaroo Island – known for its incredible biodiversity and wildlife sanctuaries – where fires scorched over 800 square miles.

Financial Assistance through Grant Awards

Due to the fight against COVID-19, Direct Relief’s awarding of cash grants to assist with wildfire recovery efforts has been delayed. However, with COVID-19 cases decreasing in Australia, Direct Relief is planning to move forward with a number of cash grant awards.

For One Australian School, Repairing Classrooms Came First. Then Mental Health.

The financial assistance will be mainly focused on psychosocial support, particularly targeting youth and pre-school kids who have experienced, or are at-risk of experiencing, emotional distress related to the wildfires. Broader community health projects will also be considered for recovery grants.

The post Six Months After Australia’s Wildfires, Recovery Continues appeared first on Direct Relief.

On this episode of the podcast, we take look at how Buxton’s Public School is using mental health initiatives to support their students after an unprecedented bushfire season.

The post For One Australian School, Repairing Classrooms Came First. Then Mental Health. appeared first on Direct Relief.

Public health authorities in Australia have been cautioning civilians who are returning to their homes about falling branches, sharp and smoldering objects hidden in rubble, and injured animals.

In addition, asbestos, fire-damaged septic systems, and chemically treated wood have been singled out for their potential negative health impacts. Ash from CCA-treated wood is comprised of as much as 10 percent arsenic, chromium and copper. According to South Australia Health, a government department, ingesting as little as “a few grams” can be harmful.

For both asbestos and septic tanks, the government recommends that civilians contact professionals and, for asbestos jobs over 10 square meters, professionals are required.

For anyone returning, officials stress the importance of taking basic steps for protection from physical danger.

“They need to be prepped with the right personal protection equipment, including gloves and goggles,” said Michaela Hobby, director of health protection for South Australia Health, a government department.

Invisible Hazards, Significant Risk

With wildfire recovery efforts, specific guidance is dependent on where the fire took place, since the materials present and other features will vary. The U.S. based Centers for Disease Control and Prevention and its occupational safety agency, NIOSH, researched the 2018 Carr Fire in Northern California for workplace-related safety issues.

The report found that clean-up workers were overexposed to crystalline silica. Each worker tested also had lead on their hands. Asbestos was not detected in the air during that particular study.

Some general takeaways also came forth, such as the importance of wearing relevant protective gear, and putting it on correctly, as well as hand washing before eating.

However, for other lurking dangers, Hobby said, the official guidance is less clear.

“They also should prepare for the emotional trauma,” Hobby said. “There is a grief process that people can go through, so it’s important to be taking care of yourself and seeking the support of friends and family and mental health providers.”

“It is recognized that the trauma from bushfires can come quite a way down the track,” Hobby said.

This learning has come from experience in Australia, which has long dealt with deadly bushfires. Among the worst were the Black Saturday bushfires, which killed 173 people in 2009. Many survivors, especially in more rural or isolated areas, faced hardships for days, and in some cases even weeks, after the fires.

“There were few people around, no visitors, and no fresh food until it was brought in by the hearse on the following Tuesday. There were also dead bodies still in their homes, their relatives not allowed to return,” Judy Frazer-Jans, from Marysville, Australia, told the Victorian Royal Bushfire Royal Commission.

Though properties have been repaired, and over a decade has passed, scars still from linger from that event.

“While people have generally gotten on with their lives since the devastating 2009 Black Saturday fires, from my conversations with those in the community that were directly impacted, the trauma is still there for many of them,” said Gordon Willcock, deputy director of emergency response at Direct Relief, who is based in Australia.

“And it is revisited every fire season as they prepare their fire plans and monitor their alert apps on high-fire danger days,” he said.

In South Australia, as recovery efforts are ongoing, the government is focused on helping its residents prepare for the next fire.

“Preparedness will be the number one focus for communities across Australia in bushfire-prone areas,” Hobby said.

“That’s where we are focusing our resources, to equip our communities as well as possible during those high-risk periods,” she said.

Hobby said the specific nature of these preparations will vary by locality.

