Australian towns battle fire and flood back-to-back

authored by Tiffanie Turnbull

Sydney-based BBC News

Many American towns are getting ready for floods hours after being threatened by fire.

This year, bushfires have been burning in the Gippsland region of Victoria and the South Coast of New South Wales. Both regions were severely affected by the Black Summer bush fires in Australia four years ago.

Although weather is currently providing some relief, flood warnings have also been issued.

As a result of the effects of climate change, the nation has recently reeled from crisis to disaster.

As Australia enters what officials anticipate to be its most risky fire season in years, dozens of fires have been burning there.

Thousands of firefighters have spent several days fighting two major fires in Gippsland, a rural area in south-east Victoria, which have forced evacuations and claimed at least one house.

Authorities in New South Wales( NSW) have also confirmed that on Tuesday, a number of homes were set on fire in the Bega Valley.

The flames have consumed about 25, 000 acres( 250 km2 ) of land across both says, or roughly five times Manhattan Island’s size.

However, a significant chilly front is bringing heavy rain to the south-east of Australia on Wednesday, prompting officials to issue an alert to prepare for potential beam and riverine flooding.

Storm waters now pose a threat to towns in the Gippsland place that were threatened by the flames.

Tim Wiebusch, chief officer of Victoria’s State Emergency Services, issued a warning to locals on Tuesday,” Do not attempt to drive through those flash flood lakes; it may be the final decision you make.”

Although there has been some rain on the fire grounds in NSW, the main flood risk is interior. Extreme fire threat still exists elsewhere in the state, with some areas experiencing complete fire bans due to warm, dry, and windy conditions.

Recent years have seen a string of catastrophes wreaking havoc on Australia, including six large-scale bleaching events on the Great Barrier Reef, record-breaking floods, and extreme drought and ancient bushfires.

The most recent UN Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change ( IPCC ) report warns that unless immediate action is taken to stop climate change, a future filled with worsening disasters is likely.