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| How 'thunderstorm asthma' pushed Melbourne to the edge | How 'thunderstorm asthma' pushed Melbourne to the edge |
| (35 minutes later) | |
| It was the seemingly typical thunderstorm that rapidly escalated into a "disaster event". | |
| When dark clouds gathered over Melbourne, Australia, late on Monday local time, Victoria's emergency services braced for reports of damage and possible injury. | When dark clouds gathered over Melbourne, Australia, late on Monday local time, Victoria's emergency services braced for reports of damage and possible injury. |
| Instead, the storm brought something far worse - a rare phenomenon called "thunderstorm asthma" that stretched paramedics and hospitals to their limits. | Instead, the storm brought something far worse - a rare phenomenon called "thunderstorm asthma" that stretched paramedics and hospitals to their limits. |
| So how did it catch everyone by surprise? | So how did it catch everyone by surprise? |
| 'Unprecedented' level of calls | 'Unprecedented' level of calls |
| Ambulance Victoria received more than 1,870 calls between 18:00 (07:00 GMT) and 23:00 on Monday, a number more than six times the daily average. | Ambulance Victoria received more than 1,870 calls between 18:00 (07:00 GMT) and 23:00 on Monday, a number more than six times the daily average. |
| The massive increase affected waiting times and forced 60 reserve ambulances, police and fire-fighters to respond to medical emergencies. | |
| "It was an extraordinarily busy, it was unprecedented," said Mick Stephenson, Ambulance Victoria's executive director of emergency operations. | "It was an extraordinarily busy, it was unprecedented," said Mick Stephenson, Ambulance Victoria's executive director of emergency operations. |
| He said about 200 calls were directly linked to asthma, but 600 more reported respiratory issues. | |
| "What we do know is that a lot of people who called last night had never had asthma before, so this was their first experience," he said. | "What we do know is that a lot of people who called last night had never had asthma before, so this was their first experience," he said. |
| Local media reported the storm had been linked to two deaths, including one patient who was forced to wait 30 minutes for an ambulance. | Local media reported the storm had been linked to two deaths, including one patient who was forced to wait 30 minutes for an ambulance. |
| "We'll review each of them and we'll know in the fullness of time whether they're related to this particular incident," Mr Stephenson said. | "We'll review each of them and we'll know in the fullness of time whether they're related to this particular incident," Mr Stephenson said. |
| "Thirty minutes is a long time to wait for an ambulance when you're very sick. We would not like people to wait that long." | "Thirty minutes is a long time to wait for an ambulance when you're very sick. We would not like people to wait that long." |
| Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the challenging conditions forced private hospitals to open to the public. | Victorian Health Minister Jill Hennessy said the challenging conditions forced private hospitals to open to the public. |
| "No doubt there will be lessons to learn... but every part of our emergency management surge occurred correctly," she said. | "No doubt there will be lessons to learn... but every part of our emergency management surge occurred correctly," she said. |
| What is 'thunderstorm asthma'? | What is 'thunderstorm asthma'? |
| Melbourne's thunderstorm asthma event was caused by extreme levels of rye grass pollen in the air whipped up by strong winds. | Melbourne's thunderstorm asthma event was caused by extreme levels of rye grass pollen in the air whipped up by strong winds. |
| About one in 10 people have asthma in Australia, with about 80% of those sufferers experiencing allergies, particularly to rye pollen. | |
| When saturated in rain, the pollen breaks down into smaller particles which become easier to inhale and trigger and asthma attack. | When saturated in rain, the pollen breaks down into smaller particles which become easier to inhale and trigger and asthma attack. |
| "A person who has an allergic response to that particular pollen, because it's so small, it will get into the lungs," Asthma Victoria chief Robin Ould told the BBC. | |
| He said Monday's rye particle count of 102 was more than double what would be considered high on a normal day. | He said Monday's rye particle count of 102 was more than double what would be considered high on a normal day. |
| Melbourne's current spring season has been particularly wet, creating havoc for asthma and hay fever sufferers. | Melbourne's current spring season has been particularly wet, creating havoc for asthma and hay fever sufferers. |
| "It's quite rare and we've seen two incidents of this kind this century in Melbourne," Mr Ould said. | "It's quite rare and we've seen two incidents of this kind this century in Melbourne," Mr Ould said. |
| "It's the southeast corner of Australia that has this high humidity, high thunderstorm activity at this time of the year." | "It's the southeast corner of Australia that has this high humidity, high thunderstorm activity at this time of the year." |
| But he said the scale of Monday's emergency could not have been predicted. | But he said the scale of Monday's emergency could not have been predicted. |
| "The key message of this event is that if you have asthma, you should be using your preventative medication as described," he said. | "The key message of this event is that if you have asthma, you should be using your preventative medication as described," he said. |
| Reporting by the BBC's Jay Savage. |