Australian PM Surveys Wildfire Damage
Australian PM Surveys Wildfire Damage
13 December 2006
published by www.kwtx.com
Australia — Australias prime minister John Howard Wednesday surveyed thedamage caused by a massive wildfire that has razed several homes and destroyednearly a million acres of forest and farmland.
“It’s important at a time like this that I go and say we’re thinking ofyou and we’ll help in any way we can,” he said.
Fires have broken out across four southeastern states this week amid theworst drought in Australia in more than a century.
Fires were still burning out of control in the southern states of Victoriaand Tasmania, where a firestorm destroyed more than a dozen houses and threebusinesses on Monday night.
About 4,000 firefighters have been working around the clock in Victoria’salpine region to contain a series of fires.
Several media reports suggested Australia was on the verge of seeking helpfrom fire departments in the United States for equipment and personnel, asweather forecasters predicted soaring temperatures and gusty winds in the comingweek.
