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Chaos as The Project pulled from air to evacuate

<p>Channel 10's <em>The Project </em>was suddenly pulled from air after a fire alarm sounded, forcing presenters and crew to evacuate the building, just before 7pm on Wednesday night. </p> <p>The show was replaced with an episode of <em>Dog House</em>, and at 6:50pm the show's X account notified viewers of the matter, saying: “We are being evacuated… we think we will back soon?”.</p> <p>A few minutes later they shared a follow up post:  “Due to a fire alarm in the studio, The Project has had to evacuate the building.”</p> <p>“You can see what’s happening Facebook and Instagram Live ... or watch an episode of the Dog House,” it read.</p> <p>The Project later posted a video of the hosts going outside as they joked and made light of the situation. </p> <p>“Guys, we get it you are so obsessed with us and were wondering where we went as the Dog House came on,” the caption read.</p> <p>“And to be honest we couldn’t tell you either as the fire alarm was going off and we just followed our boss.”</p> <blockquote class="instagram-media" style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-FSiekK_yK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"> </div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <div style="padding: 12.5% 0;"> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;"> <div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: 8px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg);"> </div> </div> <div style="margin-left: auto;"> <div style="width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);"> </div> <div style="width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);"> </div> </div> </div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;"> </div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;"> </div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" href="https://www.instagram.com/reel/C-FSiekK_yK/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A post shared by The Project (@theprojecttv)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>The show returned on-air at 7:09pm, with host Waleed Aly saying: “What’s that, where did we go? Oh nowhere, we didn’t even know."</p> <p>“We all needed to go to the bathroom, at once. </p> <p>“No, there was a fire alert in our building and we had to leave.”</p> <p>Sarah Harris cut in jokingly saying they didn't only have to leave but had to "run". </p> <p>A Fire and Rescue Victorian spokesperson said that they had responded to a false alarm after a smoke detector malfunctioned. </p> <p><em>Images: Instagram/ The Project</em></p>

TV

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"Not going to save anybody": Exit row passenger prompts plane evacuation

<p>A whole plane has been forced to disembark after a woman seated in the exit row refused to comply with safety instructions. </p> <p>Passengers were up in arms when they had to leave the plane, after the woman was overheard telling cabin crew that she would only save herself in the event of an emergency, before yelling at flight attendants. </p> <p>The interaction, which was captured by another passenger on video and posted to TikTok, shows the woman becoming heated while talking to cabin crew on the Frontier flight. </p> <p>The passenger can then be seen and heard progressively raising her voice to cabin crew, with fellow flyers pleading with the woman to disembark the plane.</p> <p>The traveller who filmed the altercation claims the woman said she was “not going to save anybody” when seated in the exit row, saying the disgruntled passenger had “attitude” and went on to say that if something were to happen, she would “only save” herself. </p> <p>“That was her attitude throughout the seating process. And I already knew something was about to pop off when she had that attitude,” the TikTok user said.</p> <p>The altercation only became more heated as the yelling progressed, before police eventually arrived on the plane to escort the woman off. </p> <p>The video then shows another Frontier employee approach the passenger and say, “I’m gonna ask you one more time, nicely, to get off, if not, we’re going to deboard the plane and police will come and escort you off.”</p> <p>When the cabin crew make repeated futile attempts to get through the woman, the pilot came down from the cockpit to try and call for calm. </p> <p>“You’re inconveniencing everybody else,” the pilot can be heard saying to the woman. as the pair continue to exchange words while he repeatedly points toward the front of the plane.</p> <p>Following the failed attempts, two police officers then make their way down the aisle and towards the passenger. </p> <p>Towards the end of the five-minute video, which has been viewed more than 80,000 times, all the passengers on board the flight were filmed disembarking the aircraft while the passenger at the centre of the ordeal exits with police from a separate door onto the tarmac.</p> <p>It is unclear if charges were laid.</p> <p><em>Image credits: TikTok</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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AFL star’s wedding evacuated over emergency

<p>West Coast Eagles veteran Andrew Gaff's wedding celebrations took an unexpected turn on a sunny Sunday as an encroaching bushfire threatened the joyous occasion. The unexpected incident unfolded in the picturesque setting of Bold Park in City Beach, Perth, creating an alarming backdrop to what was meant to be a memorable day.</p> <p>According to 7Sport, the flames that ignited in Bold Park posed a severe threat to lives and homes in the surrounding area, prompting the swift intervention of emergency services. This meant that Gaff's wedding reception had to be evacuated promptly, disrupting the festivities and leaving guests in shock.</p> <p>Among the guests in attendance were Gaff's Eagles teammates, including Elliot Yeo and Jack Darling, as well as premiership-winning hero Scott Lycett. The abrupt evacuation was a stark reminder of the unpredictable nature of Australian bushfires.</p> <p>"We were just at a wedding, and the police came and said we've got to leave; there is a fire over the hill," recounted one startled guest. Another guest added, "We were dancing... I was busting a move," before they were rushed out of the venue by police.</p> <p>The bushfire outbreak triggered a "watch and act" warning for parts of City Beach, Floreat and Mount Claremont, underlining the gravity of the situation. Amid the chaos, the father of Gaff's new bride, Emma Van Woerden, was seen carrying the wedding cake away from the Quarry Amphitheatre, a symbol of the disrupted celebration.</p> <p>The cause of the fire was attributed to squatters, and it took the efforts of as many as 50 firefighters to bring the blaze under control. Thankfully, there were no reported threats to lives or homes after the situation was contained.</p> <p>Gaff is not the only footy star who has chose to either get engaged or tie the knot during the post-season. Carlton hero <a href="https://oversixty.com.au/lifestyle/relationships/all-the-footy-stars-are-getting-married" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jack Silvagni, for example, wed Grace Phillips</a> in an intimate ceremony attended by family and friends. His teammates Patrick Cripps, Jack Martin and Sam Docherty were among the guests.</p> <p>In the world of rugby, NRL star Reuben Cotter married his new wife, Mackenzie Falco, the day after representing Australia against Samoa. Cotter's dedication to his country led him to cancel his own bachelor party, choosing to participate in the Pacific Championship instead. </p> <p><em>Images: Nine News / Instagram</em></p>

Relationships

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Bum scare! Hospital evacuated over man with WWI explosive up his backside

