Bushfire survivors still in temp homes four years on
Friday, March 18. Today marks four years since the Tathra District bushfire and some survivors are still living in temporary accommodation.
Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action is using the solemn anniversary to call on all governments to address climate change – the underlying cause of worsening extreme weather – and to properly support at-risk communities.
Nearly 70 homes were destroyed in the small NSW south coast town of Tathra as residents and holiday-makers fled from the fire in 2018.
Bushfire Survivors for Climate Action president Jo Dodds said: “We’ve got people here in the Bega Valley in temporary accommodation since 2018 – even people who were well insured.
“Our hearts go out to the flood-affected communities in NSW and Queensland because we know what a long road ahead they’ve got. It’s going to be a really difficult time as people go back into their homes and back to work.
“It’s exhausting trying to rebuild while the disasters just keep rolling over us – the toll on mental health is huge.
“Four years on and we can never forget what happened to our quiet little place that day. We lost so much, many homes and businesses – there’s so many plans you have for the future that are just gone.
“And we lost our peace of mind, because we realised that this wasn’t just one freakish event, it was the climate impacts scientists had been warning us about.
“Since then we’ve had the winter fire at Yankees Gap, then the massive 2019-2020 fires, and several destructive floods in between.
“But there’s still a lot of hope, a lot of optimism about getting through this because people are starting to understand what’s causing these disasters and they’re demanding governments take more action.
“There are opportunities here like the renewables industry that will see communities thrive again and make it safer to live where we want to be – with our friends and our communities.”
The Tathra District fire started by faulty power lines and fuelled by phenomenal hot winds, the fire spread through Reedy Swamp and Vimy Ridge before leaping the Bega River and cutting through the centre of the town.
