Australia to Pay 'Whatever it Takes' to Recover from Wildfires
2020-01-07
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1Australia's government has promised to pay "whatever it takes" to help communities recover from ongoing wildfires.
2Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Monday an additional $1.4 billion in government aid for recovery efforts.
3Officials had already promised tens of millions of dollars to help rebuild from the fires.
4About 200 wildfires have burned more than 6 million hectares of land in the southern Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria.
5At least 24 people have been killed.
6More than 2,000 homes have been destroyed by the fires.
7"The fires are still burning. And they'll be burning for months to come," Prime Minister Morrison said, in announcing the new aid.
8He added, "If more is needed and the cost is higher, then more will be provided."
9The government assistance is to be used to help rebuild towns and repair infrastructure damaged by the fires.
10Morrison said the military was now attempting to get food, fuel and water to burned-out communities.
11Engineers were working to reopen roads and resupply evacuation centers.
12Officials said dry conditions and strong winds were feeding more than 135 fires burning across New South Wales.
13The fires hit earlier than usual this year after a severe lack of rain led to Australia's hottest and driest year on record.
14Scientists partly blame global warming caused by human activity for creating a high fire danger.
15On Monday, rain and cooler temperatures provided a short break to some communities battling the wildfires.
16But the rain also made it more difficult for fire crews attempting to carry out controlled burning operations.
17The latest weather was welcomed in Victoria state.
18However, emergency officials there noted that at least 20 centimeters of rain would be needed to put out the fires.
19That is about 20 times the amount of rain that fell during the past day.
20Drier conditions and higher temperatures were expected to return to the area later this week.
21"We've got big fire danger coming our way toward the end of this week," Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters in Melbourne.
22"We are by no means out of this. And the next few days, and indeed the next few months, are going to be challenging."
23The wildfires led Australia's capital, Canberra, to experience the worst air quality of any major city in the world for most of Monday.
24Officials urged people in the city to remain indoors to avoid the thick smoke covering the area.
25I'm Bryan Lynn.
1Australia's government has promised to pay "whatever it takes" to help communities recover from ongoing wildfires. 2Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced Monday an additional $1.4 billion in government aid for recovery efforts. Officials had already promised tens of millions of dollars to help rebuild from the fires. 3About 200 wildfires have burned more than 6 million hectares of land in the southern Australian states of New South Wales and Victoria. At least 24 people have been killed. More than 2,000 homes have been destroyed by the fires. 4"The fires are still burning. And they'll be burning for months to come," Prime Minister Morrison said, in announcing the new aid. He added, "If more is needed and the cost is higher, then more will be provided." 5The government assistance is to be used to help rebuild towns and repair infrastructure damaged by the fires. Morrison said the military was now attempting to get food, fuel and water to burned-out communities. Engineers were working to reopen roads and resupply evacuation centers. 6Officials said dry conditions and strong winds were feeding more than 135 fires burning across New South Wales. The fires hit earlier than usual this year after a severe lack of rain led to Australia's hottest and driest year on record. Scientists partly blame global warming caused by human activity for creating a high fire danger. 7On Monday, rain and cooler temperatures provided a short break to some communities battling the wildfires. But the rain also made it more difficult for fire crews attempting to carry out controlled burning operations. 8The latest weather was welcomed in Victoria state. However, emergency officials there noted that at least 20 centimeters of rain would be needed to put out the fires. That is about 20 times the amount of rain that fell during the past day. 9Drier conditions and higher temperatures were expected to return to the area later this week. 10"We've got big fire danger coming our way toward the end of this week," Victoria state Premier Daniel Andrews told reporters in Melbourne. "We are by no means out of this. And the next few days, and indeed the next few months, are going to be challenging." 11The wildfires led Australia's capital, Canberra, to experience the worst air quality of any major city in the world for most of Monday. Officials urged people in the city to remain indoors to avoid the thick smoke covering the area. 12I'm Bryan Lynn. 13The Associated Press reported on this story. Bryan Lynn adapted the report for VOA Learning English. Ashley Thompson was the editor. 14We want to hear from you. Write to us in the Comments section, and visit our Facebook page. 15_____________________________________________________________ 16Words in This Story 17infrastructure - n. the basic equipment and structures (such as roads and bridges) needed for an area to operate 18evacuation - n. the act of removing (a person or people) from a dangerous place 19challenging - adj. difficult in a way that is usually interesting or enjoyable