<p>A hospital has been evacuated after a senior citizen arrived with a World War One explosive lodged in his rectum. </p> <p>The 88-year-old presented to the Hospital Sainte Musse in Toulon, France, to have the artillery removed, but instead triggered a "bomb scare" that saw the hospital partially evacuated. </p> <p>“An emergency occurred from 9pm to 11.30pm on Saturday evening that required the intervention of bomb disposal personnel, the evacuation of adult and paediatric emergencies as well as the diversion of incoming emergencies,” a hospital spokesperson stated.</p> <p>“We had to manage the risk in a reactive framework,” the rep added. “When in doubt, we took all the precautions.”</p> <p>Bomb disposal experts at the scene believed there was little chance the bomb would explode inside the patient. </p> <p>“They reassured us by telling us that it was a collector’s item from the First World War, used by the French military,” the hospital stated.</p> <p>Stunned doctors subsequently began the process of trying to remove the object, which measured almost 20cm long and more than 5cm wide, from the man’s rectum.</p> <p>“An apple, a mango, or even a can of shaving foam, we are used to finding unusual objects inserted where they shouldn’t be,” one doctor declared. “But a shell? Never!”</p> <p>Medics were forced to take the elderly man into surgery, cutting open his abdomen in order to remove the antique relic.</p> <p>According to the hospital, he is now in “good health” and is expected to make a full recovery from the surgery.</p> <p><em>Image credits: Twitter</em></p>

Body

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Melbourne suburbs ordered to evacuate

<p dir="ltr">Residents of several Melbourne suburbs have been ordered to evacuate while others across the state have been told it’s too late to leave as Victoria experiences “one of the most significant flood events” in recent history.</p> <p dir="ltr">As the Maribyrnong River in north-west Melbourne continues to rise, 42 suburbs across the city have been told to prepare for potential flooding. </p> <p dir="ltr">Those living in parts of Maribyrnong were urged to evacuate immediately by Vic Emergency as of 5.40am on Friday. Authorities have also warned residents in several suburbs in the riverine area to move to higher ground, with “flooding above floor level” in single-storey homes “likely to occur in many locations”.</p> <p dir="ltr">River levels are expected to peak above flood level on Friday morning, with levels in Keilor expected to peak at 8.7 metres and levels in Maribyrnong expected to hit 3.8 metres, according to an alert issued by the Bureau of Meteorology.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Bureau warned that flooding in the catchment of Deep River and the Maribyrnong River could result in “extensive inundation”, traffic disruptions and isolated properties.</p> <p><span id="docs-internal-guid-ee343382-7fff-e345-ff8e-cd45183ac72e"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">It comes as a total of 91 flood-related warnings have been issued across Victoria, ranging in severity from Flood Watch alerts near inundated catchments to orders to evacuate immediately.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Sullivans Road, Strathfieldsaye blocked by flood water <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/vicfloods?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#vicfloods</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/victoria?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#victoria</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/bendigo?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#bendigo</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/severeweather?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#severeweather</a> <a href="https://t.co/MLt0rCwtU0">pic.twitter.com/MLt0rCwtU0</a></p> <p>— Nicholas Nakos (@nicholas_nakos) <a href="https://twitter.com/nicholas_nakos/status/1580477701575438336?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">Between Thursday morning and Friday, the Victoria State Emergency Service responded to over 2500 calls for help, as staff assist in evacuating residents and clearing roads.</p> <p dir="ltr">Premier Daniel Andrews told the <em>ABC</em> that the suburbs of Benalla, Wedderburn, the Maribyrnong, Carisbrook, Seymour and Rochester were his “chief concerns”.</p> <p dir="ltr">“The most important thing is just to say to people get the best information, please be aware of your circumstances,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">“If people are being called out driving through flood waters, that is dangerous for you and it is really dangerous for the emergency services (and the) volunteer or career staffer who has to come and save you.”</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-e8cd8558-7fff-0b5e-b589-c9318d3b5857"></span></p> <p dir="ltr">As of 6.30am on Friday, residents in Rochester, Maribyrnong, Benalla, Carisbrook and the township of Seymour have been advised to leave immediately, with some Seymour residents told it was too late to leave just seven minutes later due to the rising Goulburn River flooding roads and bridges.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr" lang="en">Some of the flooding at my sister’s farm outside of Bendigo, Victoria. There’s a bridge under the water somewhere. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/floods?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#floods</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/australia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#australia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Campaspe?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Campaspe</a> <a href="https://t.co/qdpTHF4bmN">pic.twitter.com/qdpTHF4bmN</a></p> <p>— Josh (@SladdenJosh) <a href="https://twitter.com/SladdenJosh/status/1580692557301809152?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 13, 2022</a></p></blockquote> <p dir="ltr">While the Bureau reports that the deluge is expected to clear from 6am on Friday, rainfall totals have peaked above 200mm in just 24 hours and broken historic October totals, including one dating back to 1863.</p> <p dir="ltr">ABC meteorologist Thomas Saunders <a href="https://twitter.com/TomSaundersABC/status/1580415225798758402" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reported</a> that 76mm recorded in Mangalore exceeded records dating back to 1957, 71mm in Swan Hill is the highest total since 1884, and 66mm in Bendigo is the highest recorded since 1863.</p> <p dir="ltr">The biggest falls affected Victoria’s lower northeast, with Strathbogie North, Charnwood and Moroko Park reporting totals of 221.6mm, 209.4mm and 187mm respectively.</p> <p dir="ltr">On Thursday, Mr Andrews warned that the incoming weather event was “one of the most significant flood events” in recent history.</p> <p dir="ltr">“That will pose a real challenge over the coming days,” he said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Victoria’s soaking comes as widespread heavy rain and flash flooding continued to threaten northern Tasmania, central Victoria, and southern inland NSW, with the Bureau predicting that the weather event will finally move offshore on Friday.</p> <p dir="ltr"><span id="docs-internal-guid-4d2b70a5-7fff-3a5b-db4f-abef7ce37485"></span></p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: The Today Show</em></p>

News

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“It felt like an out-of-body experience”: Families evacuated during floods

