MANILA, Philippines — A month after finishing her reign, Miss Universe 2018 Catriona Gray continues to use her platform to forward her advocacies.
This time, she is calling attention to the months-long bushfires that continue to ravage Australia, burning more than 73,000 square kilometers or a land area greater than the Visayas.
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“I'm really, really devastated. The really terrifying thing about it is there's only so much that we can do to actually put out the fires because to a certain extent they've become unfightable,” the Australia-born beauty queen told Philstar.com.
Over 100 bushfires have been recorded in Australia since September last year, caused by a myriad of factors like drought, record temperatures, dry lightning, and wind.
“I really call for people to support and donate to...especially the servicemen and firefighters because they are all volunteers. While they're out there fighting these raging flames and putting their lives on the line, their families and their households are not being provided for also.”
The death toll currently stands at 28. Among those whose lives were claimed were volunteer firefighters and breadwinners.
Catriona said everyone can help by reaching out and donating, or even just by spreading awareness about the “the bigger conversation of ‘How are we treating our Earth?’”
“Because at the end of the day, it is a natural climate disaster of a bushfire,” she continued eloquently.
“If we could start talking about it at that level, we really need to be able to look into ways to giving the future generation a world which they can inherit — not something that will be ashes.”
The continent’s bushfire crisis was said to be heightened recently by climate change and some fires were even deliberately started by people.
An estimated one billion animals have been killed, threatening the existence of hundreds of species.
Homes and entire towns have also reportedly been razed to the ground, displacing thousands of families.
Catriona clarified that her parents and their home are on the west side of Australia, whereas the eastern parts were more badly affected, including the “hardest-hit” state of New South Wales.
“Thank God that my family is safe but there are so many families that are displaced without homes. So it really is really devastating what is happening,” she lamented.
“And I hope the people will not just forget about it, will not just see it as a trending topic. I hope that people would really focus on it and do what we can.”
— Video by Kat Leandicho