Bushfires continue to engulf parts of Australia and a week-long state of emergency has been declared in New South Wales.

Since September, the fires have killed 18 people, and at least 17 people are believed to be missing. The flames have destroyed more than 1,200 homes, ripped through the landscape and killed an estimated half a billion animals. 

But as evacuations continue, people have shown once again that amid tragedy and destruction, you can always find kindness.

Alongside the heroic efforts of emergency services, regular members of the public have been going above and beyond to help one another. Here are just a few of their stories, plus how you can make a difference, too. 

The locals taking strangers in  

More than 3,000 people have joined the Facebook group ’Bushfire Emergency Accommodation in Canberra’, which was initially set up to connect people with a spare room to those who have lost their homes.

The page is packed with offers of spare beds, as well as kindhearted posts from people without accommodation space who are still offering to help in any way they can. From the man volunteering to clear people’s gutters to help asthmatics, to the woman opening her home for “showers, a cuppa and a cool drink”, the generosity keeps on coming.

The man helping journalists on the ground

Journalist Brett Mcleod has been reporting on the fires for 9 News, sharing videos and photos from the ground with people around the world. When he and his team found themselves without a roof for the night, he asked around if someone had a spare floor. A local man named Pete stepped in. 

As well as providing shelter, Pete left the crew a note, telling them to help themselves to showers, food and filtered clean water, because “this is what Aussies do for one another in times of need”. 

The restaurant owners giving out free food

Restaurant owner Kanwaljit Singh has teamed up with the not-for-profit group Sikh Volunteers Australia to cook and distribute free food for those affected by the fires.

Singh and his team are busy cooking huge batches of rice, flour and lentils from their base at The Desi Grill in Bairnsdale, Victoria.

“Many people have lost their homes and farmhouses and they are forced to live in temporary shelters and camps,” he told SBSPunjabi. “We follow the Sikh way of life. We are just doing what other Australians are doing today, and that is to serve and pray for the people who have been hit hard by these terrible bushfires.”

How can you help?

Even from the other side of the world, you can make a difference to help the people and animals affected by the bushfires.

WWF is fundraising to help save koalas impacted by the fires, collecting donations to administer emergency care for burnt and injured animals. It will then use funds to plant new trees, in an effort to restore the koalas’ habitat. 

The Red Cross is running a disaster relief donation drive. Funds collected will go towards supporting people at evacuation centres, psychological first aid to reduce trauma, grants to people who have lost their homes and more. 

The Salvation Army is also accepting donations, which will help to provide meals to evacuees and emergency service workers. 

Bushfires are now more dangerous than they’ve been in the past and the risk has been “aggravated by climate change”, according to the Climate Council.

It may not have an immediate impact, but trying to live a greener life in 2020 to reduce your environmental impact can help longterm, as can supporting sustainable initiatives and pressuring MPs to make greener policies.