<p dir="ltr">A heartbroken family has opened up about the moment they were given a chilling 10 minutes to pack their belongings and evacuate their home.</p> <p dir="ltr">The Buksh family home is situated in the foothills of the Blue Mountains, which has been smashed by torrential rain for two weeks now.</p> <p dir="ltr">They thought they were safe on higher ground, but a warning that a landslide threatened to swallow their home saw them scrambling for their lives.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We're so far up, we've been through bushfires, came very close to being evacuated for that as well, never in a million years did we expect our driveway to be the first thing to go," Rasleen Buksh told <a href="https://9now.nine.com.au/a-current-affair/nsw-floods-landslides-threaten-homes/3c7f4ad6-311d-4e41-a816-ad904ca8bca6" target="_blank" rel="noopener">A Current Affair</a>.</p> <p dir="ltr">Upon closer inspection, Rasleen noticed some trees had disappeared from around the home as well as random rocks rolling down.</p> <p dir="ltr">When she noticed the gaping hole underneath her driveway, she immediately called her husband Naizal and son Rashan to come home from work.</p> <p dir="ltr">They called emergency services who gave them just 10 minutes to pack a few things and escape to safety.</p> <p dir="ltr">"We don't know how long we had, or what's going to happen. It's scary. Very scary," Rasleen said.</p> <p dir="ltr">The family scrambled for their paperwork and passports and at one point attempted to leave in their car but it was deemed too dangerous.</p> <p dir="ltr">"Felt like an out-of-body experience," she said.</p> <p dir="ltr">Now staying with friends, the Buksh family are anxiously waiting for their next move following the terrifying ordeal.</p> <p dir="ltr">"The engineers have come and said our house is safe, and habitable, but we are still very nervous, we're going to wait it out for another couple of weeks or so.</p> <p dir="ltr">"No one's safe in this environment."</p> <p dir="ltr"><em>Image: A Current Affair</em></p>

Travel Trouble

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Millions of people were evacuated during disasters last year – another rising cost of climate change

<p>As world leaders prepare for the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-cop26-and-why-does-the-fate-of-earth-and-australias-prosperity-depend-on-it-169648">COP26 climate talks</a> next month, it’s worth recalling a sobering <a href="https://naturaldisaster.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/html-report/foreword">line</a> from the royal commission’s report into the 2019-20 Australian bushfires: “what was unprecedented is now our future”.</p> <p>The bushfires saw the largest peacetime evacuation of Australians from their homes, with at least <a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/publications/the-2019-2020-australian-bushfires-from-temporary-evacuation-to-longer-term">65,000 people</a> displaced. As climate change amplifies the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, evacuations are likely to become increasingly common – and costly – in human and economic terms.</p> <h2>Numbers of displaced people on the rise</h2> <p>Globally, the displacement of people due to the impacts of disasters and climate change is now at a <a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/grid2021_idmc.pdf">record high</a>.</p> <p>In 2020, nearly <a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/grid2021_idmc.pdf">31 million</a> people were displaced within their own countries because of disasters, at least a <a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/global-report/grid2020/downloads/2020-IDMC-GRID-methodology.pdf">third</a> of which resulted from government-led evacuations. And people in poorer countries are six times more likely to be evacuated than those in wealthier countries, according to some <a href="https://www.preventionweb.net/files/61119_credeconomiclosses.pdf">estimates</a>.</p> <p>Already, <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090432">close to 90%</a> of the world’s refugees come from countries that are the most affected by climate change – and the least able to adapt.</p> <p>Evacuations are an important life-saving emergency response – a temporary measure to move people to safety in the face of imminent harm. Under human rights law, states are obligated to protect people from threats to life, including the adverse effects of disasters and climate change.</p> <p>At times, this <a href="http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/fapi/datastream/unsworks:55519/bin6be6615d-56d9-409d-9998-d2a06b803ab2?view=true&amp;xy=01">may include</a> an obligation to evacuate people at risk.</p> <p>However, without careful planning and oversight, evacuations can also constitute arbitrary displacement. They can uproot “<a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/grid2021_idmc.pdf">significant numbers</a>” of people for prolonged periods of time. And they can expose people to other types of risks and vulnerabilities, and erode human rights.</p> <p>For example, in 2020, wildfires and flooding exacerbated the existing humanitarian crisis in Syria, <a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/grid2021_idmc.pdf">prompting</a> the evacuation of thousands of already internally displaced persons who were forced to move yet again.</p> <h2>Too little support after disasters</h2> <p>Unfortunately, the “rescue” paradigm that characterises the way we typically think about evacuations means such risks are too often overlooked. As a result, national responses may fail to appreciate the scale of internal displacement triggered by evacuations, or to identify it at all.</p> <p>In practice, this may mean there is insufficient support for those who are displaced, and little accountability by the relevant government authorities. Moving people out of harm’s way during a disaster may be one element of an effective government response. Ensuring people can return, safely and with dignity, however, is crucial to economic and social recovery.</p> <p>This is particularly prescient given that evacuations can create significant economic and social disruption.</p> <p>For instance, the cost of a year’s temporary housing for Australia’s 2019–20 bushfire evacuees <a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/publications/the-2019-2020-australian-bushfires-from-temporary-evacuation-to-longer-term">amounted to</a> A$60–72 million. Each day of lost work cost A$705 per person.</p> <p>Such costs are amplified in the Asia-Pacific region, which accounted for <a href="https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/disaster-displacement-global-review-2008-2018">80% of global disaster-related displacement</a> from 2008–18.</p> <p>Small island states are particularly affected by disasters and the impacts of climate change. For instance, large proportions of Vanuatu’s population were displaced by <a href="https://devpolicy.org/vanuatu-after-cyclone-pam-the-economic-impact-20150410/">Cyclone Pam</a> in 2015 and by <a href="https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/tc_harold_and_covid-19_vanuatu_recovery_strategy_v3_130820.pdf">Cyclone Harold</a> just five years later.</p> <p>According to a UN <a href="https://repository.unescap.org/handle/20.500.12870/1553">forecast</a>, such countries could face average annual disaster-related losses equivalent to nearly 4% of their GDPs. The impact on the long-term prosperity, stability and security of individuals and communities cannot be overstated.</p> <p>The point is that with greater investment in disaster risk reduction and planning, many of these outcomes could be avoided.</p> <p>Currently, the amount of money allocated in development assistance to prepare for disaster risks is “<a href="https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/full_gar_report.pdf">miniscule</a>” compared to aid funding for post-disaster responses.</p> <p>This is clearly is the wrong way around – especially when the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction <a href="https://www.preventionweb.net/english/hyogo/gar/2015/en/gar-pdf/GAR2015_EN.pdf">estimates</a> each dollar spent on preparation could have a 60-fold return.</p> <h2>What leaders at COP26 need to do</h2> <p>The ABC television’s miniseries <a href="https://iview.abc.net.au/show/fires">Fires</a> shows that people’s decisions about whether to stay or go in an emergency are not simple. People are influenced not only by their perceptions of the risk of harm, but also by the desire to protect relatives, property and animals, or a belief that they can withstand the disaster.</p> <p>Well-planned, evidence-based strategies are important when an emergency requires rapid decision-making, often in changing conditions and with limited resources to hand. If lines of authority are unclear, or there is insufficient attention to detail during the planning process, evacuation efforts may be hampered further, putting lives and property at greater risk.</p> <p>It is essential for policymakers to recognise that a government’s “life-saving” response to a disaster, such as an evacuation, can itself generate significant human and financial costs. Governments need to incorporate principles from human rights law into their response plans to help protect people from foreseeable risks and to enhance their rights, well-being and recovery.</p> <p>Climate change is only going to exacerbate increasingly extreme weather events that force people from their homes. At next month’s climate talks, leaders must agree on climate change mitigation targets and adaptation policies that avert the need to evacuate people in the first place.</p> <p>However, achieving change on the ground will require a far more linked-up and integrated approach to climate change, disaster risk reduction, sustainable development and mobility. This includes systematically implementing the recommendations not only of the Paris Agreement, but other <a href="https://unece.org/sendai-framework#:%7E:text=The%20Sendai%20Framework%20on%20Disaster,of%20persons%2C%20businesses%2C%20communities%20and">international agreements</a> <a href="https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda">focused</a> on <a href="https://www.iom.int/global-compact-migration">these goals</a>.<!-- End of code. If you don't see any code above, please get new code from the Advanced tab after you click the republish button. The page counter does not collect any personal data. More info: https://theconversation.com/republishing-guidelines --></p> <p><span><a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jane-mcadam-ao-2448">Jane McAdam AO</a>, Scientia Professor and Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, <em><a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414">UNSW</a></em></span></p> <p>This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/millions-of-people-were-evacuated-during-disasters-last-year-another-rising-cost-of-climate-change-170105">original article</a>.</p> <p><em>Image: <span class="attribution"><span class="source">Nick Perry/AP</span></span></em></p>

