Land Down Under is Under Smoke

Firefighters work to contain blazes throughout Australia

     Wildfires are raging through the outback of Australia and gaining strength. Firefighters and officials fear that if fires keep growing, Sydney is in the path of destruction. Due to higher than average temperatures, lower than normal precipitation and high winds, the countryside of Australia has turned into a giant tinder box making conditions the worst in 40 years.

 

Clouds of smoke fill the Sydney skyline

     Hundreds of houses have already been destroyed leading to a declaration of emergency by the government. Mandatory evacuations have been issued in threatened areas while firefighters work diligently to suppress blazes. One firefighter while working to save other houses from flames, lost his own. Only one casualty has been reported while officials say 15 blazes remain out of control.  

 

     For an up-to-date map of advisories and warnings, please visit:

          Australia's Bushfires

     More information can be found here:

          Australian Bushfires to Get Worse in Coming Days

          Australia Declares Emergency over Bushfires

          Australia Bushfires: New South Wales Declares State of Emergency

Slick Wheat Farmer Discovers Oil Spill

Containminated soils around the spill are being dug and removed from the area

 

Yesterday, a local wheat farmer near Tioga, North Dakota discovered an oil spill covering his crops and ruining his land for years. After an inquiry by Associated Press, it was discovered that the spill actually occurred 11 days prior and was not reported to the public. The spill was estimated to be  20,600 barrels of oil at an estimated price of nearly a million dollars. 

Crews work to remove contaminated soil from fields.

The state was properly notified within a day of the spill but no official public announcement was released.  Pipeline ruptures are sensitive in the public eye with the push to install the Keystone XL oil pipeline to carry oil from Canada to Oklahoma. Risk of a spill over the plains of North America could endanger the quality of one of the largest most crucial aquifers in the country. In many oil rich states, pipeline failures are not reported to the public, only to the state. The residents of these areas should be aware of the possible risks they are exposed to from the pipelines and should not have to discover a spill by chance. 

For more information, please visit: North Dakota Waits 11 Days to Tell Public About Oil Spill