Bushfires
SURVIVAL: means to stay alive.
We chose bushfires. We will need an emergency pack because we will have no access to food or water. Also our power lines will be cut off because the electricity poles are made of wood and can burn. Also we need an emergency pack to help us survive.
These are the 20 items our group chose to bring in our survival pack
1. water (pack)
2. Canned food
3. First aid kit
4. Shovel
5. Tarp
6. Torch
7. Blanket
8. Spare clothes
9. Closed in shoes
10. Asthma puffer
11. Tool box
12. Batteries
13. Seeds
14. Survival tip book
15. Compass
16. Head light
17. CPR book
18. Toilet paper
19. Soap
20. Oxygen mask
Our group then had to vote on which 10 items we were going to bring and why we were going to bring them
WATER (pack) – people need water so they don’t get dehydrated. Without water people will not survive. People also need water because after the bushfire all our water will be polluted with ash.
CANNED FOOD (pack) – people need food to maintain there energy. Without food people will of hunger. People also need food so they will not die.
FIRST AID KIT – people need a first aid kit so if they get injured they can heal there burns or cuts. Without a first aid kit people will not survive because if they get badly injured it will just get infected.
BLANKET – People need a blanket so they can stay warm. Without a blanket you will get very cold. If you get cold you may get very sick.
TARP – for shelter. So we can sleep well. If we get any rain we will be covered.
SHOVEL- So people can dig a hole so they can go to the toilet. If people don’t go to the toilet they can get very sick. If people go to the toilet on the ground all the germs will spread.
SPARE CLOTHES- so people will have spare clothes to wear. So people will have clean clothes to wear. So we can keep warm in the day.
ASTHMA PUFFER - if someone has asthma and their asthma puffer gets burned. That way we have a spare one for them. So they don’t have an asthma attack
SURVIVURL TIP BOOK- to give us tips so we can stay alive. So we know how to take care of our self. So we can survive during the fire.
HEAD LIGHT-so we can see at night. It will be hard for us to see without a headlight. So we can see clearly.
These are the stuff that we used to help make our kit.
Our survival pack where we stored our stuff was made of an A4 paper box.
Our water (pack) was made out of a sprite bottle which we cut it in half and put blue crapped paper inside of it.
Our canned food was made out of two toilet rolls that we wrapped together in masking tape and painted orange.
We made our first Aid kit out of a container and made a list of what was butter inside it.
We made our shovel out of toilet rolls for a handle and cardboard for the digging bit.
We made our tarp of brown cardboard and then we rolled it up so it will fit in the box.
Our blanket was made out of paper and then we glued cotton wool balls on it.
To make our spare cloths our group used cardboard then stuffed it with cotton wool balls.
To make our asthma puffer we used a toothpaste box and cut it up to form a puffer.
To make the tip book we folded 5 pieces of in half and stapled the side together to form a book.
Our headlight was made from a strip of cardboard and cotton wool balls stuck to the front and painted yellow.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
Drought
By Ma Ma
What is a drought?
There is no universal definition for a drought. A drought occurs when there is not enough water for people to use for everyday living. In the summer there is not much rain. A drought normally occurs in the summer, where there is often no fresh water to drink or use. Often a drought happens when there is no rainfall for a long period of time. Australia is constantly living through a drought, and we now have to learn to live with drought.
How and why does a drought occur?
A drought can occur when there is low rainfall and it often happens in summer. Australia has one of the most uneven rainfall climates in the world. Over the long term we have about three good years and three bad years out of ten. The strongest cause for drought in Australia is the climate phenomenon called the Southern Oscillation. This is a major air pressure shift between the Asian and east Pacific regions and is best known as the El Nino effect. When severe droughts occur, all the animals and plants die, making life hard for our industry and farms.
Examples of droughts around Australia
Droughts always occur around Australia. We are in the middle of a drought at the moment and some people say it could be here to stay as in 2006 Australia had, had its 11th hottest year ever. Research states that droughts occur sometimes every 18 years and they can last for up to many years. The table below shows the droughts around Australia and the effects they had on us.
The effects of major drought
1864-66
All States affected except Tasmania.
1963-68
Widespread drought. Also longest drought in arid central Australia: 1958-67. The last two years saw a 40 per cent drop in wheat harvest, a loss of 20 million sheep, and a decrease in farm income of $300-500 million
1880-86
Southern and eastern States affected.
1895-1903
Sheep numbers halved and more than 40 per cent loss of cattle. Most devastating drought in terms of stock losses.
1911-16
Loss of 19 million sheep and 2 million cattle.
1972-73
Mainly in eastern Australia.
1918-20
Only parts of Western Australia free from drought.
1982-83
Total loss estimated in excess of $3000 million. Most intense drought in terms of vast areas affected.
1939-45
Loss of nearly 30 million sheep between 1942 and 1945.
1991-95
Average production by rural industries fell about 10 per cent, resulting in possible $5 billion cost to the Australian economy, $590 million drought relief provided by the Commonwealth Government between September 1992 and December 1995.
How do droughts affect people and the environment?
The people and the environment are most affected by a drought. Agriculture suffers first and most severely, yet eventually everyone feels the impact. Droughts upset cropping programs, reduces breeding stock and threatens permanent erosion of the capital and resource base of farming.
There is a big risk of environmental damage, particularly through vegetation loss and soil erosion. These have long term effects for our environment. Water quality suffers, and toxic algae outbreaks can occur, plants and animals are also threatened. Bushfires and storms often increase during droughts.
