More than 50,000 people were without power and some towns had no access to drinking water. “The priority today is fighting fires and evacuating, getting people to safety,” Prime Minister Scott Morrison told reporters in Sydney. — Five military helicopters were en-route to the south coast to back up firefighters and bring in supplies like water and diesel, the Australian Defence Force said on Thursday. — Traffic on the main highway out of Batemans Bay on the NSW coast was bumper-to-bumper after authorities called for the town to be evacuated. — Morrison visited volunteer firefighters in the NSW town on Bega as they prepared to head out to the firefront on Friday.

Source: National Post January 02, 2020 14:58 UTC