Australian Officials Offer Help As California Drought Creates Busy Wildfire Season
SACRAMENTO (CBS13) — As Californians suffer through the fourth year of the drought, there is emergency help coming from Down Under.
In a diplomatic gesture of support, an Australian contingency from the state of Victoria is promising to help California navigate through the dire drought and wildfire season.
They know first-hand how devastating a prolonged drought can be. California's four-year drought looks small compared to Australia's Millennium drought from 1995 to 2012.
"We've experienced death we've experienced destruction; where thousands of people didn't have a place to live," said Craig Lapsley, commissioner with Emergency Management Victoria.
There's plenty of fuel to burn in California, and state officials say it's experiencing the worst fire season in decades.
"So we have a great opportunity to build on technology build on the available resources to be able to support each other when these events happen," said Mark Ghilarducci at Cal OES.