International Travel

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Eight evacuation orders sent for worst flood in NSW in 50 years

<div class="post_body_wrapper"> <div class="post_body"> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> <p>NSW has been slammed with high winds and torrential rain, with eight flood evacuation orders being issued for the NSW mid-north coast.</p> <p>People in Kempsey were told by the State Emergency Service to evacuate by midnight as there was major flooding possible along the Macleay River.</p> <p>Evacuation orders have been issued for low lying areas of Kempsey, Macksville, Port Macquarie, the lower Macleay, Wauchope and Rawdon Island, Taree and Wingham.</p> <p>Kempsey recorded a shocking 173mm of rain between 9 am Sunday to 4 am on Monday, with no sign of slowing.</p> <p>More evacuation orders are expected to be declared today, with emergency workers conducting more than 150 flood rescues and have responded to more than 1,500 calls for help.</p> <p>The total for the weekend has been higher than 10,000 calls for help or flood rescue.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Australia floods: Thousands to be evacuated as downpours worsen<br />Devastating floods in NSW. Prayers for all those affected 🙏 <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Australia?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Australia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NSWFloods?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NSWFloods</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/montysaiyed?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#montysaiyed</a><br /><a href="https://t.co/2vGVVOW4bm">pic.twitter.com/2vGVVOW4bm</a></p> — The Desi Times (@TheDesiTimes) <a href="https://twitter.com/TheDesiTimes/status/1373725821601509385?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">March 21, 2021</a></blockquote> <p>Emergency Services Minister David Elliot said that the NSW government was expected to be able to confirm whether the Australian Defence Force would move in to support the SES.</p> <p>“That will include logistics, obviously, assistance with making sure we make safe our communities,” he said.</p> <p>200 schools have also been closed today with the wild wet weather not making it safe for students to attend.</p> <p>“Safety has to come first,” Education Minister Sarah Mitchell told 7NEWS.</p> <p>Decisions will be made hourly on further closures.</p> <p>Premier Gladys Berejiklian has urged people to be safe in the wild weather.</p> <p>“It’s the sustained rainfall, the fact that weather event has settled in, it’s not moving,” she told reporters during an emergency press conference on Sunday.</p> <p>“We cannot underestimate the ferocity of these weather conditions. We have gone from extreme bushfire to extreme flood.”</p> <p>Bureau of Meteorology flood operations manager Justin Robinson said that this will be one of the "biggest floods we will see for a very long time".</p> <p>“Just to give you some context around that, it is bigger than the February 2020 flood. It is bigger than the 1988 flood. It is bigger than the 1990 flood and is bigger than the 1964 flood.”</p> </div> </div> </div>

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"Life-threatening" fire approaches town with dozens evacuated

<p>A bushfire that's ravaged half of Fraser Island resulted in dozens being evacuated as the fire quickly encroached on a township.</p> <p>An emergency alert was sent out at 3:30 am urging residents to "LEAVE NOW", with a large fire travelling towards the township of Happy Valley.</p> <p>The fire is expected to have a "significant impact" on the township.</p> <p>Queensland Fire and Emergency Services warned conditions were very dangerous, and firefighters could be unable to prevent the fire advancing.</p> <p>“The fire may pose a threat to all lives directly in its path,” a QFES statement said.</p> <p>Some courageous residents who are a part of the local fire brigade stayed to help air and land crews with the blaze.</p> <p>The fire is said to have been sparked by an illegal campfire seven weeks ago and has burned through more than 80,000 hectares of world-heritage listed land.</p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CIbjfxSAPO4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="13"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CIbjfxSAPO4/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Taz and Wes- Travel Journal (@luvin_local)</a></p> </div> </blockquote> <p>Fire and Emergency Services Commissioner Greg Leach said that high temperatures and strong winds on Sunday had made efforts by firefighters difficult.</p> <p>“There has been a heavy use of aircraft to try and reduce the spread of the fire,” he said on Sunday afternoon.</p> <p>“In a normal fire fight we might drop 100,000 litres on a single fire. We’re doing ten or twelve times that on this fire.</p> <p>“This is a marathon not a sprint. There is no significant rain in the forecast, and that’s the only thing that will put this out.”</p> <p>“The local brigade has done mitigation and burning works, the town will stand in good stead should the head of the fire reach the township,” Commissioner Leach said.</p>

