Victorian Bushfires
The advent of summer in Australia also signals the start of bushfire season. This year, heat wave conditions in many southern Australian states raised fears of bushfire outbreaks, and those fears have been realized. In Victoria, over 500 structures have been destroyed by fires and one man, a cattle farmer named Max Hobson, has lost his life.
News sources report that over one thousand insurance claims have already been lodged, and insurers await safety clearance before sending assessors into the affected areas.
Meanwhile, Cyclone Koji is battering towns in central Queensland, with the township of Clermont breaking a measured rainfall record that had stood for 110 years.
It looks like being a long summer in Australia.
