Lorena Granados and Gaspar Roman set up a temporary roadside leather stand in Mogo, a city ravaged by bush fires in New South Wales, Australia. He is in front of their old store, which was reduced to corrugated iron and to ashes when the fires ravaged this small tourist town of about 300 people on the eve of the New Year.
“We can continue to have a purpose in life and get up in the morning and have something to do,” Granados told me. The next few months will be difficult, they said. They will seek help from the government and deal with insurers and depend on help from family and friends.
The small stand will not replace their department store and their leather workshop. But it’s a start. And each purchase is a step towards returning to normal. Their message is clear: Mogo is safe, and tourist dollars are badly needed, so visit.
The recent bush fires in Australia, which started to rage in September, are the latest in a series of terrifying natural disasters across the planet. The fires were particularly devastating in New South Wales and Victoria, killing at least 33 people and destroying thousands of homes. Over 11 million hectares of land – almost the size of England – were burned.
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Now that the immediate danger seems to have passed in New South Wales and Victoria, locals want tourists to return to make up for a summer season lost due to a disaster.
But can tourists help more by visiting or making a donation? And is it ethical to travel to a disaster area, where people are traumatized by their recent experiences?
Tourists can certainly make a difference in these disaster areas, but there are a number of things to consider before leaving.
Do I have to cancel my trip?
If security is a concern, then probably not. The heavy rains extinguished dozens of fires in New South Wales and helped firefighters contain many more. There are only a few areas where bush fires persist. Tourists can check with local authorities in New South Wales and Victoria to see any concerns.
Urban hotels and airports are open and the main highways connecting the south coast region of New South Wales to Sydney and Canberra reopened in mid-January after catastrophic bushfires, although that some secondary roads are still closed. In Victoria, the main highways are open, although many roads through the Gippsland area remain closed. And, after being closed for more than a month, the road to Mallacoota, a town in Victoria from where more than 1,500 people were evacuated by boat, was reopened in the second week of February.
Even after a fire has passed, there are other risks, such as falling tree branches damaged by fire, fallen power lines, and asbestos in damaged homes. These are generally avoidable, as authorities isolate potentially dangerous areas.
Tourists wanted
The fires have ruined many vacation plans, but the affected areas have slowly reopened to tourists. One of the hardest hit areas has been the south coast of New South Wales, which is a summer playground for residents of Sydney and Canberra as well as international tourists. Many of those who come here are regular customers, who go every year for vacations on their favorite beach, on a coastline known for its clear water and soft sand.
We just ask people to come to the area and do what they would normally do
“For many people, [NSW’s South Coast] it’s like a home away from home. And we want people to know it’s still there. There are people who will smile at you on the beach and cafes who will remember your order from the last time you were here, “said Shannan Perry-Hall, acting tourism director for the board of Shoalhaven, an area located several hours drive south of Sydney. includes approximately 80 km of coastline.
Many cities have been closed for weeks during the summer season from November to February and they need customers to make up for the loss of their business. In Shoalhaven, says Perry-Hall, local businesses make almost a third of their annual business during the busy January season. This summer they lost up to 80% of this business.
“We are simply asking people to come to the area and do what they would normally do,” she said.
Many tourists are happy to help you.
Maree Gwynn traveled from her home in Canberra to Batemans Bay, which is perhaps the most accessible oceanfront retreat for residents of the capital. She came for a few days of rest and relaxation several weeks after the fires swept through the area. It was a deliberate choice, because she wanted to help a region which had not only faced a natural disaster, but also an economic stress.
“It is a well-considered decision. I will buy gifts for my family. It is not a lot of money, but it is something to put in the city, ”she said.
Many others do the same. A social media campaign was launched encouraging people to go to the area with empty eskies (the Australian term for cooler) to stock up on food from local businesses. Tourism organizations are urging Australians to go on vacation to the country this year, and local councils want people to come back.
Go, or just give?
It is possible to help the cities affected by the fires without visiting. Cobargo is one of the most affected cities in southern New South Wales. The fires destroyed 823 buildings (both homes and other structures such as hangars) according to the Bega Valley Shire Council.
