With unique access to Australia’s emergency services, first responders and local communities, and packed with information for communities on how to manage extreme weather events, Big Weather (and how to survive it) is an emotionally gripping series filmed over one intense summer, and preparing us for more.
Shot on the frontlines during Australia’s Black Summer of 2019-20, this three-part ABC factual series, premiering Tuesday 13 October 8.30pm on ABC & iview, delivers an urgent and empowering message of how our weather is changing and what we can do to survive it.
Big Weather presenter, Craig Reucassel charts the 2019-20 summer as oppressive heatwaves set temperature records that lead to Australia’s worst fire season on record. Over this period more than 20 million hectares of forest went up in flames: a fifth of the continent’s forest and an area twice the size of Belgium. Then in a cruel contradiction, catastrophic fire is followed by severe storms and flash floods.
Sharing stories from frontline disaster crews, experts and communities dealing with the effects of our escalating climate emergency, Big Weather (and how to survive it) seeks to answer some big questions: Why are these events becoming less predictable and more intense? And what can we do to prepare, survive, and adapt into the future?
Craig Reucassel said: “If last summer taught us anything it’s that we have to be prepared to deal with the worst. Big Weather showed me the amazing strength of families and communities that know how to look out for one another.”
Big Weather (and how to survive it) is a dynamic and emotional series showcasing nature at its most destructive and spectacular. Fusing tales of tragedy and triumph with practical tips and survival scenarios, Big Weather brings the lived experience of an historic summer into every living room, to help communities adapt, survive, and thrive in the new era of climate extremes.
