The NSW Reconstruction Authority has warned that the damages bill for natural disasters will hit $9.1 billion annually if action is not taken.
Emergency services have warned a wind change means those in the Pyrenees Ranges need to remain vigilant into the night as bushfire burns near Beaufort.
An out-of-control bushfire forced hundreds to flee in Victoria’s west amid hot and windy conditions. As plumes of smoke drifted across the state,about 1000 firefighters began to tackle to blaze.
The temperature in Melbourne is expected to peak at 38 degrees on Thursday afternoon,before a cool change sweeps in to “whip up the bay”.
Communities ravaged by bushfire last week have been urged to prepare for another day of extreme fire danger and potential storms.
The blaze occurred on a day of sweltering temperatures across Perth and extreme fire risk for the state.
The fire was sparked around 5.30pm and forced residents to evacuate as flames reached 15 metres high.
Dozens of local government areas will be under the strictest fire danger ratings in the state in nearly a decade.
A key figure in the inquiry into Victoria’s most deadly bushfires is dismayed by the limited progress to make the state safer.
The people coming back to Pomonal are going through a devastating series of discoveries.
Locals started filtering back into town late on Thursday to survey the damage caused by a blaze that destroyed at least 44 of its 187 houses.