MELBOURNE, Jan. 11 — Over 300 structures have been destroyed in the ongoing bushfire crisis in the southeast Australian state of Victoria, authorities said on Sunday as they announced support for affected communities.
Prime Minister Anthony Albanese and the Premier of Victoria, Jacinta Allan, on Sunday announced a 19.5 million Australian dollar (13 million U.S. dollar) emergency funding package to provide immediate support to communities across the state affected by the fires.
The funding includes 10 million Australian dollars to supply fodder to farmers who have been affected by significant livestock losses, 1.5 million Australian dollars in emergency accommodation support for thousands of people who have been ordered to evacuate their homes and one million Australian dollars for mental health support.
Speaking at a press conference alongside Allan and emergency services personnel in the central Victorian city of Bendigo, Albanese said on Sunday that the federal government would support Victorians through the crisis and the recovery period.
“We’ve got your back,” he said. “We’ll work cooperatively with the state government to make sure we deliver what is necessary so that people and communities can get back on their feet after what has been a very difficult period.”
There were 32 bushfires burning across Victoria as of Sunday morning, with 15 warnings in place advising residents to evacuate their communities.
Allan said that complying with evacuation orders is the best way to protect and save lives. Victoria’s Emergency Management Commissioner, Tim Wiebusch, said at the press conference that authorities have confirmed over 300 structures have been destroyed by fire across the state.
He said that around 150 of those structures had been destroyed by a fire near the central Victorian town of Longwood, 120 km north of Melbourne, which has burnt through around 144,000 hectares of land since Wednesday.
The fire near Longwood was one of three bushfires that remained at emergency-level on Sunday, with the others in western Victoria and the state’s far northeast.
Temperatures were forecast to fall on Sunday, but authorities have warned that strong winds would continue to pose a significant threat and firefighting conditions would remain difficult. (1 Australian dollar equals 0.67 U.S. dollars) (Namibia Daily News / Xinhua)
