The recent rainfall may have many in the Batemans Bay-Moruya area believing that the threat of bushfires has passed for the summer, but this isn’t necessarily the case.
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Rural Fire Service Region South community safety officer John Parker said the rain hasn’t washed away the potential for fire danger.
“The rain is fine in the short term, but it only takes a bit of hot weather to dry the bush out again,” he said.
“There is a chance that, due to the extra growth resulting from the recent rain, the situation could probably be worse than what we had before.”
Mr Parker said that there were similar conditions in the lead-up to the January 1994 bushfires.
“It would only take about two weeks of warm weather to dry things out again,” he said.
However, Mr Parker is not trying to induce fire-fuelled panic among Batemans Bay and Moruya residents.
“It’s too early to predict what this season is going to be like, so I think the key is for people to be cautious rather than alarmed,” he said.
This includes carrying out basic fire danger preparations, such as cleaning out gutters, and getting rid of leaves and wind-blown debris from around the house.
“People should also keep an eye weather reports and fire danger warnings,” Mr Parker said.
If you see smoke this summer, you are encouraged to call the Rural Fire Service information line on 1800 RFS or log on to the website www.rfs.nsw.gov.au.
In the case of an emergency, residents should ring 000.
