By Duncan Murray
SYDNEY, Jan. 6 (Xinhua) -- Hundreds more homes are feared to have been lost in the Australian bushfire disaster over the weekend, which so far this season has claimed 23 lives, burnt over 6 million hectares and destroyed at least 1,700 properties.
In addition, as of Monday, two people have been missing from fire-scorched regions in the state of New South Wales (NSW), where a number of communities were badly affected over the weekend.
An estimated 500 million animals have also perished during the crisis, an ecological disaster which experts say the country will take years to recover from.
Donations and messages of support poured in from around the world, while Australia's volunteer-based firefighting crews got to work, making the most of milder conditions before strong winds and hot temperatures return by the end of this week.
On Monday, Prime Minister Scott Morrison announced the establishment of a new government agency, specifically tasked with rebuilding communities and infrastructure in the wake of the fires.
The National Bushfire Recovery Agency has been allocated initial funding of 2 billion Australian dollars (1.38 billion U.S. dollars), a figure which is expected to grow if necessary.
The Australian Defence Force (ADF) has also been mobilised to help with evacuation and relief efforts, including 3,000 reserve personnel, aircraft, and navy vessels.
Australia's navy ship HMAS Adelaide was sent to the country's southeast coast, along with 400 troops and 300 tonnes of supplies, to act as a support vessel and floating hospital.
"While the immediate focus for our emergency services and the Australian Defence Force is keeping people safe and defending against the fires hitting so many areas, we also need to be ready to hit the ground in communities where the fire-front has passed to help them rebuild," Morrison said.
Many people in Australia are angry for what they view as a lacklustre response from the government to the disaster, and there were also many Australians willing to step up and show their support to those suffering.
Australia's famous apple growing region of Batlow was one of the towns hit by blazes over the weekend, leaving a shocking trail of devastated orchards and livestock in their wake.
Images showing the charred bodies of hundreds of sheep littering the roadway into Batlow gave some insight into the losses experienced by farmers.
The ecological disaster extends far beyond livestock animals. One academic estimated that close to half a billion wild creatures have already perished in the state of NSW alone.
According to Professor Chris Dickman, an estimated 480 million animals have likely been lost in NSW. They include mammals, birds and reptiles, among others.
While many of those animals would likely have perished in the fires directly, many more would later succumb due to the widespread loss of habitat and food.
