Abu Dhabi announced this week that it is donating $30m to Australian state of Queensland to help fund the construction of ten multi-purpose cyclone shelters and facilities.
The state is only now beginning to recover from the devastating effects of a series of major storms including Cyclone Yasi that struck the region in January and February, taking the lives of dozens of people and causing $500m in damage.
Abu Dhabi’s minister of state Reem Al Hashemi, alongside Australia’s reconstruction minister of Queensland Anna Bligh and Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd announced this week that a matching $30m donation by Queensland will be used to design and construct shelters capable of handling Category 5 standard storms like Yasmi and Hurricane Katrina.
Category 5 storms can see windspeeds of up to 300km/h and the shelters will provide protection to more than 500 people from the ensuing debris and storm tides.
"Abu Dhabi believes in the strength and resilience of the people of Queensland. We are pleased to be able to strengthen the community and safety infrastructure of Queensland with this $30m contribution,” declared Reem. "At short notice, the shelters will be able to safely house thousands of people and offer valuable community services for the people of Queensland year round."
Australian Foreign Minister Kevin Rudd suggested that the donation could provide a springboard for a number of other partnerships between the UAE and Australia.
"Abu Dhabi is also a great and growing trading partner and they and their associated companies play a growing role in the areas of education, tourism and sport," he said.
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