As has been the case throughout Australia’s history, the vast majority of firefighting was done by volunteers. Hobby said she’s seen that mentality extend into the recovery and preparation phases as well.

“The spirit of volunteerism, neighbors looking out for neighbors, that’s something that has been tremendous, and I think people perhaps are focusing on preparing more than they have,” she said.

Though property recovery estimates vary throughout the country, the government of the most populous state, New South Wales, reports on its site that it expects most residential properties in non-remote areas to be “substantially cleared” by the end of June.

The post Asbestos, Heavy Metals, Lead. Long After a Wildfire, Toxic Substances Linger. appeared first on Direct Relief.

During the evening of November 12, 2019, the men were hosing down the buildings on the ground of Elim Heights Youth Camp, a campground run by the Seventh Day Adventist Reform Movement.

It was the first firefighting action for one of them, according to Phil Hurst, a divisional commander of the New South Wales Rural Fire Service.

“They were caught out of the truck as the fire just woofed through. The actual air just exploded above where they were, ignited by the surrounding Eucalyptus trees’ oil,” Hurst, a volunteer firefighter for 30 years, told Direct Relief.

“These three guys were stuck together.”

The fire’s unexpected path and 100-foot wall of flames had blocked them from their truck, which was about 15 meters away from them. The only barrier they had was a nearby building, which was already on fire. They ran behind it, and kept their hoses flowing. One of the men took off his mask, in an attempt to get more oxygen, since the fire was eating up so much of it. The heat burned his throat and lungs.

One of the men, a veteran with decades of experience, recalled to Hurst they “were fighting for their lives.”

And each one was a volunteer.

As the water was about to run out, the fire died down next to them. Their 20-hour shift had finally ended.

Australia’s fires have always been fought mostly by volunteers, who currently number 152,798 in total, according to a Productivity Commission report published last month.  Though the figure represents a decline of about 10% from a decade ago, the country boasts the world’s largest volunteer firefighting force, according to the BBC.

But the scale of the most recent series of blazes, which have burned more than 27 million acres of land since September and killed at least 33 people, have led to changes.

In December, Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced that New South Wales Rural Fire Service volunteers would receive AUS$300 per day and up to AUS$6,000 for 10 consecutive days of work. Two other states, Queensland and South Australia, are also now part of the policy. However, Victoria, which is one of the hardest-hit states along with NSW, and Western Australia are not. Volunteers are subject to many terms, which limit who is eligible to receive pay.

In Australia, firefighting operations are mostly paid by a mix of funds sourced by city councils, state governments, and insurance companies.

The move towards compensation for volunteers was welcomed by salaried firefighters, who are charged with organizing volunteers and devising strategies for containing fires.

“Australia is, and always has been, and always will be, a country that’s susceptible to fire. We need to look at the different options, since we can only do so much with the workforce we have,” said Karen Hodges, fire control officer in the Hawkesbury local government district. She has seven staffers who oversee about 2,000 volunteers.

As the roles have been unpaid historically, those with decades of experience were able to shed light on what motivates people to volunteer their time and enter risky situations.

“It’s a cultural thing, volunteerism in Australia is a big thing. That’s an Australian way,” said Hurst, a volunteer. “It’s a fantastic group of people, it’s a way of helping the community and I just feel good about it.”

“That’s what Australia’s all about, you help your mate. We were helping our friends down south (in NSW), and they came up to help us,” said Hodges.

“It’s a way of helping the community, and different communities,” said Alan Sampson, a Moyhu Fire Brigade Captain who has been fighting fires for 40 years, and is a retired high school teacher. “These blokes are down to earth, hard-working country people. We have diverse backgrounds, but everyone’s got the same objective in mind, which is to save lives and put the fire out and save people, and their homes and property, if they can.”

Most of his volunteers are farmers and ranchers. Hurst said volunteers to his unit sometimes commute in from cities over 100 kilometers away.

Sampson’s brigade has been in action since 1904, and was folded into a larger Victoria scheme that was implemented after the Black Friday bushfires of 1939, which burned almost 5 million acres of land and killed 71 people.

Facing a Fire

Sampson recounted the Black Saturday fires in 2009, which resulted in the deaths of 173 people, and that he said were comparable to the fires currently raging.