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Trump evacuated from White House briefing room after shots fired

<p>US President Donald Trump was quickly evacuated from the White House briefing room by security after shots were fired outside the building. </p> <p>Trump confirmed a shooting after returning to the briefing room.</p> <p>"There was a shooting outside of the White House and it seems to be very well under control. I'd like to thank the Secret Service for doing their always quick and very effective work," Trump said when he returned.</p> <p>Trump had been midsentence during the first attempt at a briefing when security came into the room and asked him to leave.</p> <p>"Excuse me?" Trump asked when the security approached.</p> <p>"Step outside," the agent said.</p> <p>"Oh," Trump said before departing the room.</p> <p>When Trump returned to the briefing room, he said he has been taken to the Oval Office when he was evacuated.</p> <p>"I feel very safe with the Secret Service. They're fantastic people. They're the best of the best. They're highly trained," Trump told reporters when he returned. "They just wanted me to step aside for a little while just to make sure that everything was clear outside."</p> <p>The Secret Service confirmed on <a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/SecretService?ref_src=twsrc%5Egoogle%7Ctwcamp%5Eserp%7Ctwgr%5Eauthor" target="_blank" class="_e75a791d-denali-editor-page-rtflink">Twitter</a> that an investigation of the shooting is "ongoing" but "at no time during this incident was the White House complex breached or were any protectees in danger".</p> <p>A senior administration official said that there was an active shooter near the White House and that the shooter is in custody. </p>

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Australians stranded in Wuhan told no more evacuation flights planned

<p>Dozens of Australians remain stranded in Wuhan as the Federal Government confirmed there were no more evacuation flights planned.</p> <p>More than 500 Australians have been airlifted out of the Chinese city where the novel coronavirus emerged, with the first cohort under quarantine on Christmas Island and the second near Darwin.  </p> <p>In January the Government said there were about 600 Australians in the city who had registered their details, and it was prioritising “<a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/jan/29/australian-coronavirus-evacuees-to-be-quarantined-on-christmas-island">isolated and vulnerable</a>” people including infants and the elderly for assisted departures.</p> <p>But many of those left behind said they were not notified of departing flights, the <em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-12/australian-citizens-wuhan-no-planned-evacuations-coronavirus/11955520">ABC</a> </em>reported.</p> <p>According to the outlet, the Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade (DFAT) told families in an email there were “no plans currently for any more Australian Government assisted departure flights”.</p> <p>The email read: “As the Prime Minister has said, Australians should not rely on further assisted departure from Wuhan or mainland China.</p> <p>“We encourage you to continue to follow the advice of local authorities in China, and monitor the Smartraveller website.”</p> <p>Australian Shirley Xiang said she and her family did not get a chance to board the initial flight despite having alerted the Government to their presence.</p> <p>“We don’t mind being quarantined in the difficult environment on Christmas Island, but we didn’t get a chance for the next flight at all,” Xiang told the <em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2020-02-12/australian-citizens-wuhan-no-planned-evacuations-coronavirus/11955520">ABC</a></em>.</p> <p>“Now they told us there won’t be a third flight for evacuation. It is very unfair that the Government decided to not evacuate my children.”</p> <p>Desmond Lim said he felt like he and his wife were “being penalised for doing the right thing” by supporting the Government to fly out vulnerable citizens and permanent residents first.</p> <p>“We are appreciative and supportive of the fact that the government is flying the most vulnerable people out first. We want to do the right thing,” Lim told the <em><a href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/2020/feb/10/coronavirus-australians-stranded-in-wuhan-fear-they-have-been-swept-under-the-carpet">Guardian</a></em>.</p> <p>“We were honest. We said [my wife] is safe, she is healthy at the moment. My wife’s there with her mum and dad. But it doesn’t mean we don’t want any assistance.</p> <p>“I feel we are being penalised for doing the right thing. You do the right thing, you follow the process and at the end of it, they say, ‘Nah, we’re not going to help’.”</p> <p>Lim said the DFAT email “lacks empathy” for Australians in the locked-down city. “It feels a bit like they are trying to sweep the rest of us under the carpet and make the situation go away. It’s not the right thing to do,” he said.</p> <p>The US government has evacuated more than 800 citizens and residents from Wuhan. New Zealand has evacuated 98 New Zealanders as well as 35 people from Australia, 17 from Timor Leste, 17 from Papua New Guinea, and more from nine other countries.</p> <p>The Singaporean government has flown out 266 people in two flights, and Japan has evacuated <a href="https://www.japantimes.co.jp/news/2020/02/02/national/science-health/japan-fourth-wuhan-evacuation-flight-coronavirus/#.XkDsWhMzYWo">more than 700 people</a>.</p>

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24 hours to evacuate: Aussie troops move in to assist families fleeing bushfires

