State of Emergency in Australia

The remains of a train car after being hit with a bushfire in the Blue Mountains

A state of emergency was declared today in New South Wales, a state of Australia. Worsening weather conditions are making it difficult to contain already out of control wildfires, especially in the Blue Mountain region. Current weather forecasts prompted the state of emergency after showing a likelihood for more dry weather and strong winds.

One person has already died and about 200 properties have been destroyed in the last five days throughout the region as firefighters battle "some of the most destructive wildfires ever to strike the state." The main focus is currently on a blaze near Lithgow that is burning along a 190 mile long front. On Thursday, residents in Sydney even watched as smoke from these fires moved across the city.

The forecast currently predicts wind speeds of anywhere from 50-100 kilometers per hour through Wednesday which will pose a significant threat to firefighters and local residents. Roughly 25 communities are being considered for a mandatory evacuation to try and minimize the potential for deaths. 

This event is a good example of the concepts of hazard magnitude and frequency. The Blue Mountains region is in Australia, a place where wildfire frequency is rather high. But the risk of a high-magnitude event occurring in this specific area, especially one of this size, has been historically low. The residents of this area are essentially banking on the fact that although the area is fire-prone, the majority of fire events are of lower magnitude and thus, do not cause nearly as much death and destruction. They have gotten away with taking that risk for a long time, but now they are seeing what can happen when the conditions are just right.

http://worldnews.nbcnews.com/_news/2013/10/20/21048246-state-of-emergency-declared-as-weather-worsens-australia-wildfires?lite