“We were standing where one of the fires had burned through. It was 2 a.m., and it was still 42 degrees (Celsius) and on the ground, you could still feel the heat from where the fire had been hours before. Our boots had rubber soles, and it was still warming the bottom of our feet,” he said.

“This time, it probably wasn’t quite as hot at that time of the morning. The wind was roughly the same. You could see a red glow coming through the bush, you could hear it coming and it was spitting out embers ahead of the main fire front.

“You can hear trees branches falling out, sort of a dull roar coming through. And you hear the grass burning,” he said.

Hodges said the fires this season have been “horrific” as well as “erratic” because of the drought preceding them.

“The biggest fires I’ve seen in 31 years,” she said, adding that they have mostly been started by lightning strikes. “When you go out to fight a fire of this magnitude, it’s all fairly dangerous, you just gotta watch out,” Sampson said.

Asked what it’s like to be on the frontlines, Hurst said, “Scary?” but noted that he and his crew are not “fighting a wall of flames” most of the time.

The Legacy Continues

The latest chapter in the Moyhu fire brigade’s history was written this past Christmas, when fires hit their area.

Sampson said he had more volunteers than he needed on Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day. “No one complained,” he said.

Shifts ran for about 12 hours, usually.

“You might get relieved, but you just keep going if no one spells you. You’re there to do a job and you do it to the best of your ability,” Sampson said.

Both Sampson and Hurst noted the importance of keeping their crews safe. All volunteers undergo basic firefighter training, a 6-month probation period, and then more specialized training for specific roles and equipment.

“I know what’s likely to happen, but you’ve got a crew of blokes and if you’re the captain, you’re in charge of those blokes. You’ve got to be aware of what’s going on. Their safety is paramount,” he said.

“Sometimes there are younger people on the truck, so you’ve got to make sure to not get in a situation that frightens the hell of them,” he said.

As Sampson was explaining his plans for clean-up and post-fire operation, a loud beeping noise began in the background.

“Sorry mate, that’s a fire. I’ve got to take the call.”

– Additional reporting contributed by Amarica Rafanelli from Hawkesbury, Australia. 

The post Unprecedented Bushfires Put Australia’s Firefighting Forces to the Test appeared first on Direct Relief.

Direct Relief has reallocated the masks from the stockpile it maintains to help protect Californians during periods of heavy wildfire smoke. Last week, the group ordered an additional 1.5 million breathing masks to be manufactured, both to backstop any additional needs in Australia and to prepare for the 2020 wildfire season in the Western United States.

While people in some of the world’s most polluted cities have long worn breathing masks (albeit often ineffective dust or surgical masks), widespread distribution of breathing masks in places like California and Australia had never been a consideration in the past. But years of devastating wildfires amid the warmest decade in recorded human history has changed the calculus of needs.

The U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), and the California Department of Public Health have issued extensive guidance about health risks from wildfire, including the type and proper use of respirators as protection. Persons with asthma or other respiratory or heart conditions face elevated risks from particulate matter in wildfire smoke. The N95 designation used in the U.S. is a P2 designation in Australia.

California’s Stockpile Diverted for Australia

Direct Relief’s experience responding to a series of largest-ever wildfires in its home state of California in recent years identified a sharp need for a ready-for-immediate-distribution stockpile of N95/P2 masks, which can filter tiny particles out of the air when fitted properly and are recommended by public health authorities. That analysis led Direct Relief last year to contract manufacture N95 masks in sufficient volumes to meet fire-related demand spikes of the type that had consistently exceeded availability and caused shortages when most needed.

“The historic fires in California have made everyone so keenly aware of the air-quality health risks that massive fires cause, as well as the frustration and concern of being advised to use particular types of masks that get stocked out fast and are unavailable,” said Direct Relief President and CEO Thomas Tighe. “Our Aussie friends are, unfortunately, encountering the exact scenario that prompted Direct Relief’s stockpiling plan, so of course our team and supporters have been thankful to be able to pitch in.”

