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6 cruise ship disasters

While a cruise nowadays is a safe way to explore the world in consummate luxury, in the early days catching a cruise ship was by no means smooth sailing. Here are 6 cruise ship disaster stories. 1. The Titanic After colliding into an iceberg somewhere in the North Atlantic the “unsinkable” Titanic sank two miles to the bottom of the ocean. More than 1,500 lives were lost, with the disaster continuing to intrigue. 2. S.S. Eastland In 1915 Western Electric hosted an employee picnic aboard the S.S Eastland on the Chicago River which took an unfortunate turn when the ship tipped over (while still at the dock!). 3. The Norwegian Dawn In a journey between New York City and the Bahamas, The Norwegian Dawn was hit by a 70-foot wave that ended up flooding 62 cabins. Thankfully only two people suffered minor injuries. 4. The Splendor On a seven-day cruise to Mexico the engine room of the Splendor caught fire. The cruise was shortened to three days, and 3,299 passengers didn’t have access to toilets for 13 hours. 5. The Costa Concordia The Costa Concordia unfortunately sank in 2012, after the ship hit shallow seas off the coast of Italy. Navy divers reportedly used explosives to access the inside of the ship, and managed to refloat the vessel to dismantle the wreckage. 32 lives were lost. 6. Carnival Conquest Well, we’re just going to have to take their word for it, but apparently the Carnival Conquest ship is haunted by a tall man in a trench coat, who appears in the middle of the night. Image credits: Getty Images

Cruising

Disaster, opulence, and the merciless ocean: why the Titanic disaster continues to enthral

<a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kristie-patricia-flannery-1220337">Kristie Patricia Flannery</a>, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a> The question on many minds this week is why did some of the world’s richest men risk death to venture to the bottom of the sea in a cold and cramped <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/2023/06/20/us/oceangate-titanic-missing-submersible.html">“experimental” submersible</a> for a chance to glimpse the wreck of the Titanic? The “unsinkable” ship that sunk on its maiden voyage across the Atlantic in 1912 after colliding with an iceberg is arguably the world’s most well-known boat. The Titanic is recognisable to more of the world’s population than, say, the Niña, the Pinta, and the Santa Maria (Christopher Colombus’s fleet that launched the Spanish conquest of the Americas), or Captain Cook’s HMS Endeavour (the tall ship that set in motion the British conquest of Australia). The Endeavour’s long-forgotten wreck was found scuttled off the coast of Rhode Island <a href="https://theconversation.com/has-captain-cooks-ship-endeavour-been-found-debate-rages-but-heres-whats-usually-involved-in-identifying-a-shipwreck-176363">just last year</a>. The Titanic’s maiden voyage and calamitous end was one of the biggest news stories of 1912, and has continued to fascinate us ever since. The disaster inspired songs and multiple films in the twentieth century, including James Cameron’s 1997 epic romance, which long reigned as the <a href="https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of_highest-grossing_films#Timeline_of_highest-grossing_films">highest-grossing film of all time</a>. More recently, Titanic exhibitions that invite visitors to examine relics and <a href="https://titanicexhibition.com/nyc/#sec_instafeed">explore the ship’s recreated rooms have attracted huge crowds in New York, Seville and Hong Kong</a>. <h2>Opulence and immigrants</h2> There are two reasons why we are so drawn to the Titanic, and why the super-rich are apparently willing to part with their money and even risk their lives to catch a glimpse of its broken hull. The first is its opulence. The White Start Line that built the Titanic advertised the ship as the most luxurious ever to set sail. Wealthy passengers paid up to £870 for the privilege of occupying the Titanic’s most expensive and spacious first-class cabins. To put this 110-year-old money in perspective, when the first world war broke out in 1914, infantry soldiers in the British army were paid a basic salary of around £20 per year. Titanic movies and exhibitions are popular because audiences enjoy the voyeurism of gazing on the ship’s beautiful furnishings, the stunning clothes worn by its rich and beautiful passengers, and their elaborate meals in fancy restaurants. First-class passengers feasted on <a href="https://online.ucpress.edu/gastronomica/article-abstract/9/4/32/93511/The-Night-the-Good-Ship-Went-Down-Three-Fateful">multi-course dinners</a> with salmon, steak, and pâté de foie gras. Chefs in Australia and around the globe occasionally <a href="https://www.timeout.com/melbourne/things-to-do/titanic-dining-experience">recreate Titanic meals</a> for curious clients. Hundreds of poor immigrant passengers, represented by Jack (played by Leonardo DiCaprio) in Cameron’s movie, were also aboard the Titanic. They lived in crowded quarters and enjoyed less thrilling meals such as boiled beef and potatoes. If their ilk were the only people on board the Titanic, the ship would arguably have faded quickly from memory. <figure><iframe src="https://www.youtube.com/embed/erAQ9LkftwA?wmode=transparent&start=0" width="440" height="260" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen="allowfullscreen"></iframe></figure> <h2>The power of the sea</h2> The fact the Titanic was touted as unsinkable also adds to its allure. The ship, whose name evoked its massive size, was engineered to cheat the ocean. When it departed England it symbolised man’s domination over nature. At the bottom of the Atlantic, it serves as a visceral reminder of the indomitable sea’s awesome power. The same two factors - the excess of the voyage, and its defeat by the sea – are now driving the current global interest in the Titan submersible disaster. Few world events garner so much attention, including statements from Downing Street and the White House, and live news blogs from The New York Times and the Guardian. The Titan, like the Titanic, commands our attention because of its obscenely rich passengers, who each reportedly paid US$250,000 (or between four and five times the average US salary) to visit the wreck of the famous ship that battled the sea and lost. And then there is the intriguing mystery and power of the sea. News outlets are publishing helpful graphics that try to teach our terrestrial brains to comprehend just how deep the ocean is, and how far below the sea’s surface the Titanic and possibly the Titan lie. <h2>The limits of human knowledge</h2> Last night I spied <a href="https://neal.fun/deep-sea/">Neal Argawal’s Deep Sea</a> website circulating on social media. The site allows viewers to scroll from the sea surface to the sea floor, diving down past images of various marine animals that inhabit different oceanic depths. At 114 metres is an orca, and 332m marks the the deepest depth a human has ever reached using SCUBA gear. It takes a lot of scrolling to descend to the Titanic almost 4,000m below the waves. Besides gross income inequality, reflecting on the Titan and the Titanic invite us to confront just how little we can “see” of the sea in this age of mass surveillance. Not even the powerful US navy, assisted by the Canadian, UK and French governments, can muster the resources and technology required to locate, let alone rescue, the missing submersible. As the sea seems to have swallowed yet another ship, we are reminded of limits of human knowledge and mastery over the ocean.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/208200/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/kristie-patricia-flannery-1220337">Kristie Patricia Flannery</a>, Research Fellow, Institute for Humanities and Social Sciences, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-catholic-university-747">Australian Catholic University</a> Image credits: Getty Images This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/disaster-opulence-and-the-merciless-ocean-why-the-titanic-disaster-continues-to-enthral-208200">original article</a>.

