VENICE, ITALY – SEPTEMBER 08: Naomi Watts walks the red carpet ahead of the Award Ceremony during the 75th Venice Film Festival at Sala Grande on September 8, 2018 in Venice, Italy. (Photo by Maria Moratti/Contigo/Getty Images)

The Australian bushfires which have been burning for the past few months have now hit catastrophic levels with both NSW and Victoria declaring a state of emergency, thousands fleeing their homes and the death toll rising to 18.

With international media, such as the New York Times, sharing harrowing images of the country engulfed in smoke and fire and the loss of animal life reportedly passing half a billion, celebrities are now starting to speak out about the crisis and donate money to help displaced residents and animals.

Comedian Celeste Barber posted a photo of her mother-in-law’s home on the NSW south coast, showing a red sky just outside the window and imploring her following to donate to the NSW Rural Fire Service. “They are scared. They need your help,” she wrote.

In just over 24 hours, Barber had raised over $14.8 million AUD, including from celebrities such as Pink and Selma Blair.

After Kim Kardashian was slammed for promoting her KKW Beauty products to an Australian market in November, seemingly unaware of the crisis the country was already battling, the 39-year-old returned to Twitter to post simply, “Climate change is real,” while her sister Kendall Jenner reposted a video from Bernie Sanders, who was one of many international politicians to speak publicly about the disaster.

Below, all of the celebrity reactions to the Australian bushfires.

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Everyday we are all feeling what’s happening to our beautiful country, our home. I wrote this song about an hour ago after seeing yet another video of the firefighters continuing to fight the fires for us. The extremes that many families are experiencing leaves me with no words. I send all my love and I am praying everyday. Please donate to the Red Cross to help. @redcrossau Let it rain I can’t stay in silence hoping that this will go but it won’t slow It wont leave here today we walk on, our great land breathing in the ashes of our home town and It keeps on raging, here today They say keep on praying, we are and we’re waiting, for the rain Let it rain, here today Can it rain, here today Thank you to our saviours we all know that you’re saving you’re saving the day and we grateful for the heat that you’re taking away They say keep on praying, we are and we’re waiting, for the rain Let it rain, here today Can it rain, here today #australia #bushfires #australiafires

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It’s night time in Africa but my thoughts are all with the Australian day that awaits. Here are some tips that might help our most fragile residents through… Yes, it’s predicted to be a monster. And once again we ask our firefighters to step in and attempt to tame the beast that threatens to take away so much. It’s ok to not feel ok and completely overwhelmed. This is a fire season that’s unprecedented. 19 lives lost, 1400 homes destroyed and according to the University of Sydney, up to half a billion animals killed. It’s devastating but also demands we try to make a difference where we can. Here are some hopefully helpful tips: In these extreme conditions, leaving water troughs or bowls out for wildlife is the single greatest gift you can give. If you’re ALREADY in a fire affected area and encounter injured wildlife: 📍Ensure it’s safe to be there 📍Take photos of the animal, note your location and call a wildlife rescuer. 📍Animals in shock can die from stress so keep handling to a minimum. 📍If you know what you’re doing, you may carefully approach and move the animal into a cardboard box or other container using gloves, a towel or a t-shirt. Keep this box in a cool, shaded, well-ventilated spot while you transfer the animal to a vet clinic or wildlife rescue centre. 📍If they appear injured or burnt, do not offer food or water. In a crisis situation they will need specialised diets and fluids. Please stay safe and here’s hoping the change in the weather brings rain on Sunday and Monday. If you’d like to donate money to bushfire relief efforts, try the Red Cross Disaster Recovery and Relief, the RFS and WIRES. 📷 @dale_appleton and Matrix

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If you haven’t yet caught this heartbreaking video from @bikebug2019 watch and weep, as a koala suffering the shocking effects of Adelaide’s intense heat approaches for water. Reports are that we have now lost half a billion Australian wildlife – mammals, birds and reptiles – since these fires began, with untold others sick, injured, suffering and displaced. And koalas are believed to be one of the species hardest hit because of their slow pace, and their diet consisting solely of eucalyptus leaves from trees filled with eucalyptus oil, which are highly flammable. So if you possibly can, while we continue to count and mourn the dreadful human toll of these devastating fires @nswrfs please don’t forget our animal population. Any donation at all that you can manage to wires.org.au @wireswildliferescue or koalasincare.org.au will help. Or you can google The Rescue Collective which is collecting donations and has also issued a list of goods needed. There is also a Go Fund Me page set up for Port Macquarie Koala Hospital which is rescuing koalas affected by the fires – as well as purchasing and setting up automatic drinking stations to reduce further deaths from dehydration in this shocking heat. And of course @australiazoo which has been caring for thousands of our koala population for decades, and is also treating bushfire affected koalas right now. Whatever you can do…no matter how big or how small, all of it will make a difference. Thank you. 🙏💔xx

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The best way to help is to donate to one of the causes associated with the bushfires, which we’ve listed below:

Donate to The Australian Red Cross, which has volunteers at evacuation and recovery centres.

Donate to the Salvation Army Australia, which launched a disaster appeal, providing shelter and meals to evacuees and front-line responders.

Donate to St. Vincent de Paul Society Australia, which requesting money to help evacuated families cover bills and rebuild.

To help the hurt and displaced animals, donate to WIRES.

You can also personally write to Prime Minister Scott Morrison to ask for urgent action on climate change and more support for those who need it.

topics: celebrity, bushfires, climate change, celeste barber

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