<p>Residents are struggling on the South Coast of NSW a there’s no fuel, no food and no power. This is due to bushfires ravaging the area and the Australian Defence Force has been called in to help the affected areas.</p> <p>A fleet of ships and helicopters are making their way to coastal regions to supply and rescue residents that are trapped by the flames.</p> <p>There are currently 110 fires burning across NSW with over 50 yet to be contained, according to the<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://twitter.com/NSWRFS/status/1212444017251647489" target="_blank">NSW RFS</a></em>.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">At 5.30am there are 110 fires burning across NSW with over 50 yet to be contained. <br /><br />Firefighters will make the most of more favourable conditions today to protect properties before deteriorating conditions again this Saturday.<a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NSWRFS?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NSWRFS</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NSWFires?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NSWFires</a> <a href="https://t.co/vb3o55n8XU">pic.twitter.com/vb3o55n8XU</a></p> — NSW RFS (@NSWRFS) <a href="https://twitter.com/NSWRFS/status/1212444017251647489?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">1 January 2020</a></blockquote> <p>With around 50,000 homes without power, major phone networks being down, and supermarkets closed, residents are struggling to obtain essentials such as food, fuel and water.</p> <p>NSW RFS Commissioner Shane Fitzsimmons says that there will be a “huge effort” to get as many people out of the area before Saturday, as conditions are set to worsen.</p> <p>"It's an extreme challenge for firefighters," he said on<span> </span><em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.skynews.com.au/details/_6119081428001" target="_blank">Sky News</a></em>.</p> <p>RFS Deputy Commissioner Rob Rogers agrees.</p> <p>“There is every potential that the conditions on Saturday will be as bad or worse than we saw yesterday (Tuesday),” he told<span> </span><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.news.com.au/technology/environment/australian-troops-prepare-for-bushfire-emergency-evacuations-by-sea/live-coverage/cf3d149ec9bbb9b7eb808e663eec8a28" target="_blank">reporters</a><span> </span>in Sydney.</p> <p>“Crews are working hard to get some containment before Saturday but we are concerned about that fire because of its potential run into far western Sydney,” Mr Rogers said.</p> <p>With at least 1298 homes destroyed across the state and air quality continuing to worsen in the affected areas, firefighters are run ragged trying to stop NSW from burning.</p> <p>Thousands are fleeing the South Coast, with almost 30 road closures in the region. Live Traffic NSW has issued a warning for heavy traffic conditions as well as significant delays.</p>

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“Terrifying”: Qantas plane passengers evacuated after smoke filled cabin

<p>Passengers on a Qantas flight was forced to evacuate through slides at Sydney Airport after smoke and “burning” smell filled the cabin.</p> <p>The airline’s spokesperson said the Sydney to Perth flight QF575 on Sunday morning was forced to turn around 20 minutes into the flight due to hydraulic issues.</p> <p>Passengers told the <em><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2019-12-15/qantas-plane-evacuated-at-sydney-airport-due-to-smoke-in-cabin/11801034">ABC</a> </em>the plane was on the tarmac after landing when smoke began to fill the cabin.</p> <p>“We were on the runway waiting to be towed in and we started to smell burning,” passenger Dillon Parker said.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr">Just had to evacuate my flight to Perth after engineering issues. Everyone had to exit the plane via slide onto Sydney tarmac after the cabin filled with smoke and the captain screamed evacuate. Terrifying.</p> — Ally Kemp (@politic_ally) <a href="https://twitter.com/politic_ally/status/1205992177903366144?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2019</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet" data-lang="en"> <p dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/Qantas?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Qantas</a> flight <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/QF575?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#QF575</a> mid-flight hydraulic issue, landed back in Sydney, smoke in cabin, passengers told to evacuate, flight crew could not taxi correctly after landing due to hydraulic issues, slides activated. <br />Brother was on flight. <a href="https://twitter.com/SevenPerth?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@SevenPerth</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/Channel7?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Channel7</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/abcnews?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@abcnews</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/9NewsSyd?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@9NewsSyd</a> <a href="https://t.co/SzrzhbcxDh">pic.twitter.com/SzrzhbcxDh</a></p> — Richo Hannington (@RichoHannington) <a href="https://twitter.com/RichoHannington/status/1205992556380639232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 14, 2019</a></blockquote> <p>The flight took off from Sydney Airport at around 8.45am (AEDT) and returned before 9.30am.</p> <p>The Airbus A330 was unable to taxi upon landing and had to be towed to the gate.</p> <p>The Qantas spokesperson told <em><a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/terrifying-incident-leads-to-qantas-flight-delays-011242798.html">Yahoo News Australia</a> </em>the flight did not require an emergency landing.</p> <p>“Once back at the gate, the captain made the decision to evacuate the aircraft as a precaution and three emergency slides were deployed,” the spokesperson said. “Passengers were evacuated through both the slides and normal exits.”</p> <p>Qantas Fleet safety captain Debbie Slade said some of the passengers may have had “itchy eyes” or a “scratchy throat” from exposure to the hydraulic fluid leak.</p> <p>“The crew did a great job of putting their training into action and following the procedures for a set of circumstances like this,” Slade said.</p> <p>“We’ll investigate exactly what happened, including liaising with Airbus, before this aircraft is returned to service.”</p> <p>Slade said what appeared to be smoke might have been “mist from the hydraulic system”.</p> <p>Some people said they sustained injuries to their arms and legs as they were exiting the aircraft.</p> <p>NSW Ambulance said “all patients had been evacuated” with one passenger being taken to Royal Prince Alfred Hospital for “minor injuries”.</p> <p>Qantas said it would assist the Civil Aviation Safety Authority and the Australian Transport Safety Bureau in its investigation.</p> <p>“Qantas is providing support to customers on the affected flight and managing some delays to other flights that occurred as a result of this incident,” the airline said.</p> <p>“The airline extends its thanks to all customers for their patience and understanding.”</p>

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Evacuating with a grandbaby: Here’s what to put in your emergency kit