Travel Tips

Eerie link between OceanGate pilot and Titanic disaster

A chilling link has been discovered between pilot Stockton Rush, who was onboard the OceanGate submersible, and the Titanic disaster in 1912. Mr Rush, who was at the helm of the vehicle bound for the Titanic wreckage, has a personal connection to two of the victims who were onboard the Titanic when it sank over 100 years ago. His wife, Wendy Rush, is the great-great-granddaughter of Isador Straus, who co-founded Macy’s department store, and Ida Straus, who were among the wealthiest people aboard the Titanic’s ill-fated transatlantic voyage, according to archived records obtained by the New York Times. The Strauses have long been remembered for their display of love and affection when the ocean liner hit the iceberg before infamously sinking in the North Atlantic, claiming the lives of more than 1500 people. Survivors of the disaster reported seeing Ida refuse a place on the lifeboats, which were reserved largely for women and children, and decided to stay onboard the sinking vessel with her husband of more than 40 years. Their tragic love story was depicted in James Cameron’s fictionalised version of the tragedy, his 1997 blockbuster Titanic, which features a scene showing an elderly couple holding on to each other in bed as waters rise around them. Wendy Rush is descended from one of the couple’s daughters, Minnie Strauss, who married Dr. Richard Weil in 1905, and their son, Richard Weil Jr., served as president of Macy’s New York, His son, Dr. Richard Weil III, is Wendy Rush’s father, Joan Adler, the executive director of the Straus Historical Society. Isador’s body was found at sea weeks after the Titanic sank, but his wife’s body was never recovered. Wendy also worked for OceanGate as their communications director, with her LinkedIn indicating she had been on several trips to the wreckage of the Titanic herself. The OceanGate submersible <a href="https://oversixty.co.nz/news/news/surprising-cause-of-death-revealed-for-missing-titan-sub-crew" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly imploded</a> hours after it went missing, with all five people on board believed to be dead. Image credits: OceanGate / Wikimedia

Family & Pets

4 worst travel disasters and how to avoid them

After all the stress involved in preparing and booking an overseas trip, it can be quite disheartening for something to go wrong while you’re on holidays aboard. With a bit of planning however, you can be sure that even if you fall victim to one of these travel disasters you’ll be in a good position to continue your trip. Here are four of the worst travel disasters, and how to avoid them. These travel disasters can easily turn the trip of a lifetime into one that you’d rather forget. 1. Missed flight The prospect of running through a crowded terminal only to be greeted by a closed door at the gate is one that sinks the heart of even the most nonchalant traveller. And missing a flight can really throw a spanner in the works for your travel plans. If your plane has taken off without you, it’s recommended that you immediately go to your airline’s desk who can get you on the next flight. Whether or not you will have to pay for this is another matter entirely, and depends on who’s at fault for the missed flight. The best safeguard in this case, is having travel insurance that covers you for missed connections. 2. Lost luggage There’s few feelings in the world of travel that are worse than the one you get hours after disembarking from your flight, standing at a now-empty baggage carousel, and knowing that two weeks of holiday clothing is anywhere in the world but here. Make sure you hang onto your baggage ticket and if this ever happens head to counter or office at your airport and fill out a missing baggage form. If your bag has indeed been lost or damaged and the airline is at fault you may be compensated, but it’s another one of those circumstances where it is just best to have travel insurance to make sure you’re prepared. 3. Becoming sick From cold to migraines to something more serious, there is nothing in the world that ruins your dream trip like becoming sick. If you have fallen ill overseas it’s recommended you seek medical assistance as soon as possible. In some countries you may have to pay for your treatment upfront, and if this is the case then you may have to contact your travel insurance provider (they generally have 24 hour contact centres) to arrange payments. If you don’t have insurance and are in a situation where you have to pay for treatment upfront you must contact your financial institution or a family member. 4. Lost passport Opening your daypack only to find your passport missing is every traveller’s worst nightmare. If this has happened to you, it’s important to contact the local police and then the New Zealand embassy, who will be able to provide you with an emergency passport so you can return home. Carry an extra copy of your passport in a separate part of your luggage. Images: Getty

Travel Trouble

Bride’s online dress disaster

Bride-to-be Zuzanna was full of excitement ahead of her engagement party - she was free of stress, and she had an amazing dress … until she didn’t. Zuzanna had been under the impression that her Amazon find - a gorgeous white lace maxi dress with nearly 3000 promising reviews - was going to be everything she dreamed. But that dream was destined to become a nightmare, with the online retail supergiant sending her a much shorter version of the garment. Gone was any vision of a long skirt swirling around her ankles as she strode in to her upcoming engagement party, with the new hem barely grazing Zuzanna’s knees in a picture she posted to Facebook group What I Asked For VS What I Got. “It’s not a bad dress at all,” she wrote, “but it’s really not what I was going for.” Continuing from there, Zuzanna took the opportunity to warn others who might have had the same idea as her, pleading for them to “be careful what you order. I bought this dress for my engagement party on Saturday … I definitely will not be wearing it!” She then explained that it had taken her by surprise to open her package and made the unexpected discovery, as the reviews for the product had been so positive. Her misfortunes weren’t to end there, however, with Zuzanna noting that the dress’ “material is super cheap feeling, but I feel like I could have worn it once before it fell apart in the wash.” She hadn’t had any problems with her Amazon purchases before, and hadn’t even considered that poor outcome, though it now meant she’d have to go out in search of another dress for her party. “I don’t hate the dress,” she surmised, “it's just not right for the occasion and that's so sad.” And although Zuzanna seemed to have come to terms with her fate, and didn’t seem too upset about it, people in the comments still wanted to offer her their support, with a few suggestions on how she should proceed with Amazon. “They have a short dress on the site, they probably scanned the wrong item when they sent it to you,” one said. 'It's probably a mistake,” another wrote, before sharing that they actually “had several of these maxi dresses” and that Zuzanna should try contacting the company. Meanwhile, others seized the opportunity for some fun, with one asking “where's the other half of the dress?” “Wow,” said another, “you must be really tall!” Images: Facebook

