Government blamed for slow fire response


Government blamed for slow fire response

21 November 2012

published by www.iol.co.za


South Africa– Northern Cape – Government help for Northern Cape farmers and workers fighting veld fires the past week might arrive only on Wednesday, the Volksblad newspaper reported.

The government had reportedly failed to respond to devastating veld fires in the Ghaapse Plato region that had destroyed 100 000 hectares of veld by lunch time on Tuesday. The fires started last week.

“The farmers are broken, only the Lord can help them now,” Agri Northern Cape chief executive Johan van Rensburg was quoted as saying.

He said the fires were the worst disaster the Northern Cape region had had to face thus far.

Acting Northern Cape premier Griezelda Cjiekella backed calls from farmers for helicopters to help with the fire fighting.

Farmers criticised government’s lack of interest in their plight.

“One must question what the aim of disaster management departments at municipalities are,” Kobus Gous, chairman of the Koopmansfontein fire protection association said.

“If it was to manage disasters they are not successful.”

The provincial agriculture department had sent a team to the destroyed areas to decide what to do next. – Sapa
 The failure was in the forest areas.Advertisement

Following a 10-year strategy, ACT fire managers have created a mosaic across the landscape of different fuel levels, burning at every opportunity.

But forests have been too wet to burn this spring and the past two summers.

Read more:http://www.canberratimes.com.au/environment/red-alert-for-high-risk-of-fires-20121118-29koa.html#ixzz2CmafUgo3
 The failure was in the forest areas.Advertisement

Following a 10-year strategy, ACT fire managers have created a mosaic across the landscape of different fuel levels, burning at every opportunity.

But forests have been too wet to burn this spring and the past two summers.

Read more:http://www.canberratimes.com.au/environment/red-alert-for-high-risk-of-fires-20121118-29koa.html#ixzz2CmafUgo3
 The failure was in the forest areas.Advertisement

Following a 10-year strategy, ACT fire managers have created a mosaic across the landscape of different fuel levels, burning at every opportunity.

But forests have been too wet to burn this spring and the past two summers.

Read more:http://www.canberratimes.com.au/environment/red-alert-for-high-risk-of-fires-20121118-29koa.html#ixzz2CmafUgo3
 Two summers of unprecedented rain and unusually cool temperatures have left a large fuel load of grass and unburnt forest areas in and around Canberra.

A network of 500 fire trails and strategic burns along the north-west urban edge, heavy grazing and extra grass slashing will create a fortress for the territory which forecasters say faces a higher than average risk this summer.

After a fire-fuelled tornado in January 2003 killed four Canberrans and frightened thousands more, CSIRO fire expert Phil Cheney told the subsequent inquiry the fire’s penetration into urban areas under extreme conditions did not reflect a failure of fuel management on the urban interface.

Read more:http://www.canberratimes.com.au/environment/red-alert-for-high-risk-of-fires-20121118-29koa.html#ixzz2CmaXNjum
 The failure was in the forest areas.Advertisement

Following a 10-year strategy, ACT fire managers have created a mosaic across the landscape of different fuel levels, burning at every opportunity.

But forests have been too wet to burn this spring and the past two summers.

Read more:http://www.canberratimes.com.au/environment/red-alert-for-high-risk-of-fires-20121118-29koa.html#ixzz2CmafUgo3
 


 

 

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