US WILDFIRE EXPERTS ARRIVE IN MELBOURNE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 MELBOURNE 000028 SENSITIVE SIPDIS Department for CA/OCS/ACS/EAP, White House for NSC Bader E.O. 12958: N/A TAGS: EAID SENV CASC AS SUBJECT: US WILDFIRE EXPERTS ARRIVE IN MELBOURNE Ref: A) Melbourne 25, B) Melbourne 24, C) Melbourne 23, D) Melbourne 21, E) Melbourne 20, F) Melbourne 17, G) Canberra 134, H) Canberra 100 MELBOURNE 00000028 001.2 OF 002 Summary -------------- ¶1. (SBU) A team of 60 U.S. wild fire personnel arrived in Melbourne on February 15 and were met by Consul General and Victorian officials. The arrival received wide media coverage. Six large fires continue to burn, and while they have not crossed containment lines, the blazes continue to threaten Melbourne's water supplies. Police officials have revised the death toll from the February 7 fires to 187, though post has not received any reports of U.S. citizens injured or killed in the fires. While the fires are not yet contained, officials are already beginning to consider the longer term environmental impact, which will undoubtedly place a greater strain on Melbourne's dwindling water supplies. End Summary. U.S. Personnel Arrive -------------- ¶2. (SBU) Sixty U.S. wildfire experts arrived in Melbourne on February 15. Consul General, lead USG/Australia firefighting liaison, Bodie Shaw (Deputy Director of the NIFC -- National Interagency Fire Center, Bureau of Indian Affairs) and several Victorian emergency services officials met the U.S. personnel at the airport. Information Officers in the two arriving groups provided short interviews with reporters from several prominent local and national news agencies. Initial deployment of the U.S. team is for 30 days with the possibility of extension. They will be stationed at two separate positions outside of Melbourne and post will provide additional deployment information septel. Post has received at least two emails from local Australians thanking the United States for its support. Fires Continue as Water Worries Mount -------------- ¶3. (SBU) According to Emergency Management Australia (EMA) officials, approximately 3,000 firefighters continue to battle six major fires in Victoria. While the fires have not passed containment lines, they are still considered to be burning out of control and have left Melbourne in a sea of haze since February 14. Police officials have revised the official toll from the February 7 blazes up to 189 and continue to warn that it will climb higher. ¶4. (SBU) Officials are worried about the safety of Melbourne's water supplies. A February 17 media release from Victoria's Minister for Water announced that more than 10 billion liters of water have been transferred away from one of the city's water catchments to other reservoirs in the past 10 days in order to avoid contamination. In addition, Department of Sustainability and Environment (DSE) officials told post on February 15 that regenerating forests consume large amounts of water which may reduce future water supplies. To date, however, Melbourne Water's key infrastructure including dams, major treatment plants and depots are undamaged by the fires. (Note: Melbourne's water supply is made up of nine interconnected reservoirs. Five receive and store water directly from 160,000 hectares of forested catchments while four are used only to store water. End note.) Public Reaction -------------- ¶5. (U) As police continue their search for evidence of arson, public pressure is mounting on an alleged arsonist, Brendan James Sokaluk who remains in police protective custody. Sokaluk, whose identity was released last week via Facebook, has reportedly received thousands of hostile comments and even threats of vigilante justice. Police have warned the public that such threats may be prosecuted. A law firm reportedly intends to pursue a class action suit against a Singapore-owned electricity company which maintains power lines in Victoria as soon as the results of the royal commission into the fires are made public. ¶6. (U) The Australian and Victorian governments have announced a national day of mourning in Melbourne's Rod Laver arena on February 22 "to honor those who have lost their lives, support those who have suffered and recognize the work of our emergency services." Post is working with Embassy to determine the appropriate level of representation at this event. Plans are underway to organize a MELBOURNE 00000028 002.2 OF 002 major benefit concert at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on March 14. Private donations continue to flow in to the Red Cross which is managing the relief fund. American Citizens -------------- ¶7. (SBU) As of 4:30 PM local time, post had not received any reports of U.S. citizens injured or killed in the fires. We have also verified the well-being of all of our outstanding welfare and whereabouts (W&W) requests. At this time, post is assisting two U.S. citizens (separate cases) with the replacement of passports after their homes were destroyed in the fires (ref. D). Neither of the two citizens have requested additional consular assistance at this time. Comment -------------- ¶8. (SBU) While the front pages of local newspapers have shifted emphasis to other headlines ("Japan plunging into depression"), Victorians continue to grieve over the losses sustained by the wild fires. As the immediate danger from the fires begins to recede, the state is already considering the long term impact of the fires, particularly on water supplies. Water shortages will add yet another cumbersome worry to a state government already facing an aging mass transit system and other infrastructure woes. THURSTON