Beauty & Style

What Australia learned from recent devastating floods – and how New Zealand can apply those lessons now

Australia and New Zealand have both faced a series of devastating floods triggered by climate change and the return of the <a href="https://www.weatherwatch.co.nz/content/historic-3rd-la-nina-is-back-but-it-barely-left-us-in-the-first-place">La Niña weather pattern</a>. So it makes sense that Australia has now <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2023-02-17/australia-sends-disaster-crew-to-nz-death-toll-rises/101989822">sent disaster crews</a> to help with the aftermath of Cyclone Gabrielle. With <a href="https://www.newscientist.com/article/2343938-eastern-australia-is-battling-fifth-major-wave-of-floods-in-19-months/">five serious floods</a> in the space of 19 months in 2021-2022, Australia’s experiences – and how people responded – offer New Zealand a guide for recovering and rebuilding after an extreme weather event. The flooding events in both countries share two key common elements. First, the floods broke previous records and were the largest in recent history. Second, there were also repeat flood events. In Auckland, there were <a href="https://www.odt.co.nz/news/national/residents-evacuated-homes-roads-flooded-again">two massive floods within five days</a>, while Cyclone Gabrielle became the Coromandel’s <a href="https://www.rnz.co.nz/news/national/484167/cyclone-gabrielle-thames-coromandel-already-facing-fifth-severe-weather-event-of-year">fifth severe weather event</a> for 2023 and devastated other parts of the North Island. The other common factor is urbanisation. <a href="https://www.stats.govt.nz/news/auckland-population-may-hit-2-million-in-early-2030s">Auckland’s population has been growing</a>, resulting in the increasing development of the built environment. Intensifying urban development places pressure on existing drainage systems – parts of which are no longer fit for purpose. Extensive built-up and paved areas with hard, impermeable surfaces can also cause rapid run-off during heavy rain, with the water unable to be absorbed into the ground as it would be in <a href="https://theconversation.com/auckland-floods-even-stormwater-reform-wont-be-enough-we-need-a-sponge-city-to-avoid-future-disasters-198736">soft, vegetated areas</a>. <h2>Working with the community</h2> Our <a href="https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7En6dA-N3MA">recent research</a> in the Hunter Valley in Australia – one of the areas affected by those five successive floods – identified similar factors contributing to the flooding events, including a <a href="https://www.nsw.gov.au/sites/default/files/2020-06/Hunter%20REDS.pdf">rapidly growing regional population</a>. Two of our research sites – the Cessnock and Singleton local government areas – had growing urban centres that reflected a similar development trajectory to Auckland, albeit in a smaller scale. Our research in the Hunter Valley established the importance of identifying existing community resilience and gaps. We also observed the need to involve the community at all levels. This included having early warning systems and evacuation protocols in place to improve community access to information and warnings. The State Emergency Services (SES) is the main agency in New South Wales responsible for flood response and management. Supported by community volunteers, the SES has a clear focus at the local level. This community focus is evident with its “door-knocking kit”, which is based on a community-level vulnerability assessment. The SES has a list of those in the community who are most at risk, such as the elderly and people with disabilities. When a flood risk becomes evident, SES volunteers go knocking on doors to check their preparedness and provide evacuation support. The equivalent of SES in New Zealand, Auckland Emergency Management, could learn from this community-based approach and include it within its <a href="https://getready.govt.nz/en/involved/community/">Community Group Support</a> initiative, so that future disaster responses can be more closely tailored to the community. In the recent floods in Auckland, communication was an issue. Relaying directives and information through multiple institutional layers <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/world/oceania/some-incorrect-decisions-auckland-mayor-under-fire-over-deadly-floods-20230130-p5cggt.html">led to confusion</a>, which could have been avoided through a closer community-based approach. <h2>Building a volunteer army</h2> Another key factor in Australia is the large cadre of SES volunteers – around <a href="https://www.ses.nsw.gov.au/about-us/">9,000 in New South Wales</a>, a state with a population of just over eight million. This is a significant form of social capital, without which the current approach to flood response and management would not be possible. While there are initiatives in New Zealand to <a href="https://www.civildefence.govt.nz/get-ready/volunteering/">attract and engage volunteers</a>, more needs to be done. Civil defence needs to conduct a structural review of the existing volunteer organisations that work in the disaster and emergency response field to identify ways to improve the recruitment and retention. We also found evidence of volunteer “burn-out”, meaning there’s a need to support volunteers emotionally and financially during extended periods of disaster response and recovery. While there is a large number of SES volunteers in Australia, more are needed as climate change drives more frequent, extensive and intense disasters. Given the similar nature of repeat climate-related disaster events in New Zealand, provisions for a large cadre of well-supported and well-trained volunteers is necessary. A review of existing volunteer agencies and community organisations should be undertaken to identify ways they can be harmonised to avoid competing pressures for resources. As well, there’s a need to nurture collaboration between agencies to help with sharing skills, training, data and resource management. <h2>The need for resilience</h2> Perhaps the key lesson for New Zealand, and also Australia, is the need to think beyond emergency management to building long-term resilience within agencies and communities. As climate-related disasters become more common, we need to think about how our cities grow and how we can incorporate flood resilience by retaining green areas and vegetation, improved drainage and transportation links. But both countries also need to focus on being ready for a disaster, instead of managing it after it happens. In doing so, the pressures of managing the disaster when it arrives would be less – and so would the long-term impacts on people and the economy. Image credits: Getty Images This article originally appeared on <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-australia-learned-from-recent-devastating-floods-and-how-new-zealand-can-apply-those-lessons-now-200078" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a>.

