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 -Published: Tuesday, January 7, 2020 No
Costa Ricans living in Australia
are affected by the forest fires By the A.M. Costa Rica staff and wire services Costa Ricans living in Australia are safe "in the middle of the catastrophe caused by forest fires that have already devastated a larger area than the territory of our country," said Armando Vargas, the ambassador of Costa Rica in Australia. According to the consulate in Sydney, it activated the Emergency plan for natural disasters. "So far, no Costa Rican has reported personal or property damage to the consulate in Sydney or the Embassy in Canberra," it said. The consulate has the emergency line +61- 4- 1068- 8436 to answer any questions about the situation in Australia as well as resolve any call for help from Costa Ricans living in that country. According to the electoral list of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, in the Costa Rican community in Sydney contains 123 people. Monday, the Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison vowed to pay "whatever it takes" to help victims of devastating bushfires in the country which have burned millions of hectares across three states, according to a special report published on Voice of America. Speaking to VOA reporters Monday, Morrison committed an extra $1.4 billion to a new fund that will help rebuild damaged towns and infrastructure. But his government said that additional funds would be made available as needed. "If more is needed and the cost is higher, then more will be provided," Morrison said. His announcement came as another death in the state of New South Wales was confirmed, raising the total death toll to 25. An estimated 2,000 homes have been destroyed as over a hundred fires continue to burn in the state. Cooler temperatures and rain Monday brought little relief from the fires that firefighters have battled for weeks, but New South Wales Rural Fire Service Commissioner Shane Fizsimmons said the rain presented challenges to strategic burns being carried out as the area prepares for higher temperatures this week. Wildfires are common in the Southern Hemisphere during the summer, but fires this year in Australia began particularly early. Some scientists have said there is no doubt that man-made climate change has contributed to the particularly devastating fires this year. Internet sources say that more than 800 people have died in these brush fires since 1851. Some of the fires have been linked to arson and to children playing. "We're in uncharted territory," New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian said. "We can't pretend that this is something that we have experienced before. It's not." Morrison has been criticized for his handling of the fires, especially after traveling to Hawaii for a family vacation during the emergency. Sunday, he said the blame game is unproductive and "now is the time to focus on the response that is being made." Morrison has also been criticized for not adequately consulting local authorities before deploying 3,000 Australian Defense Force reservists to New South Wales in an effort to help combat the devastating fires. Morrison also committed $14 million to lease fire-fighting aircraft from other countries. ------------------------ Could be man-made climate change has contributed to the Australia fires? We would like to know your thoughts on this story. Send your comments to news@amcostarica.com |
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