Australia: Rural Victoria is covered in Orange Glow after being hit with dust storm

Pictures of rural Victoria in Australia have been uploaded to social media after a dust storm hit parts of the region on 21st November. The area now looks like Mars or some scene from an apocalyptic sci-fi movie after being covered in an orange glow. 

According to the Bureau of Meteorology, Mildura witnessed an eight-degree drop in its temperature in just 30 minutes as the area dived into an orange glow. The visibility of the area also dropped considerably as the dust storm hit, with the prevailing visibility at the Airport dropping from four kilometres to 500 metres. 

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Code Red alarm

A Code Red alarm has been alerted in parts of the state. Code Red is an alarming fire threat level that has last been seen in 2010.

Country Fire Authority Chief Officer Steve Warrington has warned people to be prepared as it will be too late to make a decision once the fire reaches homes. Areas like Mallee and Northern Country regions have also been asked to prepare for the worst. 

Warrington warned people that if they were there when a fire occurs, they definitely will not survive. He added that once the fire occurs, there was a high chance that homes would be destroyed. 

Apart from Warrington, Emergency Management Commissioner Andrew Crisp said that the firefighters were facing some of the worst conditions they have ever seen. Crisp added that the fires, when they happen, would be fast-moving, unpredictable, and uncontrollable.

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Evacuate your homes

The Commissioner warned people that the houses in the region are not strong enough to withstand such severe conditions, emphasizing on the need for people to evacuate their homes. He also laid out some options for people to consider going to in order to leave their homes, like the nearest regional city centre, movie theatre, the pool, or the shopping centre. 

(With inputs from agencies)

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