What are some of the ways in which people can prepare their homes/communities for a drought?
There is a Drought Watch Service which provides us with information on preparing us in a national drought. Drought declarations take account of other factors in addition to rainfall and are the responsibility of the State Government.
When we are in a drought, the government places water restrictions on each state. At the moment NSW is on level 3 water restrictions which include the following:
Hand-held hosing of lawns and gardens and drip irrigation is now allowed only on Wednesdays and Sundays before 10 am and after 4 pm
No other watering systems or sprinklers are to be used at any time
A permit from Sydney Water is required to fill new or renovated pools bigger than 10,000 litres
No hosing of hard surfaces including vehicles at any time
No hoses or taps to be left running unattended, except when filling pools or containers
Fire hoses must only be used for fire fighting purposes – not for cleaning.
Some interesting facts about Droughts
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world, even though some areas have annual rainfall of over 1200 millimetres. Australia’s climate is highly uneven, across the continent generally, as well as from year to year.
We therefore must learn to live with the drought.
Interesting pictures and graphs about Australian droughts
Australian farmer doing it tough in the drought
Information on the 2007 drought in NSW
Information about the drought around Australia
Bibliography
Websites:
Living with Drought, The Australian Government Webpage
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/drought/livedrought.shtml
Planet Earth: Kidscyber Webpage
http://www.kidcyber.com.au/
What causes drought? http://library.thinkquest.org
What is a drought?
There is no universal definition for a drought. A drought occurs when there is not enough water for people to use for everyday living. In the summer there is not much rain. A drought normally occurs in the summer, where there is often no fresh water to drink or use. Often a drought happens when there is no rainfall for a long period of time. Australia is constantly living through a drought, and we now have to learn to live with drought.
How and why does a drought occur?
A drought can occur when there is low rainfall and it often happens in summer. Australia has one of the most uneven rainfall climates in the world. Over the long term we have about three good years and three bad years out of ten. The strongest cause for drought in Australia is the climate phenomenon called the Southern Oscillation. This is a major air pressure shift between the Asian and east Pacific regions and is best known as the El Nino effect. When severe droughts occur, all the animals and plants die, making life hard for our industry and farms.
Examples of droughts around Australia
Droughts always occur around Australia. We are in the middle of a drought at the moment and some people say it could be here to stay as in 2006 Australia had, had its 11th hottest year ever. Research states that droughts occur sometimes every 18 years and they can last for up to many years. The table below shows the droughts around Australia and the effects they had on us.
The effects of major drought
1864-66
All States affected except Tasmania.
1963-68
Widespread drought. Also longest drought in arid central Australia: 1958-67. The last two years saw a 40 per cent drop in wheat harvest, a loss of 20 million sheep, and a decrease in farm income of $300-500 million
1880-86
Southern and eastern States affected.
1895-1903
Sheep numbers halved and more than 40 per cent loss of cattle. Most devastating drought in terms of stock losses.
1911-16
Loss of 19 million sheep and 2 million cattle.
1972-73
Mainly in eastern Australia.
1918-20
Only parts of Western Australia free from drought.
1982-83
Total loss estimated in excess of $3000 million. Most intense drought in terms of vast areas affected.
1939-45
Loss of nearly 30 million sheep between 1942 and 1945.
1991-95
Average production by rural industries fell about 10 per cent, resulting in possible $5 billion cost to the Australian economy, $590 million drought relief provided by the Commonwealth Government between September 1992 and December 1995.
How do droughts affect people and the environment?
The people and the environment are most affected by a drought. Agriculture suffers first and most severely, yet eventually everyone feels the impact. Droughts upset cropping programs, reduces breeding stock and threatens permanent erosion of the capital and resource base of farming.
There is a big risk of environmental damage, particularly through vegetation loss and soil erosion. These have long term effects for our environment. Water quality suffers, and toxic algae outbreaks can occur, plants and animals are also threatened. Bushfires and storms often increase during droughts.
What are some of the ways in which people can prepare their homes/communities for a drought?
There is a Drought Watch Service which provides us with information on preparing us in a national drought. Drought declarations take account of other factors in addition to rainfall and are the responsibility of the State Government.
When we are in a drought, the government places water restrictions on each state. At the moment NSW is on level 3 water restrictions which include the following:
Hand-held hosing of lawns and gardens and drip irrigation is now allowed only on Wednesdays and Sundays before 10 am and after 4 pm
No other watering systems or sprinklers are to be used at any time
A permit from Sydney Water is required to fill new or renovated pools bigger than 10,000 litres
No hosing of hard surfaces including vehicles at any time
No hoses or taps to be left running unattended, except when filling pools or containers
Fire hoses must only be used for fire fighting purposes – not for cleaning.
Some interesting facts about Droughts
Australia is the driest inhabited continent in the world, even though some areas have annual rainfall of over 1200 millimetres. Australia’s climate is highly uneven, across the continent generally, as well as from year to year.
We therefore must learn to live with the drought.
Interesting pictures and graphs about Australian droughts
Australian farmer doing it tough in the drought
Information on the 2007 drought in NSW
Information about the drought around Australia
Bibliography
Websites:
Living with Drought, The Australian Government Webpage
http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/drought/livedrought.shtml
Planet Earth: Kidscyber Webpage
http://www.kidcyber.com.au/
What causes drought? http://library.thinkquest.org
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