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Australia counts cost of fires, floods
Sydney (AFP) Feb 16, 2009 Australia Monday began counting the economic cost of wild weather this month which left the northeast under water and the southeast in flames. Floods unleashed by cyclonic rains saw much of Queensland state declared a disaster area, a week before a record heatwave sparked the worst wildfires in history in Victoria state on February 7. On Monday, authorities estimated the cost of Queensland's flood damage at 210 million Australian dollars (137 million US dollars), and still climbing, the state government said. Conservative early estimates have put the cost of the wildfires, which killed at least 180 people and destroyed about 1,800 homes, at more than 500 million Australian dollars, but it is expected to be much higher. The floods affected more than a million square kilometres (386,100 square miles) and 3,000 homes, forcing hundreds of people to evacuate, while severed roads and swollen rivers stranded others in their houses. "On behalf of all Australians I offer our thoughts and our prayers to all those Queenslanders today affected by these floods," Prime Minister Kevin Rudd told parliament on February 5. Two days later, fuelled by record temperatures that left the countryside like tinder, the wildfires tore through Victoria, levelling towns in their path. "Hell in all its fury has visited the good people of Victoria in the last 24 hours," Rudd told reporters. The fires scorched 400,000 hectares (988,000 acres) and left thousands homeless. Flood warnings remain in place for several areas in Queensland and some roads are expected to remain impassable for at least another month, while in Victoria thousands of firefighters are still battling eight wildfires. More than 20,000 victims of the two disasters have already received almost 17 million dollars in emergency payments from the government's welfare agency, Centrelink, officials said Monday. Share This Article With Planet Earth
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Australia blames arsonists for deadly wildfires
Alexandra, Australia (AFP) Feb 12, 2009Arsonists lit a wildfire which killed 21 people and are suspected of starting another that razed a whole town and may have left up to 100 dead, Australian police said Thursday. |
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