CANBERRA, July 24 (Xinhua) -- Australia's national science agency has been enlisted to establish the country's first-ever disaster research center.
The center, which was announced by the Federal Government on Thursday in response to the devastating "Black Summer" bushfire crisis, will be tasked with researching natural hazards and disaster risk reduction.
The Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organization (CSIRO) will work with the Bushfire and Natural Hazards Cooperative Research Centre (BNHCRC), the Australasian Fire and Emergency Services Authorities Council, and government departments to help establish the center.
Larry Marshall, the Chief Executive of the CSIRO, said that the center would ensure that Australia was better-equipped to respond to future natural disasters.
"The summer of 2019-20 was defined by consecutive natural events including bushfires, floods, drought and heat extremes which have touched every Australian," he said in a statement.
More than 18 million hectares of land were burned in the Black Summer bushfires, with Australia's east coast hardest-hit.
The Royal Commission into the crisis heard in May that 479 people were killed, including 445 from smoke that blanketed much of the country throughout December and January.
"Climate change means the frequency and severity of these events will be a factor into the foreseeable future," Marshall said. Enditem
