Nominated Location & Disaster

VICTORIAN BUSHFIRES!

ABOUT BUSHFIRES...
The whole of the Australian continent is prone to bushfires, or wildfires, regardless of the physical location. When a bushfire strikes, it can be devastating, resulting in a loss of land, lives and property.

IMPACTS OF THE FIRES...
Large numbers of people are evacuated from areas deemed a threat.  Once a fire has struct, the impact of one returning to scenes of destruction - the loss of their sentimental possessions.

WHAT CAUSED THE VICTORIAN BUSH FIRES TO BE SO SEVERE... 
The extreme amount of dry and dense vegetation, along with record-breaking temperatures, alleged arson attacks and high winds were the main contributing factors that caused one of the nations worst and most destructive bushfires.    With the increase in house development and the urban sprawl from Melbourne CBD, more and more homes are at risk of a similar event.

THE AFTERMATH... 
There is a huge amount of challenges that communities affected by a fire face; both short term and long term.  Apart from the physiological effects, the shortage of resources makes the recovery process a very challenging one.

EVIDENCE OF EFFECTS...
"...A total of 28 months after the bushfires, reconstruction in the worst-affected area...was proceeding slowly despite the institutions and procedures set up for recovery."

(http://search.proquest.com.wwwproxy0.library.
unsw.edu.au/docview/1355293643?accountid=12763)

EVIDENCE OF EFFECTS continued...

"...slow reconstruction was due to the unavailability of building resources, 
Changed Building Standards, increased building markets outside the bushfire zone, lack of economic incentives, combined with home owners' socio-economic vulnerabilities, created a chain of impacts on households' ability to get resources..."

(http://search.proquest.com.wwwproxy0.library.
unsw.edu.au/docview/1355293643?accountid=12763)

"Living, working and playing in the bush grows ever more popular, and with it comes the recognition that this lifestyle carries the risk to safety of regular 

bushfires. At the same time, people in bushfire-prone areas increasingly expect the risk will be better assessed and managed by fire and land agencies. 

This Bushfire CRC program studied ways to increase the safety of people and property. It focused on the health and wellbeing of the community and 

firefighters through research as diverse as building protection and ways to improve the retention and relocation of the community"

(http://www.bushfirecrc.com/managed/1102_bcrc_ar_p01-60_final.)

"In the aftermath of the 2009 Victorian bushfires, Australia was not immune to common resourcing problems such as shortages of building materials, lack of builders and cost escalation of rebuilding, all of which translated into frustration for the communities as they attempted to recover. Within this context, this study aims to empirically identify the key resource challenges that impeded housing reconstruction after the Victorian bushfires. By tracking the changes of resource issues over the longer term, this study provides an evidence-based enquiry into improved recovery planning and preparedness from a resource perspective."

"The availability of these resources was affected by external factors including the changes in Building Standards, a construction boom outside the bushfire zone, risk perceptions of construction workers and insufficient incentives from the government. These challenges, combined with the internal attributes of the affected communities, including lack of property insurance and socio-economic vulnerabilities have determined the ability of people to rebuild their houses."

A chain of impacts as a result of changed building code

"The "resource crisis" for post-bushfires housing reconstruction in Australia existed in the most extreme bushfire flame zone BAL-FZ. In June 2009, when housing reconstruction commenced, the fire-resistant building products for houses in BAL-FZ, such as the window systems, roof systems, shutters and external cladding materials, as required in the new standards, were not yet available on the market."

"The main reason for this unavailability was that it required a considerable time for manufacturers to undertake the research and development, to test and release these new materials onto the market. Only in March 2010, a year after the bushfires, a compliant window and screen system manufactured for use in BAL-FZ was released onto the market ([41] The Building Commission, 2010). The delays came more from the time needed for testing and producing compliant materials."

Considering community socio-economic conditions into resource planning

"In a market-driven recovery model, like the bushfire reconstruction, the status of economic circumstances is a particularly important measure for the community obtaining resources for reconstruction ([14] Comerio, 1998). This was seen in the bushfire townships where differential ability to access funding for housing restoration and reconstruction shaped the capacity of communities to rebuild their houses. In this sense, this socio-economic aspect and its ripple effects on rebuild need to be considered alongside the communities' expectations regarding housing repair and reconstruction ([2] Blong, 2004)."

 Conclusion

• The Victorian "Black Saturday" bushfires in 2009 shed light on the resourcing challenges facing housing reconstruction. 
• The longitudinal case study of the bushfire recovery process show that changed Building Standards, increased building market outside the bushfire zone, risk perception of construction workers, lack of economic incentives, combined with homeowners' socio-economic vulnerabilities created a chain of impacts on housing rebuild in terms of getting resources.
• an understanding of resourcing dynamics over the longer-term bushfire reconstruction in Australia and identifies the resourcing issues that are specific to a market-driven housing reconstruction approach.
• Examining these resourcing issues provides insights into the appropriateness of the role a government plays in community recovery and the impacts of socio-economic capacity of communities on their ability to recover after disasters.
• To reduce the adverse impacts of the identified resource constraints in Australia, a supportive mechanism is needed for effectively legislation implementation. Initiatives or a campaign aiming to understand the needs of those who provide building products and services such as temporary housing will be helpful.