After a dry Autumn and Winter across much of South Australia, fire authorities are urging residents in bushfire prone areas to act now to prepare for the summer ahead. The Country Fire Service has particular concern for areas in the state's south-east where rainfall has been low and native forests and scrub is now tinder-dry.
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00:00With no meaningful rainfall for much of the state since December, and after a relatively
00:07dry winter, authorities are warning of a dangerous bushfire season ahead.
00:12The conditions are dry, the risk is there, and we ask people to start that preparation
00:17now.
00:18The biggest concern is in the state's southeast, where conditions have been unseasonably dry.
00:22This is a part of our state where it is typically very waterlogged this time of year, they've
00:26typically had great rainfall through winter, and that just hasn't eventuated, so there's
00:30a lot of standing timber down there, there's a lot of scrub.
00:33The seasonal outlook for the remainder of spring and early summer in SA is neutral,
00:37with no strong indications either way as to if it'll be hotter or cooler, drier or wetter.
00:43This is because our climate drivers, the El Niño or La Niña, or Indian Ocean Dipole,
00:48are all sitting around a neutral or a very weak phase.
00:51And while it is true that we hope for rain to come throughout the remainder of spring,
00:56if that doesn't eventuate, we will face a potentially very problematic summer.
01:01Residents in bushfire-prone areas are urged to get their bushfire action plan ready now,
01:07prepare their property, and ensure they have firebreaks in place around their home.
01:12These are tangible steps that people can start now and maintain during summer that will make
01:16a real difference in the event of a fire, and will make a real difference for our firefighters
01:20when they come on scene to help protect properties and lives.
01:23The only thing that presents a bigger risk to loss of life and property during a bushfire
01:29than drier conditions is complacency.
01:31A message to heed on the eve of another potentially dangerous summer.