Peter Logue is director of the city’s folk festival, which was to take place in late February. The organizers canceled it, because some of them lost their homes in the fires, but also because the fire danger had not passed and seemed that it could potentially persist for months.
There is a lot to do and see
The festival website is now pointing people to a community-based bush fire recovery fund to help the city rebuild. And there are many other options for anyone wishing to donate, whether it’s helping injured wildlife or helping Indigenous communities affected by the fires. For those who want to donate (something some charities discourage), Givit helps connect people to the items they need.
A few weeks ago, Logue would have advised people to donate rather than visit. But now that the fires have gone down, he thinks the city is in desperate need of visitors. He said that many businesses have faced a drastic downturn because tourists have not come over the summer, but they are not eligible for government assistance, which focuses on people who have lost goods. He said more customers would help revive the city and tourists would have fun despite the damage.
“There is a lot to do and see. The music rooms are opened again. The cafes are open, ”he said.
Is it altruism or voyeurism?
I saw people stopping by the side of the road watching a bush fire in the village of Bodalla, about four hours’ drive south of Sydney – and in truth, I was among them. I also saw a group of people taking photos of burned houses near Batemans Bay. It may be human nature to stop and look.
Visiting the scene of a disaster or atrocity can be powerful and moving. But there is a difference between visiting a museum commemorating a disaster years after it happened and going through someone’s recent tragedy, said Matt Beard of the Ethics Center, a non-profit organization based in Sydney.
“Visit a bushfires site to live this experience now it could mean putting your own moral experience above the basic needs of those who were directly affected by what happened, ”he said.
Some political leaders seem to agree. Victorian Prime Minister Daniel Andrews encouraged people to return to the cities affected by the bush fires. But he wants them to spend money rather than being “sticky noses”.
Given the scale of the fires, visitors will not be able to avoid seeing burnt forests, and it is likely that they will also see destroyed homes. They should keep in mind that for some residents, the memories will be recent and very raw.
How else can I help?
Ursula Vonbergen and Heinz Wigner are Swiss tourist volunteers with BlazeAid, a rural charity that helps farmers get back on their feet after natural disasters. The married couple made a detour during their three-month tour of Australia to work for several weeks with the charity.
“It was a very good experience,” said Vonbergen, explaining that they made new friends, enjoyed the work and left with the satisfaction of knowing that they were helping those in need.
Currently, there are more than 20 BlazeAid camps across the fire area, with approximately 50 people at Camp Braidwood, located between Canberra and the coast, where Vonbergen and Wigner volunteer. Most of the volunteers are tourists on long trips in caravans or motorhomes, who have paused to help. Some are older “gray nomads”. Most of the work here has involved dismantling burned fences and replacing them with new ones, a labor-intensive task faced by many farmers after a bush fire.
According to the camp operators, the work does not require any special skills. Anyone who is reasonably able can help and the work has an immediate positive impact on affected farmers.
But volunteering or working in a disaster area is sometimes a more difficult decision. While many people are ready to help out, they may not have the skills or equipment to really make a difference.
In the 2018 tsunami and Indonesia earthquake response to Palu, for example, authorities expelled a number of aid groups and volunteers because they had not requested permission and, in some cases, because they lacked the equipment to take care of their own needs and help others.
“As a general ethical principle, it is just as important that you are competent to be able to offer help as you are well-intentioned,” said Beard.
It is for this reason that the volunteer opportunities in the bushfires area are quite limited. For example, the Red Cross and WIRES (an Australian wildlife rescue organization) will not send untrained volunteers to emergency areas.
The Victorian government encourages anyone who wishes to volunteer to get involved in an emergency volunteering organization well before any disaster. Anyone with specific skills that could be useful can register with the best voluntary organization in Australia.
Complex decisions
Lorena Granados is among several old sewing machines. They were completely destroyed by the fire and are now useless. She shows me a video on her phone of their panicked retirement from the city when they realized they wouldn’t be able to save the business they worked so hard to build.
Sometimes it tears. It was clearly a traumatic experience, and now she has to deal with the financial fallout. Tourism dollars could help her small community of Mogo to rebuild. And many other cities are going through difficult times.
“All small towns rely on tourism to get us back on our feet. If people want to help, this is one way to help, ”she said.
Many other business owners will feel the same.
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