Travel Trouble

"This is crazy": Ellen shares worrying update from storm-lashed LA

Former talk show host Ellen DeGeneres shared an update on Twitter showing the intensity of the wild storms hitting Los Angeles. The 64-year-old gave an up close and personal look at how the storm was wreaking havoc near her Montecito mansion. "Montecito is under mandatory evacuation. We are on higher ground so they asked us to shelter in place. Please stay safe everyone," she wrote. The video shows DeGeneres bundled up in a grey raincoat and hoodie as the rising floodwaters in the creek raged behind her. "This creek next to our house never flows, ever. It’s probably about nine feet [2.7m] up. It could go another two feet [60cm] up. We have horses ready to evacuate," she said. DeGeneres lives in an affluent area with other A-listers including the Duke and Duchess of Sussex, Oprah Winfrey, Katy Perry and Orlando Bloom. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Montecito is under mandatory evacuation. We are on higher ground so they asked us to shelter in place. Please stay safe everyone. <a href="https://t.co/7dv5wfNSzG">pic.twitter.com/7dv5wfNSzG</a> — Ellen DeGeneres (@EllenDeGeneres) <a href="https://twitter.com/EllenDeGeneres/status/1612591946635284480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">January 9, 2023</a></blockquote> DeGeneres referenced the five-year anniversary of the deadly mudslides that struck Southern California in 2018, leaving 23 people dead and over 160 others injured. "This is crazy, on the five-year anniversary. We’re having unprecedented rain,” she said. DeGeneres ended the video with a friendly reminder that: “We need to be nicer to mother nature, cause mother nature is not happy with us. Let’s all do our part. Stay safe everybody.” Various fans have commented their support and prayers for the former talk show host. "Wow, so sorry you have to go through that. Stay safe," one commented. "It’s 5 years to the day since 23 people died in the Montecito mudslides. Stay safe Ellen and everyone else," commented another. Image: Twitter

Travel Trouble

‘Patently ridiculous’: State government failures have exacerbated Sydney’s flood disaster

