This archive report was first published on 14 January 2020.
The World Saw This Australian Beach Town Burn. It’s Still Cut Off. ¶
On January 12, 2020, a fierce inferno swept through Mallacoota, destroying homes and severing power lines. Four days later, more than 1,000 people and their pets boarded naval ships that took them down the coast to safety.
Help has come slowly by air and sea, in the forms of water, fresh fruit and vegetables, and, perhaps most critically, fuel. Last weekend, a C-27J Spartan military plane delivered 500 gallons of fuel to the town, which has been rationing power and supplies.
Residents are still struggling to cope with the aftermath of the fires, with some taking to social media to express their frustration and anger. Tracey Hargreaves, the owner of a cafe on the main street, said: “People are starting to get angry and frustrated with the lack of supplies, being stuck here and the power is still off.”
Despite the challenges, the community has come together to support each other. Neighbors are sharing food and power, and the local pub has become a hub of activity, with people gathering to drink beer and watch the news.
As the town slowly begins to rebuild, residents are left to wonder when they will be able to leave. Darren McQuaid, an official in Orbost, said that among the thousands of miles of roads in the area, his team had managed to make only a fraction of them safe.
By Sunday, the military had cleared roads north of Mallacoota just enough for some vacationers and residents to leave in a convoy of more than 60 cars, escorted by fire trucks and police vehicles.
As the town slowly begins to rebuild, residents are left to wonder when they will be able to leave. The authorities have warned residents of the dangers of trying to cut their own way out of their communities, and others who evacuated before the fires have been unable to return, some to assess the devastation of their burned-down homes.
