Binny Thomas, a resident of Batemans Bay area, had planned to call her parents and extended family in India on the last day of 2019.
But fate had different plans for this expectant mother.
“Around 10am in the morning, on December 31, the skies turned red. Gradually the temperature went up and we could feel the heat. The bushfires were closing in on our area,” Ms Thomas told SBS Hindi.
Tourists were instructed to leave the South Coast of New South Wales and residents were warned to seek shelter immediately as bushfires surrounded Batemans Bay and neighbouring areas.
Ms Thomas’ soon received instructions to evacuate.
“The situation had deteriorated dramatically in two hours. I could barely see the person standing behind me. It was so smoky. We were instructed to leave our house as it was no more safe. So we drove ourselves to the evacuation site near the beach,” says Ms Thomas.
“The sight was very scary. The red skies and the thick smoke. We were told to enter the water at the beach if fires closed in."
Ms Thomas who is four months pregnant says it has been a traumatic time for the family.
“We had to leave our house almost immediately so I did not get a chance to inform my parents in India. When they heard the news, they tried to call us but our phones ran out of battery so we could not get in touch with them. They were very worried till we could finally speak to them,” she says.
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It has been almost a week since the Thomas family left their house but their life is yet to return to normalcy.
“My family, which includes my husband and five-year-old, are safe. We are waiting to return home but there is no power or network to communicate,” she says.
The experience was similar for Moosa Kutty and his family who live in the area.
“On December 31, the sky was red and my Australian neighbour told us that we had been asked to evacuate. So we grabbed our important documents like passport and left the town in our car. We panicked. We could barely breathe. We got out of the town and drove for 30 minutes before we stopped to assess our situation,” Mr Kutty tells SBS Hindi.
The experience will be etched in their memories forever, says Mr Kutty.
“Leaving our house and evacuating due to an emergency has given us all a perspective in life. It has been very stressful. However, we have realised that we may lose our belongings and things but we are all safe. That is what matters,” he says.
Mr Kutty and some Indian families have camped together at a friend’s house for last one week.
“Many of us have left our houses in the suburbs and living at a friend’s place which is near the beach. If required, we can reach the beach in minutes,” he says.
Mr Kutty says living together as a community has helped alleviate stress.
“We have pregnant women and children in the group. Being together has allowed us to share how we feel and deal with this crisis together. Children have someone to play with and we have someone to talk to. That has helped a lot,” says Mr Kutty.
Like Ms Thomas, Mr Kutty and his friends hope to return to their homes soon as their local council works to restore power and telecommunications in the area.
According to the latest advisory issued by the Eurobodalla Shire council, all fires impacting Eurobodalla are at advice level.
“There are no concerns for properties at this time. However, high fire danger is forecast for Friday,” the council said.
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