Since shipping the first batch of masks on Jan. 6 via air transportation donated by Qantas, Direct Relief has delivered 430,000 masks to Australia, of which more than 260,000 have been distributed to Australian partners.

Among the partners receiving the most masks to date are the Australian Red Cross, local Rotary Clubs, and Convoy of Hope, which are in turn distributing them to people needing them in local communities. Direct Relief has also distributed masks to Surf Life Saving Australia for its lifeguard members, RSPCA for volunteers in the field rescuing animals, and local brigades of the Rural Fire Service. The orange-colored masks supplied by Direct Relief are provided at no charge to local organizations to distribute onward for free.

N95/P2 masks only work if they are fitted closely to the face. If retail stores carry N95/P2 masks at all, most only carry them in one size. Direct Relief has delivered more than 110,000 small masks to Australia, where if fitted properly they may be used by people with smaller faces.

The post A Million Masks: Direct Relief Doubles Contribution of N95 (P2) Particulate Respirators for Smoke-Filled Australia appeared first on Direct Relief.

The town of Picton, which sits about 50 miles southwest of Sydney, and the surrounding communities, are no exception to the devastation. Many community members have been evacuated multiple times, and all have been breathing thick, smoky air settling into every corner. About 30 homes in the surrounding areas have been lost, and residents are watchful that winds could change at any time – and with it – the situation.

Even with the hardship, residents of the area have stepped up to work overtime to help one other. One of those people is Allison Cox, a Picton resident who has been working, along with other neighbors, to care for those impacted by the fires.

“I’ve been very aware of this fire since October,” Cox told Direct Relief staff this week, as a wave of respiratory masks left storage in Picton to be distributed to the community at large. Wildfires introduce a toxic mix of particulates into the air, which can exacerbate breathing issues and have serious health repercussions.

This week, even though the air was clearer than it had been, the smell of smoke, a mix of wood fire and chemicals, still hung heavy. It’s become somewhat indistinguishable to those living in it.

“I don’t even smell it anymore,” Cox said.

Between her work at a local school and with a nonprofit group that serves children with disabilities, Cox still took the time to coordinate distributions of Direct Relief masks so that anyone in need would be able to access them.

She’s a member of Picton Rotary, and with coordination from Rotary groups in Sydney and Melbourne, members were able to quickly get out the word in the community that mask distributions would take place.

Rotary members were able to quickly secure storage space for the masks and create distribution events for the public. Cox was also able to coordinate with local firefighters, who picked up 15,000 masks for their crews and community members.

“We have a great network. They arrived in Melbourne the other day and we’ve got 10 pallets in Picton… so they’ll be available for our firefighters and available for anyone cleaning up,” said Dianne North of Rotary District 9675, which includes Picton.

Cox brought Direct Relief staff to the Wollondilly Emergency Control Center,  where a steady hum of firefighters, logistics planners, geographers, water quality experts, and others studied the latest information on the fire lines, working to forecast how, and where, it might move next.

Because of the break in the weather, the operations center was relatively calm, and volunteers had been encouraged to take a break and rest. Monitoring fatigue among volunteers had become essential.

Fire Inspector David Stimson said that in his decades of firefighting, this blaze was unprecedented. Firefighters and technicians had been cycling through the center, some from Canada and the U.S., to backfill operations and share expertise.

Even before the fires, drought had become so intense that grazing is no longer possible for livestock in the area, and owners had been forced to hand-feed their animals for the last two years because of the arid conditions.

In the control center, operations personnel examined a screen showing spot fires all over a map of New South Wales.

Another screen showed an unforgiving mountainside that descended into a steep ravine below.

“That’s the terrain that firefighters are dealing with,” one coordinator said.

Just down the road from the control center was a small wooden building, set up not to monitor the fire, but to help people recover from it. Burned forest sits for miles around the building, and blackened fence encircling the center showed just how close the flames came.

Staffing the center was Kim Hill, who is a volunteer firefighter for the Rural Fire Service’s Buxton brigade, in addition to her work at the recovery center. Like many firefighters in Australia, she is a volunteer, on top of managing a day job.

