We can't say we were not warned ! A dangerous bushfire season is just a few weeks away and we have the example of " Black Saturday " in Victoria to guide us. The Royal Commission into that tragedy spells out what is needed.
Disaster is waiting to happen if a similar intense fire occurs in the heavily populated corridor linking Stanwell Park in the north and the southern suburb of Thirroul.
This string of former fishing villages and coal mining residences has become a continuous suburb serviced by Lawrence Hargreave drive - a tortuous, winding road of just one lane each way - hopelessly incapable of providing an escape route.
The chilling reality is that Lawrence Hargreave drive is the only way into or out of this stretch of the coastline, hemmed in as it is between the ocean and the escarpment.
We are warned to expect more extreme fire conditions because of global warming, and here we have a huge segment of our population trapped - and without any hope of escape.
There should at least be a fire plan - and a means of warning residents of approaching danger. A series of sirens could sound that warning, and the only hope of survival would be the beaches - but which should be the assembly points has not been designated.
This stretch of bushland last burned in the summer of 1968, hence a bushfire is long overdue. It is not a case of " if " this will happen - but a case of " when ".
The lack of an emergency plan is little short of criminal negligence. In the event of an extreme bushfire similar to Victoria's " Black Saturday " even the beaches may not ensure survival, but at least they would be the starting point of a " Dunkirk " style evacuation.
The sad thing is that even considering a disaster strategy seems far from the minds of those who have this responsibility !
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