Australian prime minister is jeered in wildfire-ravaged zone
LA TimesA helicopter dumps water on a wildfire outside the town of Batemans Bay in New South Wales, Australia, on Thursday. Locals in Cobargo, in New South Wales, yelled at him, made obscene gestures and called him an “idiot” and worse, criticizing him for the lack of equipment to deal with the fires in town. The outpouring of anger came as authorities said 381 homes had been destroyed on the New South Wales southern coast this week. And we understand that, and that’s why we’re going to do everything we can to ensure they have every support they will need.” Morrison, who has also been criticized over his climate change policies and accused of putting the economy ahead of the environment, insisted that Australia is “meeting the challenge better than most countries” and “exceeding the targets we set out.” Cooler weather since Tuesday has aided firefighting and allowed people to replenish supplies, with long lines of cars forming at gas stations and supermarkets. State Transport Minister Andrew Constance called it the “largest mass relocation of people out of the region that we’ve ever seen.” New South Wales Premier Gladys Berejiklian declared a seven-day state of emergency starting Friday, which grants fire officials more authority.