Hill said about 30 homes were lost in the area, and that she and her family were evacuated just days before Christmas, when wind-whipped flames swept through her subdivision.

Two homes in Hill’s neighborhood were lost, and the dramatic firefighting of that night is still obvious. A blackened hillside sits just yards from Hill’s front door, a testament to the firefighting efforts to save structures.

Her family evacuated, and though they lost several sheds, their home is still standing.

Now, Hill is working to make sure others have what they need as they start their recovery process, and hopefully use the resources at the center. She’s worked to coordinate housing for people, and has picked up food donated by local businesses to feed others.

The center’s sideyard houses about five shipping containers filled with donated clothing, hygiene supplies and power tools for cleanup, all neatly organized and ready for anyone who needs them.

“We have our tears, we have our moments, but that’s part of the process,” Hill said.

While unloading masks for distribution the recovery center, Hill and Cox noticed clean-up workers nearby didn’t have any.

The crew was using chainsaws to bring down unstable trees and begin mulching fallen timber safely.

Through the grief that the community is processing, it helps to help others.

“It’s just what we do,” Cox said.

The post Neighbors Helping Neighbors in Fire-Ravaged New South Wales appeared first on Direct Relief.

In addition to the catastrophic impact on life and human health, the fires have also left an estimated 1.25 billion animals dead, according to the World Wildlife Fund, which arrived at this figure based on University of Sydney Professor Chris Dickman’s work.

“We’re all devastated. Devastated, but in the really fortunate position that we’ve got the kind of skilled staff that can go into the field and really make a difference,” said Michelle Lang, general manager at Zoos Victoria, which operates three zoos in the state, as well as a host of other conservation programs.

Organizations like Zoos Victoria have found themselves pressed into de facto emergency relief agencies on the front lines of saving impacted animals. Two Zoos Victoria veterinary staff members were recently given permission to go into fire zones in order to treat koalas and other wildlife.

“Despite their injuries and trauma, the bravery shown by the koalas and wildlife at Mallacoota is inspiring,” Dr. Leanne Wicker, who went into the bush, said in a press release.

According to Lang, Zoos Victoria was “pretty well prepared” to engage in their response role, considering the sheer scale of the fires, because of previous programs they have implemented, such as their Marine Response Unit, which was created 2013 responds to calls for assistance with vulnerable animals on a daily basis.

Lang pointed out that many of the most decimated wildlife populations will be, “small, unknown, unglamorous animals that are so vital to our ecosystem and our chain of biodiversity.

“Some species, there were only 2,000 of them before the fires, so we hate of think how many of them will be left after this,” she said.

In addition to the iconic koala bears, other impacted animals across the continent include the nabarlek, bilby, northern bettong, gouldian finch, numbat, and wiliji.

Dr. Stuart Blanch, Senior Manager of Land Clearing and Restoration at WWF-Australia, identified the long-footed potoroo, mountain pygmy possum, yellow-bellied glider and brush-tailed rock wallaby, as well as the regent honeyeater and glossy black cockatoo, which are both critically endangered, as being particularly at-risk, due to the destruction of their habitats.

Blanch told USA Today earlier this week that, “Up to 30% of koalas (as many as 8,400 koalas) may have perished during fires on the mid-north coast of New South Wales. This is a devastating blow for a species already in decline, due to ongoing excessive tree-clearing for agricultural and urban development, and pushes the species closer to becoming an endangered species.

“This has the potential to hasten koalas’ slide towards extinction in the wild in eastern Australia,” he said.

Contextualizing the impact of these fires, WWF-Australia CEO Dermot O’Gorman said many of the country’s forests and animals are facing a decades-long recovery, if the latter are able to bounce back at all.

“… some species may have tipped over the brink of extinction,” O’Gorman said in a written statement.

Zoos Victoria, which launched a $30 million initiative to save 20 species from extinction in 2015, has since grown that number to 27. They also operate conservation programs in six countries and can point to several successes such as their breeding of the critically endangered Baw Baw frog last year, and releasing dozens of critically endangered orange-bellied parrots into the wild. On the strength of this experience, they are anticipating which steps will be required after the fires die down. Lang said that potential scenarios include supplementary feeding programs for animals that survive, but are faced with a lack of food, animals that need to be protected from an over-population of predators, new holding areas, specific food items, habitat restoration, and extra staff.