<p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Every summer in Australia, bushfires, cyclones and floods threaten lives and properties. Preparing for these emergencies includes creating </span><a href="https://www.redcross.org.au/campaigns/prepare/prepare-get-packing"><span style="font-weight: 400;">an emergency kit</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> that contains everything you and your baby will need if essential services are disrupted or you need to evacuate.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Infants are </span><a href="http://research.usc.edu.au:8080/vital/access/manager/Repository/usc:25429?lightbox=true"><span style="font-weight: 400;">particularly vulnerable</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> in emergencies. Without access to appropriate food and fluid they can become seriously ill within hours, </span><a href="https://www.nature.com/articles/ejcn2009111"><span style="font-weight: 400;">particularly in hot weather</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Families can be isolated without power or water in their homes for long periods. They can be </span><a href="https://trove.nla.gov.au/newspaper/article/126921723"><span style="font-weight: 400;">stranded in their cars while evacuating for hours or even days</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. And because government planning for infants is lacking, even when you reach an evacuation centre, you may have to </span><a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-7528-0"><span style="font-weight: 400;">wait to access infant feeding supplies</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">But parents can find it difficult to pack the necessary supplies for their babies. We are so used to having reliable power and water that it’s hard to imagine what it’s like not to have them.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">During the 2011 Queensland flooding and cyclone Yasi disasters, for example, </span><a href="https://www.usc.edu.au/explore/usc-news-exchange/news-archive/2018/december/floods-cyclones-bring-sickness-threat-to-babies"><span style="font-weight: 400;">one-quarter of families evacuated</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> were unable to pack adequate infant feeding supplies.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">This difficulty is compounded by the fact that, apart from </span><a href="https://www.qld.gov.au/emergency/dealing-disasters/prepare-for-disasters/food-during-disaster"><span style="font-weight: 400;">Queensland</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">, state and territory governments </span><a href="https://bmcpublichealth.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/s12889-019-7528-0"><span style="font-weight: 400;">do not provide detailed guidance for parents</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> on what to pack for babies in emergency kits. Some emergency organisations offer more advice on what to pack for pets than for babies.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Gathering supplies at the last minute can be dangerous as it can delay leaving.</span></p> <p><strong>So, what do parents and caregivers need in their kit?</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Emergency kits should have everything you need to look after your baby for at least three days without having any access to electricity or water.</span></p> <p><strong>Breastfed babies</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If your baby is less than six months old and fully breastfed, you will need nappies, wipes, and some extra water to keep hydrated.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Some mothers worry they won’t be able to breastfeed during an emergency. Babies are often unsettled in emergencies but </span><a href="https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/16157942"><span style="font-weight: 400;">stress doesn’t impact milk production</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">However, </span><a href="https://academic.oup.com/jn/article/131/11/3012S/4686704"><span style="font-weight: 400;">it can slow the release of milk</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. If this happens, keep offering the breast, look at your baby, think about how much you love them; this will release hormones that make the milk flow and help you and your baby to feel more relaxed. Frequent breastfeeding increases the amount of milk a baby takes from the breast.</span></p> <p><strong>Expressed breastmilk-fed babies</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you feed your baby expressed breastmilk, you need to learn how to hand express, as it may not be possible to wash pump parts.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">You will also need drinking water for yourself, detergent, around 400ml of water per feed for washing hands, disposable plastic cups or single-use bottles and teats for feeding the baby, as well as nappies and nappy wipes.</span></p> <p><strong>Formula-fed babies</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you are are formula feeding, we suggest the following as a minimum:</span></p> <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">an unopened tin of infant formula</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">enough bottles and teats to have one for every feed (thoroughly washed, sterilised and completely dry before sealing in a ziplock bag)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><a href="https://www.eatforhealth.gov.au/sites/default/files/files/the_guidelines/n56_infant_feeding_guidelines.pdf"><span style="font-weight: 400;">small bottles of still drinking water</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> (not mineral or carbonated water) for reconstitution</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">large containers or bottles for washing hands and the preparation area (about 500ml per time)</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">detergent for washing hands and the preparation area</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">paper towels for drying hands and the preparation area</span></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;"><span style="font-weight: 400;">nappies and nappy wipes.</span></li> </ul> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">All of these supplies can be stored in a large plastic tub with a flat lid that you can turn upside down and use as a clean preparation surface.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">When using the kit, it’s important to only make up the infant formula when it is going to be fed to the baby and to throw out any leftover formula within an hour of starting the feed.</span></p> <p><strong>Babies aged over six months</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If your baby has started solids, include enough canned baby foods and disposable spoons in your kit to feed your baby for three days.</span></p> <p><strong>Other things to consider</strong></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you are formula feeding and it’s possible you’re going to be isolated at home without power for more than a few days, you </span><a href="https://internationalbreastfeedingjournal.biomedcentral.com/articles/10.1186/1746-4358-6-16/figures/3"><span style="font-weight: 400;">may need to store resources</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> such as a gas stove and a large quantity of water to enable washing.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">Emergencies often occur during heat waves and </span><a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/emergency/plan-for-an-emergency/2012-09-04/plan-for-a-heatwave/4215360?fbclid=IwAR1PreuexNYq8ZP0upXgfq7Q7VLOE6mIMfqHSkxcH6lm4MWdvAjapXl5DHw"><span style="font-weight: 400;">general advice</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;"> includes drinking plenty of water to prevent dehydration. This advice doesn’t apply to babies under six months of age. Young babies can be made </span><a href="https://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00032470.htm"><span style="font-weight: 400;">very ill if given water alone</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">. Instead, offer your baby </span><a href="https://www.health.nsw.gov.au/environment/factsheets/Factsheets/babies-children-hot-weather.pdf"><span style="font-weight: 400;">more frequent breast or formula feeds</span></a><span style="font-weight: 400;">.</span></p> <p><span style="font-weight: 400;">If you’re wondering whether to stop breastfeeding, consider delaying this decision until after the summer emergency season has passed, as it’s much easier to breastfeed than to formula feed in emergency conditions.</span></p> <p><em><span style="font-weight: 400;">Written by Karleen Gribble and Nina J Berry. Republished with permission of </span><a href="https://theconversation.com/evacuating-with-a-baby-heres-what-to-put-in-your-emergency-kit-127026"><span style="font-weight: 400;">The Conversation. </span></a></em></p>

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Passenger describes horror evacuation on stricken cruise: “Very, very frightening”