For the fourth time in 18 months, floodwaters have inundated homes and businesses in Western Sydney’s Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley. Recent torrential rain is obviously the immediate cause. But poor decisions by successive New South Wales governments have exacerbated the damage. The town of Windsor, in the Hawkesbury region, has suffered a particularly high toll, with dramatic flood heights of 9.3 metres in February 2020, 12.9m in March 2021 and 13.7m in March this year. As I write, flood heights at Windsor have reached nearly 14m. This is still considerably lower than the monster flood of 1867, which reached almost 20m. It’s clear that standard flood risk reduction measures, such as raising building floor levels, are not safe enough in this valley. We’ve known about the risk of floods to the region for a long time. Yet successive state governments have failed to properly mitigate its impact. Indeed, recent urban development policies by the current NSW government will multiply the risk. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> BBC weather putting Sydney’s downpour into context. More rain there in 4 days than London gets in a year. <a href="https://t.co/FDkBCYGlK7">pic.twitter.com/FDkBCYGlK7</a> — Brett Mcleod (@Brett_McLeod) <a href="https://twitter.com/Brett_McLeod/status/1544071890431623169?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2022</a></blockquote> We knew this was coming A 22,000 square kilometre catchment covering the Blue Mountains and Western Sydney drains into the Hawkesbury-Nepean river system. The system faces an <a href="https://theconversation.com/sydneys-disastrous-flood-wasnt-unprecedented-were-about-to-enter-a-50-year-period-of-frequent-major-floods-158427" target="_blank" rel="noopener">extreme flood risk</a> because gorges restrict the river’s seaward flow, often causing water to rapidly fill up the valley after heavy rain. Governments have known about the flood risks in the valley for more than two centuries. Traditional Owners have known about them for millennia. In 1817, Governor Macquarie lamented: <blockquote> it is impossible not to feel extremely displeased and Indignant at [colonists] Infatuated Obstinacy in persisting to Continue to reside with their Families, Flocks, Herds, and Grain on those Spots Subject to the Floods, and from whence they have often had their prosperity swept away. </blockquote> Macquarie’s was the first in a long line of governments to do nothing effective to reduce the risk. The latest in this undistinguished chain is the NSW Planning Minister Anthony Roberts. In March, Roberts <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/nsw-planning-minister-scraps-order-to-consider-flood-fire-risks-before-building-20220321-p5a6kc.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly revoked</a> his predecessor’s directive to better consider flood and other climate risks in planning decisions, to instead favour housing development. Roberts’ predecessor, Rob Stokes, had required that the Department of Planning, local governments and developers consult Traditional Owners, manage risks from climate change, and make information public on the risks of natural disasters. This could have helped limit development on floodplains. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Michael Greenway knows that as soon as he sees floodwater, it’s time to get the three boxes of family photos and move to higher ground. He’s lived in his Richards home for years and has experienced six floods - three of which have been this year <a href="https://t.co/t8Tgckc5lx">https://t.co/t8Tgckc5lx</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/NSWFloods?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#NSWFloods</a> <a href="https://t.co/ErN6sf6hBn">pic.twitter.com/ErN6sf6hBn</a> — Laura Chung (@Laura_R_Chung) <a href="https://twitter.com/Laura_R_Chung/status/1543890156675276800?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">July 4, 2022</a></blockquote> Why are we still building there? The Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley is currently home to 134,000 people, a population <a href="https://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/expert-advice/hawkesbury-nepean-flood-risk-management-strategy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">projected to</a> double by 2050. The potential <a href="https://theconversation.com/to-stop-risky-developments-in-floodplains-we-have-to-tackle-the-profit-motive-and-our-false-sense-of-security-184062?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=bylinetwitterbutton" target="_blank" rel="noopener">economic returns</a> from property development are a key driver of the <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/26393302" target="_blank" rel="noopener">lack of effective action</a> to reduce flood risk. In the valley, for example, billionaire Kerry Stokes’ company Seven Group is <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/how-raising-the-warragamba-dam-wall-could-be-a-win-for-billionaire-kerry-stokes-20220222-p59yke.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">reportedly a part owner</a> of almost 2,000 hectares at Penrith Lakes by the Nepean River, where a 5,000-home development has been mooted. Planning in Australia often uses the 1-in-100-year flood return interval as a safety standard. <a href="https://nccarf.edu.au/living-floods-key-lessons-australia-and-abroad/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">This is not appropriate</a>. Flood risk in the valley is increasing with climate change, and development in the catchment increases the speed of runoff from paved surfaces. The historical 1-in-100 year safety standard is particularly inappropriate in the valley, because of the extreme risk of rising water cutting off low-lying roads and completely submerging residents cut-off in extreme floods. What’s more, a “medium” climate change scenario will see a <a href="https://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/expert-advice/hawkesbury-nepean-flood-risk-management-strategy/resources/publications-and-resources/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">14.6% increase</a> in rainfall by 2090 west of Sydney. This is projected to increase the 1-in-100 year flood height at Windsor from 17.3m to 18.4m. The NSW government should impose a much higher standard of flood safety before approving new residential development. In my view, it would be prudent to only allow development that could withstand the 20m height of the 1867 flood. No dam can control the biggest floods The NSW government’s primary proposal to reduce flood risk is to <a href="https://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/expert-advice/hawkesbury-nepean-flood-risk-management-strategy/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">raise Warragamba Dam</a> by 14m. There are many reasons this <a href="https://www.giveadam.org.au/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">proposal should be questioned</a>. They include the potential inundation not just of <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/traditional-owners-launch-federal-bid-to-stop-raising-of-warragamba-dam-wall-20210128-p56xkt.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cultural sites</a> of the Gundungarra nation, but threatened species populations, and part of the Blue Mountains World Heritage Area. The <a href="https://www.infrastructure.nsw.gov.au/media/2855/infrastructure-nsw-resilient-valley-resilient-communities-2017-jan.pdf" target="_blank" rel="noopener">cost-benefit analysis</a> used to justify the proposal <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry-submission-details.aspx?pk=65507" target="_blank" rel="noopener">did not count</a> these costs, nor the benefits of alternative measures such as upgrading escape roads. Perversely, flood control dams and levee banks often result in higher flood risks. That’s because none of these structures stop the biggest floods, and they provide an illusion of safety that justifies more risky floodplain development. The current NSW transport minister <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/national/nsw/emergency-minister-says-raising-dam-wall-could-lead-to-more-development-on-floodplain-20210329-p57evo.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">suggested such development</a> in the valley last year. Similar development occurred with the construction of the Wivenhoe Dam in 1984, which hasn’t prevented extensive flooding in <a href="http://www.jstor.org/stable/26393302" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Brisbane</a> in 2011 and 2022. These are among the reasons the NSW Parliament Select Committee on the Proposal to Raise the Warragamba Dam Wall <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/listofcommittees/Pages/committee-details.aspx?pk=262#tab-reportsandgovernmentresponses" target="_blank" rel="noopener">recommended</a> last October that the state government: <blockquote> not proceed with the Warragamba Dam wall raising project [and] pursue alternative floodplain management strategies instead. </blockquote> What the government should do instead The NSW government now has an opportunity to overcome two centuries of failed governance. It could take substantial measures to keep homes off the floodplain and out of harm’s way. We need major <a href="https://www.parliament.nsw.gov.au/committees/inquiries/Pages/inquiry-submission-details.aspx?pk=65507" target="_blank" rel="noopener">new measures</a> including: <ul> <li>preventing new development</li> <li>relocating flood prone residents</li> <li>building better evacuation roads</li> <li>lowering the water storage level behind Warragamba Dam.</li> </ul> The NSW government should help residents to relocate from the most flood-prone places and restore floodplains. This has been undertaken for many Australian towns and cities, such as <a href="https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S2212420914000028" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Grantham</a>, Brisbane, and <a href="https://nccarf.edu.au/living-floods-key-lessons-australia-and-abroad" target="_blank" rel="noopener">along major rivers worldwide</a>. <a href="https://www.mdpi.com/2073-4441/5/4/1580/htm#B10-water-05-01580" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Relocating residents isn’t easy</a>, and any current Australian buyback and relocation programs are voluntary. I think it’s in the public interest to go further and, for example, compulsorily acquire or relocate those with destroyed homes, rather than allowing them to rebuild in harm’s way. This approach offers certainty for flood-hit people and lowers community impacts in the longer term. It is patently ridiculous to rebuild on sites that have been flooded multiple times in two years. In the case of the Hawkesbury-Nepean Valley, there are at least <a href="https://www.theaustralian.com.au/nation/politics/federal-government-insurers-stop-housing-in-floodrisk-zones/news-story/cba71269eff2b0ea00d93445ff0e9f73" target="_blank" rel="noopener">5,000 homes</a> below the 1-in-100-year flood return interval. This includes roughly <a href="https://www.hawkesburygazette.com.au/story/7657492/near-1000-flood-related-home-insurance-claims-already-in-hawkesbury/" target="_blank" rel="noopener">1,000 homes flooded</a> in March. The NSW government says a buyback program would be <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/nsw/farcical-minister-shoots-down-flood-relocation-says-residents-know-the-risks-20220308-p5a2qg.html" target="_blank" rel="noopener">too expensive</a>. Yet, the cost would be comparable to the roughly $2 billion needed to raise Warragamba Dam, or the government’s $5 billion WestInvest fund. An alternative measure to raising the dam is to lower the water storage level in Warragamba Dam by 12m. This would reduce the amount of drinking water stored to supply Sydney, and would provide some flood control space. The city’s water supply would then need to rely more on the existing desalination plant, a <a href="http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S1364032116001817" target="_blank" rel="noopener">strategy assessed as cost effective</a> and with the added benefit of bolstering drought resilience. The flood damage seen in NSW this week was entirely predictable. Measures that could significantly lower flood risk are expensive and politically hard. But as flood risks worsen with climate change, they’re well worth it.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/186304/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jamie-pittock-7562" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Jamie Pittock</a>, Professor, Fenner School of Environment & Society, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/australian-national-university-877" target="_blank" rel="noopener">Australian National University</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank" rel="noopener">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/patently-ridiculous-state-government-failures-have-exacerbated-sydneys-flood-disaster-186304" target="_blank" rel="noopener">original article</a>.

