Bushfires have a strong impact on the environment, economy, and the people.
The impact on the environment:
The number of plants and bushes are drastically reduced. Trees are burnt down, which means oxygen is also annihilated by bushfires, and this leads to damage to the ozone layer. Bushfires leave animals dead, or without homes. In addition to that, many peoples' houses get burnt down. There are some positive outcomes of bushfires, for example, regrowth of plants. In fact, bushfires are an essential part of the life cycle of some Eucalyptus species. Bushfires also stimulate growth of many grassland plants. They can also harm livestock, therefore leading to less food for humans, and less money for farmers.
The impact on the economy:
A lot of money was used after bushfires destroyed many peoples' homes and buildings. There was an estimated cost of $200, 000, 000 to repair the damage caused by the Ash Wednesday Bushfires in 1983. Insurance losses are high as well, one cost being around $500, 000, 000. The Black Saturday bushfires costs were rather expensive. $1000 was offered to the victims the day after the bushfires happened.
The impact on the people:
When a bushfire occurs, the majority of people whose home was near the place where everything got burnt, become homeless. Depending on the bushfire's level of damage, sometimes they have to move houses. Take for example the Victorian Black Saturday bushfires in February, 2009, there were 2000 homes desroyed. Some poeple have to start their life all over again, because in some cases, the complete town is destroyed, including where they work, where their kids went to school, which means they have to go to a new town, because the damage done to the place they used to live in was too extreme too repair. In many cases, people suffer high levels of distress and grief, and shock, because everything they had was gone, in just a few hours. Victims will be scared, and will probably be depressed for the next few weeks, sometimes even months. Children will be scared, and in distress. They will feel vulnerable, and feel like anything could attack them, any moment, and feel helpless. Victims will also feel vulnerable, and very weak, and will rely on the society for help.
Bushfires overall have a negative impact, although they can bring victims closer, and encourage regrowth of some Eucalyptus species.
