Australia uses bushfires breather to plan for the next onslaught

MELBOURNE/SYDNEY-Reuters

Australian officials used a respite on Jan. 6 from fierce wildfires that have killed 25 people across the country's southeast to race to reopen blocked roads and evacuate people who have been trapped for days.

A second day of light rain and cool winds brought some relief from heatwave-fuelled blazes that ripped through two states over the weekend, but officials warned the hazardous weather conditions were expected to return later in the week.

Police on Jan. 6 confirmed the death of a 71-year-old man on the south coast of New South Wales (NSW) state who was reported missing on Dec. 31, bringing the national toll to 25.

More than 8 million hectares (19.8 million acres) of land have so far been destroyed in the current fire season, nearly the size of Austria.

"No one can be complacent. We've got big fire danger coming our way towards the end of this week with hot weather," Victoria Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters on Jan. 6 afternoon.

Authorities redoubled their efforts to provide supplies and repatriate thousands of people who have been trapped by fire lines in coastal towns for several days.

"What we are focusing on here is the human cost and the rebuilding cost for people's lives," Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Canberra as he announced funding of A$2 billion ($1.4 billion) over two years to the newly formed National Bushfire Recovery Agency.

Morrison said nearly 4,000 cattle and sheep have been killed as a result of the fires.

Dean Linton, a resident of Jindabyne in the Snowy Mountains, used the break from an immediate threat to his town to visit his wife and four children who had evacuated to Sydney. He also used the 870 kilometer (540 mile) round trip to pick up a fire-fighting pump and generator to help him protect the family home.

"There's a lot of fuel in that national park; it would only take one lightning strike," Linton told Reuters.
The bushfire season started earlier than normal this year following a three-year drought that has left much of the country's bushland tinder-dry and vulnerable to fires.

Following are highlights of what is happening across Australia:

There were no emergency warnings in fire-ravaged states on Jan. 6 following the weather change. Two people remained missing as 146 fires continued to burn in New South Wales (NSW), however all fires were back at the "advice" level, the lowest alert rating.

* Victoria state had 40 fires with 13 "watch and act" alerts. All missing people had been accounted for, state authorities said.

* Around 67,000 people have left or been evacuated from fire-ravaged areas in Victoria, state Emergency Services Minister Lisa Neville said.

* Victoria set up a Bushfire Recovery Agency, with initial funding of A$50 million. The recovery is expected to cost "a lot more" than A$500 million, state premier Andrews said.

* Fire officials said the light rain that has brought some relief also posed challenges for back-burning efforts to reduce fuel for future fires and bring existing fires under control.

* NSW state-owned power distributor Essential Energy said its network has suffered "significant damage", with almost 24,000 customers without power. Essential said that power "may not be restored for a while due to the extent of the damage and challenges with gaining safe access." Affected areas include Batemans Bay on the New South Wales south coast.

* As conditions eased, the NSW RFS said residents of Bega, Tathra, Merimbula, Eden, Pambula, Bermagui and villages to the north and south can now return though they need to monitor conditions.

* Military helicopters were due to evacuate more people, including the elderly and young children, from Mallacoota on Jan. 6. More than a thousand people were evacuated from the Victoria state town by two naval ships on Friday.

* Insurers have received 5,850 bushfire-related claims in NSW, Victoria, South Australia and Queensland since the Insurance Council declared a bushfire catastrophe on Nov. 8.

* Bushfire losses are estimated at A$375 million since November, with a further A$56 million in insured property losses in September and October, the Insurance Council said. Figures do not include properties lost over the past 24 to 36 hours in areas such as the NSW Southern Highlands and south coast.

* Accommodation provider Aspen Group said on Jan. 6 it expects a A$500,000 hit to both revenue and net operating income from the bushfires.

* Canberra was running short of masks with the nation's capital blanketed in smoke, ACT emergency services said. The National Gallery of Australia said it was closed to protect visitors and art works. The government department responsible for coordinating Australia's response to disasters and emergency management also closed its doors due to poor air quality.

* Actor Russell Crowe skipped Hollywood's Golden Globes ceremony, where he won an award for playing former Fox News Chief Executive Roger Ailes in the TV series "The Loudest Voice in the Room." Presenter Jennifer Aniston said Crowe stayed in Australia to protect his family from the bushfires and read remarks he had prepared where he said the fires were "climate change based."

* Prime Minister Morrison continued to face criticism of his handling of the crisis. "Poor political judgment is one thing. Competency is another thing altogether. This is the political danger zone Scott Morrison wants to avoid in his handling of the bushfire crisis," Rupert Murdoch's The Australian, a supporter of the government, said in an article by the newspaper's national affairs editor on Jan. 6.

* State officials have thanked people for donations of clothes and food, but said that cash was more useful.

* 41 U.S. firefighters are in Victoria with a further 70 from Canada and the United States expected to join on Jan. 8, the Victoria Country Fire Authority said on Twitter.