Legal

Readers respond: What is your biggest screw-up in the kitchen?

We asked our readers what their biggest disaster in the kitchen was, and it turns out not everyone can be a culinary expert! From microwave explosions to inedible ingredients, here's just a few of your biggest cooking mishaps. Scolie Simpson - Years ago a lady and I were talking about our first microwave disasters and and she told me that when they got theirs she need to do quite a few boiled eggs for some party thing .So she put either a dozen or 2 in the microwave and went to watch TV. All of a sudden they heard an almighty bang and when she looked the door had blown off and there was egg in every part of the kitchen. The friend next door couldn't stop laughing and said that she should have pierced each egg. She went back to just boiling them. Pamela Crowe - First married, home from work, put oil in pot, turned on hot plate, forgot to buy mince. Went to butchers. Got back to flat, apparently the oil exploded - black ash over every surface. Gay Sharran Gold - I decided to whip up egg whites for a pavlova. I had put the beaters in the mixmaster in reverse unknowingly! I turned it on full throttle and stood there within seconds with egg white through my hair, in my eyes and down my face, sticking to the curtains, dripping down the window and all over the cupboards and floor!! Heather Widjaja - Put chicken bones on the stove to make stock. Forgot to turn the burner off and went out for six hours!!!! Came home to a house full of smoke, disgusting smell and luckily just a ruined saucepan, but a house still standing. Maureen Ivan Notsch - Cooked a chook with the plastic bag with giblets still inside it. Roula May - Sprayed chicken Kiev with fly spray instead of oil! Chook Milne - Used Mr Sheen instead of canola spray on my cake tin.. lucky everyone survived. Vicki Newbury - Made tuna patties and used what I thought was plain flour to roll them in, turned out it was actually custard powder, didn’t realise until they were cooking in the pan, needless to say the whole lot went into the bin. Dawn Croft - When microwaves were brand new I reheated a tuna pasta. It was great. I commented that everyone said that you couldn't get crispy topping in the microwave but my cheese was great. Didn't realise till I went to wash up my Tupperware container that my crispy topping was the plastic from my Tupperware. I survived! Sue Anderson - Made gravy with drinking chocolate instead of Gravox… thought it looked a bit funny so added Parisian Essence. First bite of the roast was a bit exciting for all. Kaye Brown - Making toffee. Everything including the pot was thrown out, after we’d convinced the neighbours and the fire brigade all was fine. Cheryl Millard - Melting chocolate In the microwave. Not knowing that the chocolate doesn’t lose its shape so kept zapping . No bottom left in bowl but chocolate still in its squares. Michael L Carrigg - Entering the kitchen, told to stay out as a youngster and has kept me in good stead ever since, except to make coffee. Gail Fredericks - Forgot to put yeast in the bread maker. Ended up with a very nice brick. Image credits: Getty Images

Home & Garden

‘One of the most extreme disasters in colonial Australian history’