<p>A passenger on a doomed cruise has described the horror that ensued after the captain announced “Mayday”.</p> <p>Speaking to the <em><a rel="noopener" href="https://www.9now.com.au/today" target="_blank">Today</a> </em>show, Alexus Shepperd recounted the events of the European ship which sparked an emergency situation after it was stranded in dangerous seas.</p> <p>Mrs Shepperd shared a video of furniture sliding around in the ship, as conditions progressively got worse.</p> <p>With waves exceeding eight metres and wind travelling at 70km/h, five helicopters were called to help evacuate passengers.</p> <p>The rescue operation saw each passenger evacuated one-by-one, though once conditions improved, remaining passengers stayed on board.</p> <p>Mrs Shepperd described the events that occurred beforehand, saying that all passengers were ordered to go to their muster stations, and an emergency call was sounded.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center " data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">Still waiting for evacuation. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VikingSky?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VikingSky</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mayday?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Mayday</a> <a href="https://t.co/6EvcAjf5D2">pic.twitter.com/6EvcAjf5D2</a></p> — Alexus Sheppard 🏳️‍🌈 (@alexus309) <a href="https://twitter.com/alexus309/status/1109537029912711168?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">23 March 2019</a></blockquote> <p>“They announced that not only had we gathered there to start putting on our life jackets, but that the captain had also declared a mayday,” she told <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.9now.com.au/today" target="_blank"><em>Today</em></a>.</p> <p>“And being a sailor myself, any time a captain declares a Mayday, it’s a really big deal because it means the vessel is about to be lost. And so that was very, very frightening. And then a few minutes after that, they announced for all the crew to go and immediately close all the watertight doors.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet tw-align-center" data-lang="en-gb"> <p dir="ltr">Battery dying and people sleeping everywhere. Probably my last tweet of the night. <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/VikingSky?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#VikingSky</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Mayday?src=hash&amp;ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Mayday</a> <a href="https://t.co/ouzegYmHOD">pic.twitter.com/ouzegYmHOD</a></p> — Alexus Sheppard 🏳️‍🌈 (@alexus309) <a href="https://twitter.com/alexus309/status/1109617042817200128?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">24 March 2019</a></blockquote> <p>“And so that’s another sign that they don’t close watertight doors unless there’s water coming aboard somewhere.”</p> <p>Close to 20 people have been transported to hospital, after passengers in the pool and cafes were injured.</p> <p>One of the restaurants had their windows shattered during the ordeal.</p> <p>“The injuries that I saw were mostly injuries from falls that people either lost their footing as the ship was rolling or slipped on wet tiles. There were cuts to the head, cuts to the arms and the legs and I heard some people broke bones,” she said.</p>

Travel Trouble

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Terrified passengers forced to evacuate as bag bursts into flames on plane

<p>Terrified passengers were forced to evacuate a plane after a passenger’s bag in the overhead compartment burst into flames.</p> <p>A video taken on board shows travellers boarding Sunday’s China Southern Airlines flight from Guangzhou to Shanghai when a bag caught fire in the overhead compartment and smoke began filling the cabin.  </p> <p>Passengers and cabin crew can be seen trying to put out the flames with bottles of water and juice, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="https://www.channelnewsasia.com/news/asiapacific/china-southern-airlines-flight-delayed-power-bank-catches-fire-9989698">Channel News Asia</a></strong></span> reported. The blaze was eventually put out by fire crews and security.</p> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> <p dir="ltr">Power bank fire on board China Southern CZ3539, Feb 25 2018.😱😱 <a href="https://t.co/cby6E62qRv">pic.twitter.com/cby6E62qRv</a></p> — ChinaAviationReview (@ChinaAvReview) <a href="https://twitter.com/ChinaAvReview/status/967655625009213442?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">February 25, 2018</a></blockquote> <p>The fire did not cause further damage to the plane, the airline said.</p> <p>The owner of the bag was spoken to by police. The cause of the fire is believed to be a power bank, which was most likely powered by a lithium-ion battery and not in use at the time of the fire, <span style="text-decoration: underline;"><strong><a href="http://www.foxnews.com/travel/2018/02/25/flight-forced-to-deplane-after-passengers-carry-on-bag-catches-fire.html">Fox News</a></strong></span> reported.</p> <p> </p>

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Ellen DeGeneres & Portia de Rossi forced to evacuate Californian home

<p><span>Ellen DeGeneres and wife Portia de Rossi have joined many other celebrities who have been forced to flee their LA homes because of wildfires spreading across Southern California.</span></p> <p><span>The TV host revealed on Twitter that the pair had to evacuate their pets from her $24.7 million beach house in Carpinteria.</span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><span><img width="499" height="375" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7265568/1_499x375.jpg" alt="1 (56)"/></span></p> <p style="text-align: center;"><em>Image credit: Twitter</em></p> <p><span>“Our house is under threat of being burned. We just had to evacuate our pets," Ellen wrote. "I'm praying for everyone in our community and thankful to all the incredible firefighters."</span></p> <p><span>In a second message, Ellen said she was “proud” of her community for banding together during the crisis.</span></p> <p><span>"I'm sending lots of love and gratitude to the fire department and sheriffs," she said. "Thank you all. #ThomasFire."</span></p> <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 658px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media"> <div style="padding: 8px;"> <div style="background: #F8F8F8; line-height: 0; margin-top: 40px; padding: 62.5% 0; text-align: center; width: 100%;"> <div style="background: url(data:image/png; base64,ivborw0kggoaaaansuheugaaacwaaaascamaaaapwqozaaaabgdbtueaalgpc/xhbqaaaafzukdcak7ohokaaaamuexurczmzpf399fx1+bm5mzy9amaaadisurbvdjlvzxbesmgces5/p8/t9furvcrmu73jwlzosgsiizurcjo/ad+eqjjb4hv8bft+idpqocx1wjosbfhh2xssxeiyn3uli/6mnree07uiwjev8ueowds88ly97kqytlijkktuybbruayvh5wohixmpi5we58ek028czwyuqdlkpg1bkb4nnm+veanfhqn1k4+gpt6ugqcvu2h2ovuif/gwufyy8owepdyzsa3avcqpvovvzzz2vtnn2wu8qzvjddeto90gsy9mvlqtgysy231mxry6i2ggqjrty0l8fxcxfcbbhwrsyyaaaaaelftksuqmcc); display: block; height: 44px; margin: 0 auto -44px; position: relative; top: -22px; width: 44px;"></div> </div> <p style="margin: 8px 0 0 0; padding: 0 4px;"><a style="color: #000; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none; word-wrap: break-word;" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/BY3aiPRjItt/" target="_blank">sunday morning Ed, Kid &amp; Augie @theellenshow @generalpublic.art</a></p> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;">A post shared by Portia de Rossi (@portiaderossi) on Sep 10, 2017 at 8:39am PDT</p> </div> </blockquote> <p><span>The Thomas fire started on December 4th and has impacted up to 173,000 acres of land.</span></p> <p><span>The fires have already destroyed 750 structures and partially damaged more than 160. Thousands of local residents have evacuated including the A-lister Montecito area which is home to stars such as Oprah Winfrey and Drew Barrymore. </span></p>

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