Jack White on the Australian Wildfires: I Just Feel a Bit Helpless

Duke senior captain Jack White had 11 points and six rebounds in the Blue Devils’ win over Wake Forest on Saturday. It's been a nerve-wracking few weeks for White, who has continued to play for Duke while being distracted by events on the other side of the globe.

White is a native of Australia, and his family still lives there. During one of his holiday breaks at Duke, he met them "halfway" between Duke and Australia, spending Christmas in Hawaii.

Australia, of course, has been plagued by widespread wildfires.

His hometown of Traralgon, Victoria, Australia was not in immediate danger. In fact, an Australian outlet reported that it was being used as a suggested shelter area for people impacted by the fires, since it's currently about 80 miles away from the closest blaze.

Still, 80 miles isn't that far, especially for someone already half a world away.

"I mean, the fires are everywhere," White said. "But for my hometown specifically, the closest one's probably about an hour away."

White has been staying in touch, and everyone is safe, but that doesn't mean they're unaffected.

"I’ve been messaging all my friends and my family back at home," he said. "A bunch of my friends and my family's friends that have liked going to the coast for New Year's and stuff, there have been fires away from there. One of my friends had to be evacuated from where he was through a ferry just because all the roads were shut down and whatnot."

It's been tough for White to watch the battle against the fires from so far away.

"It all kind of feels a bit surreal to me, to be honest," he said. "The only real way I see it is through social media, and I see all these statistics about all the animals that have died. All the kangaroos are flocking into towns and hanging out in people's front lawns because they have nowhere else to go. It’s all a bit surreal to me, and it’s still early January, so we still have two months of weather for the summer remaining. I just hope they get the fires under control, and people keep donating and spreading awareness about it."

"I just wish there was more I could do," he added. "I just feel a bit helpless being over here the whole time."

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