The deluge dumped on southeast Queensland and northern New South Wales this week has been catastrophic. Floodwaters peaked at around 14.4 metres high in Lismore – two metres higher than the city’s previous record. So how does this compare to Australia’s previous floods, such as in 2011? And can we expect more frequent floods at this scale under climate change? The answers to questions like these aren’t straightforward. Climate change doesn’t tell the whole story, as extreme rainfall can occur for a <a href="https://theconversation.com/like-rivers-in-the-sky-the-weather-system-bringing-floods-to-queensland-will-become-more-likely-under-climate-change-176711">variety of reasons</a>. What’s more, it’s too soon to officially state whether this event is directly linked to climate change, as this would require a formal event attribution study. This can take months or years to produce. In any case, we do know extreme events like this will occur more frequently in a warmer world. And the rising death toll, ongoing evacuations and destroyed homes make this one of the most extreme natural disasters in colonial Australian history. How this compares to floods in our past The east coast is a common place for heavy rainfall and flooding. The Yugara and Yugarabul people have <a href="https://www.oxleycreekcatchment.org.au/history/">traditional stories about great floods</a> in the Brisbane river region long before European colonisation, and sediments from floodplains indicate floods as severe as those in 2010–2011 have occurred <a href="https://theconversation.com/old-floods-show-brisbanes-next-big-wet-might-be-closer-than-we-think-70392">at least seven times in the past 1,000 years</a>. Instrumental records and <a href="https://www.slq.qld.gov.au/blog/overview-brisbane-river-floods">documentary accounts</a> show severe floods have inundated southern Queensland’s cities and towns in the 1820s, early 1840s and 1890s, 1931, 1974 and, of course, in 2010–2011. Each of these events have been devastating, and record-breaking, depending on which records you’re interested in. The floods in 1841 and 1893 are considered highest in terms of <a href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-01-16/brisbane-flood-history-should-not-take-people-by-surprise/13051826">water levels recorded in Brisbane city</a>, reaching over 8m. Australia’s wettest day on record was also recorded in 1893, when Crohamhurst in the Glasshouse Mountains measured 907 millimetres in one day. <figure class="align-center "><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449172/original/file-20220301-4202-1lwf5fm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449172/original/file-20220301-4202-1lwf5fm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449172/original/file-20220301-4202-1lwf5fm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449172/original/file-20220301-4202-1lwf5fm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=402&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449172/original/file-20220301-4202-1lwf5fm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449172/original/file-20220301-4202-1lwf5fm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449172/original/file-20220301-4202-1lwf5fm.jpeg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=505&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="Black and white image of men in a small boat in front of a tall brick building that is half submerged in flood water. The building had 'West End Brewery' written on it" /><figcaption>The West End Brewery in Brisbane in 1890. The Brewery building was damaged even further in the 1893 flood, when the Brisbane River rose 10 feet above the 1890 record. John Oxley Library, State Library of Queensland</figcaption></figure> The 1974 event was associated with extreme rainfall totals in many coastal areas, including 314mm in one day in Brisbane, and more than a metre of rainfall was recorded over three days in places such as Mount Tamborine and the northwest of Surfers Paradise. The 2010–11 flood, while not as severe in terms of extreme rainfall totals, <a href="http://www.bom.gov.au/climate/current/statements/scs24b.pdf">was notable for its inland extent</a>, and was the final act of Australia’s wettest July to December on record. The current flood has peaked at 3.85m in Brisbane, below the 2010–2011 levels of 4.46m. But it’s breaking records in other areas such as Lismore in northern NSW. The rainfall statistics associated with this event are also nearing the highest on record for many places, possibly due to the slow-moving nature of the associated weather system. Four of the top six highest rainfall totals in NSW were <a href="https://www.weatherzone.com.au/news/second-heaviest-daily-rainfall-ever-observed-in-nsw/536322">recorded on 28 February</a>, and Brisbane has just experienced three days of over 200mm. These aren’t the highest daily totals ever recorded in the city, but the first time three days of such intense falls have been documented, in data that go back to 1841. Disentangling the role of climate change When it comes to understanding the role of human-induced climate change in extreme events, there is the temptation to ask the wrong question: “did climate change cause this event?” Since any extreme event is always a manifestation of climate variability, large weather systems, local-scale weather and climate change, it’s impossible to categorically answer this question with a simple “yes” or “no”. Instead, the question we should be asking is “did climate change contribute to this event?” Well, firstly, there has actually been a slight decrease in summer rainfall in southeast Queensland and northeast NSW since the mid-20th century. But, there’s very high variability in rainfall for this region, and La Niña – a natural climate phenonenon associated with wetter weather – often brings flooding to this area, as we saw in 2010/2011 and in the 1970s. <figure class="align-center zoomable"><a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449171/original/file-20220301-15-1h65whn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449171/original/file-20220301-15-1h65whn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" sizes="(min-width: 1466px) 754px, (max-width: 599px) 100vw, (min-width: 600px) 600px, 237px" srcset="https://images.theconversation.com/files/449171/original/file-20220301-15-1h65whn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=1 600w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449171/original/file-20220301-15-1h65whn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=2 1200w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449171/original/file-20220301-15-1h65whn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=600&h=424&fit=crop&dpr=3 1800w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449171/original/file-20220301-15-1h65whn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=1 754w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449171/original/file-20220301-15-1h65whn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=30&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=2 1508w, https://images.theconversation.com/files/449171/original/file-20220301-15-1h65whn.png?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=15&auto=format&w=754&h=533&fit=crop&dpr=3 2262w" alt="" /></a><figcaption>Trends in maximum 3-day rainfall in summer (December-February) from 1959/1960 to 2019/2020 show mixed trends in the flood-affected region. White areas are where station coverage is sparse or the dataset fails a quality control test. Author provided</figcaption></figure> Indeed, the effect of La Niña (and its counterpart El Niño, associated with drier weather) makes identifying a climate change-related trend more difficult. In other words, while a human-induced climate change signal may be present, the naturally high variability makes it hard to spot. The atmosphere can hold approximately 7% more moisture for every degree Celsius of global warming. However, we also need the right weather systems in place to trigger the release of moisture from the air and cause extreme rainfall. The climate change effect on these systems is uncertain. Climate change and weather systems The severity of the flooding in southeast Queensland is partly due to a weather system called an “<a href="https://theconversation.com/like-rivers-in-the-sky-the-weather-system-bringing-floods-to-queensland-will-become-more-likely-under-climate-change-176711">atmospheric river</a>” sitting over the region for days. To make matters worse, the rain fell on an already sodden ground due to both the higher-than-average rainfall from the current La Niña, and the La Niña in the 2020-2021 summer. This made a huge difference to the scale of the floods. We don’t fully understand how the persistence of these natural systems will change in future, but recent work shows climate change will cause long-lasting atmospheric rivers over Sydney to occur <a href="https://agupubs.onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/abs/10.1029/2021GL095335">almost twice as often</a> by the end of the 21st century. We don’t know yet if that’s also true further north of Sydney. To complicate things further, there’s <a href="https://www.carbonbrief.org/expect-twice-as-many-extreme-la-nina-events-under-climate-change-study-warns">evidence</a> to suggest climate change may be influencing the frequency, intensity and impacts of El Niño and La Niña events. <a href="https://interactive-atlas.ipcc.ch/regional-information#eyJ0eXBlIjoiQVRMQVMiLCJjb21tb25zIjp7ImxhdCI6MjAxMzY5LCJsbmciOi05OTQxNSwiem9vbSI6MywicHJvaiI6IkVQU0c6NTQwMzAiLCJtb2RlIjoic2ltcGxlX2F0bGFzIn0sInByaW1hcnkiOnsic2NlbmFyaW8iOiJzc3A1ODUiLCJwZXJpb2QiOiIyIiwic2Vhc29uIjoiRGVjRmViIiwiZGF0YXNldCI6IkNNSVA2IiwidmFyaWFibGUiOiJSeDFkYXkiLCJ2YWx1ZVR5cGUiOiJSRUxBVElWRV9BTk9NQUxZIiwiaGF0Y2hpbmciOiJTSU1QTEUiLCJyZWdpb25TZXQiOiJhcjYiLCJiYXNlbGluZSI6InByZUluZHVzdHJpYWwiLCJyZWdpb25zU2VsZWN0ZWQiOltdfSwicGxvdCI6eyJhY3RpdmVUYWIiOiJwbHVtZSIsIm1hc2siOiJub25lIiwic2NhdHRlcllNYWciOm51bGwsInNjYXR0ZXJZVmFyIjpudWxsLCJzaG93aW5nIjpmYWxzZX19">Climate change projections</a> also suggest we may see small increases in the number of extreme one-day rainfall events which typically lead to flash flooding, in eastern Australia. But there’s a lot of uncertainty. And worldwide, <a href="https://theconversation.com/mass-starvation-extinctions-disasters-the-new-ipcc-reports-grim-predictions-and-why-adaptation-efforts-are-falling-behind-176693">Monday’s report</a> from the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change projected that global warming of 2℃ this century will bring twice as much flood damage compared to 1.5℃ warming. This jumps to 3.9 times more flood damage at 3℃ warming. While the role of climate change is hard to pin down in Australia’s biggest floods, we know flooding often strikes our east coast. Building greater resilience to severe flooding would help lessen their impact. Taking steps like concentrating new housing and infrastructure projects in areas above flood plains would help make us less vulnerable to these events. <img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/178153/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/andrew-king-103126">Andrew King</a>, Senior Lecturer in Climate Science, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>; <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/linden-ashcroft-152419">Linden Ashcroft</a>, Lecturer in climate science and science communication, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/the-university-of-melbourne-722">The University of Melbourne</a>, and <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/sarah-perkins-kirkpatrick-58472">Sarah Perkins-Kirkpatrick</a>, Chief Investigator on the ARC Centre of Excellence for Climate Extremes; ARC Future Fellow, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-sydney-1414">UNSW Sydney</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/one-of-the-most-extreme-disasters-in-colonial-australian-history-climate-scientists-on-the-floods-and-our-future-risk-178153">original article</a>.

