SYDNEY: Australia pledged an aid package of close to A$100 million (US$67 million) on Wednesday (Jan 14) after large bushfires in its south-eastern state of Victoria razed hundreds of buildings, forced dozens of communities to evacuate and killed one person.
Key details
* The package includes A$15 million to set up recovery information hubs in bushfire-hit communities and A$12 million for local councils to rebuild public spaces.
* Households hit by extended power disruptions because of the fires can apply for A$16 million worth of power outage payments.
* Farmers with livestock losses and property damage can access A$40 million in grants of up to A$75,000 each, and A$10 million in concessional loans up to A$250,000.
* A$4 million is allotted for financial counselling services.
* The package is being jointly funded by the federal and state government of Victoria.
Context
* The bushfires, which started last week during a summer heatwave, have torn through more than 400,000 hectares of land in Victoria.
* They have destroyed more than 770 buildings, including 228 homes, and cut power supply to thousands.
* Police said on Sunday human remains were found near the town of Longwood, site of the largest blaze
* More than 15,000 livestock estimated to have died, the Victorian Farmers Federation told national broadcaster ABC.
* Eleven fires are still active across the state, with authorities warning firefighters will need weeks to bring them under control. - Reuters