During this critical care phase, funds going to Zoo Victoria now will support vets during their week-long forays into the field in the upcoming months as well as ensuring that animals receive uninterrupted care at their facilities.

100% of donated funds donated to Zoos Victoria will go directly to bushfire-impacted wildlife.

“We’ve been really humbled by the support that we’ve received so far. Some people give $5, and that’s really fantastic. We’re asking people to think about wildlife that’s really suffering,” Lang said.

Though Zoos Victoria is currently responding to alleviate the suffering of animals, and planning for possible eventualities, the full scope of the damage at the moment, to say nothing of what the reality will be after the fires die down, is unknown.

“We don’t actually know what we’re dealing with,” Lang said.

The post Amid Australia’s Devastating Wildfires, Animal Rescue Groups Working Overtime appeared first on Direct Relief.

The fires currently show little sign of abating, due to extremely hot, dry and windy conditions, which provide exceptionally opportune circumstances for rapidly spreading wildfires.

Evacuations have moved quickly in many areas, both towards the coast, as fires have raged down to the shoreline, and away from heavily populated areas, many of which are surrounded by forests and national park lands.

Direct Relief is working with Quantas Airlines to ship 500,000 N95 masks to partners in eastern Australia working to protect communities from the impact of wildfire smoke, including the Australian Red Cross and the Department of Health and Human Services of Victoria.

Facebook Disaster Maps Population Data

Using Facebook’s Disaster Maps data, the rate at which population densities have decreased and increased in certain areas throughout New South Wales, particularly in the dense coastal zone from Wollongong to Bega, can be seen in the images below. Each map shows a snapshot of the relative density of Facebook users with location services enabled at 4 p.m., local time, that day. All users who are part of the data set have opted-in to location tracking and their data has been anonymized.

Data from Facebook Disaster Maps has proven extremely useful during many wildfire events in determining the areas most at risk from fires and smoke in order to optimize distribution plans for masks and other health supplies.

Dec. 29, 2019

Dec. 30, 2019

Data from December 29 and 30 demonstrate high relative population densities all along the coastal area south of Sydney.

Dec. 31, 2019

Jan. 1, 2020

On December 31, 2019, and January 1, 2020,  severe wildfires spread to the Bateman’s Bay area. Rapid evacuations can be detected, with many residents moving both south and north along the coast, as well as inland towards Canberra.

Jan. 2, 2020

Jan. 3, 2020
By January 3,  evacuation areas along the coast had spread up to Nowra, with Canberra seeing very significant rates of increase throughout most of the city.

Jan. 4, 2020

Jan. 5, 2020

Jan. 6, 2020

As of the afternoon of January 6, there is some evidence of returnees in areas to the south and north of Bateman’s Bay, although evacuations persist.

As additional information becomes available with daily updates to Facebook Disaster Maps, more maps will be posted to this ongoing story.

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While conditions slightly improved over the weekend, experts cautioned that hot, dry conditions will continue to spur the blaze onward this week. Authorities, including Australian prime minister Scott Morrison, have cautioned that the fires could continue for months.

While wildfires are a regular part of the weather cycle in Australia – the season begins every summer – the size and severity of the current crop of blazes is seemingly unprecedented, creating long-term consequences for the country’s wildlife, health, and livelihoods.

Aside from the immediate dangers posed by the wildfires themselves, deteriorating air quality can cause or exacerbate a range of health issues, from respiratory distress to heart attacks. Older adults, young children, and those with existing health issues are particularly vulnerable.

Australia doesn’t generally need assistance during a disaster. The current situation, however, is extraordinary.

Direct Relief is coordinating with a number of Australian agencies and organizations – including the Department of Health, the Department of Environment, Land, Water, and Planning, the Victorian Country Fire Authority, and the Australian Red Cross – to deliver vital supplies.

In particular, the organization is delivering 97,500 N95 masks, which are designed to block minute particles in the air from entering the airways and lungs.

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