On January 8, 2003, lightning strikes in the ACT and surrounding area sparked four intense fires. They combined to form a fierce firestorm that advanced into suburban Canberra on January 18 and devastated the community.

On that day four people died, 49 people were hospitalised and 440 people required outpatient care. When the smoke cleared, the wreckage of about 500 homes in both rural and suburban Canberra lay among the ashes.

Discover some of the lessons learnt from Canberra in how governments should help communities recover from disaster in Government News’ exclusive report – No visible scars.

Click here to downlaod the report in PDF format.

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