Domestic Travel

Four things tsunami-vulnerable countries must do to prepare for the next disaster

The eruption of an underwater volcano and subsequent tsunami that hit Tonga on January 16, was one of the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-asia-60106981" target="_blank">most violent natural disasters</a> in decades. While this event had <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.reuters.com/world/asia-pacific/tonga-struggles-with-ash-psychological-trauma-after-eruption-tsunami-2022-01-23/" target="_blank">catastrophic consequences</a>, such incidents are relatively common as volcanoes are naturally unstable, unpredictable and exist throughout the world. I have spent most of my career conducting post-disaster field research, improving coastal defences and supporting people to become more resilient to tsunamis and less anxious about the risk. The challenge facing countries in these naturally vulnerable parts of the world is to adapt and educate their citizens to take their own safety actions. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442734/original/file-20220126-13-1wfggn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442734/original/file-20220126-13-1wfggn.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Map showing areas of the world at risk from tsunamis." /></a> Sketch of global tsunami hazard (as of May 2009). <a rel="noopener" href="https://reliefweb.int/map/world/world-sketch-global-tsunami-hazard-may-2009" target="_blank" class="source">UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction</a> Here I have outlined four things that vulnerable countries must urgently do to mitigate the consequences of tsunamis: 1. Educate people to be more resilient Education is one of the most effective defences. Regardless of the size of the wave or strength of seawalls, people are much more likely to survive a tsunami if they know exactly how to react once an alert is triggered. Vulnerable countries must therefore urgently create an educated, close-knit community that is aware that they are exposed to the risk and accept it as an aspect of their life and culture. I conducted focus group meetings with people, businesses and communities in Indonesia <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/krakatoa-is-still-active-and-we-are-not-ready-for-the-tsunamis-another-eruption-would-generate-147250" target="_blank">after the Anak Krakatoa tsunami in 2018</a>. In these groups, we established designated high ground areas and clear signage directing people to these safe zones. Evacuation events, such as mock tsunami drills, must be practised regularly so that people are familiar with safe areas and know where to go in the instance of a real tsunami. In Tonga specifically, where a third of the population is under the age of 15, tsunami safety must be taught at both primary and secondary school levels. Familiarising their young population with tsunamis, as well as other natural hazards such as <a rel="noopener" href="https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/disasterfacts.pdf" target="_blank">cyclones and earthquakes</a>, will create a more resilient and less anxious adult population. 2. Create effective early warning systems A decrease in ocean water surface levels is a clear sign that a tsunami is about to hit. Vulnerable countries must create early warning systems using satellites, drones and tide gauges to measure the vertical rise or fall of water to identify tsunamis before they happen. In light of the tsunami in Tonga, it would also help to place equipment such as <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.whoi.edu/what-we-do/explore/instruments/instruments-sensors-samplers/conductivity-temperature-depth-ctd-sensors/" target="_blank">conductivity-temperature-depth (CTD)</a> instruments, seismometers and thermal cameras near underwater volcanoes, while also observing the waters above with satellites. Buoys that measure the height and direction of waves can also be placed out at sea. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442939/original/file-20220127-28-ypjzpu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442939/original/file-20220127-28-ypjzpu.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="A yellow buoy in the ocean" /></a> A tsunami detection buoy off the coast of Thailand. The Mariner 4291 / shutterstock When water levels are triggered, tsunami alert messages are sent out, giving people enough time to escape the impact zones. I experienced this myself while conducting fieldwork in a small town on the southern coast of Japan in 2018. There was <a rel="noopener" href="https://mainichi.jp/english/articles/20181102/p2a/00m/0na/018000c" target="_blank">an earthquake</a> during my stay and before the ground had even stopped shaking my colleague received a text alert from the regional government with instructions. I grabbed my passport and prepared to go towards a nearby hill if he received a follow up “red alert” text – fortunately, that particular earthquake did not cause a tsunami, and we were able to stay where we were. 3. Establish a strong coastal defence scheme Tsunami-vulnerable countries must urgently create strong coastal defence schemes of offshore breakwaters, <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.theguardian.com/world/gallery/2018/mar/09/after-the-tsunami-japan-sea-walls-in-pictures" target="_blank">tsunami walls</a> and flood levees. Tsunami waves hit hard, so ideally these foundations will be made of reinforced concrete to avoid erosion. Natural protections like <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.princeton.edu/news/2006/12/15/living-coral-reefs-provide-better-protection-tsunami-waves" target="_blank">coral reefs</a> could be strengthened with nature-based solutions such as rock armour or heavy sandbags, which will lower the cost for developing countries. <a href="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442947/original/file-20220127-4868-6qoq3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=1000&fit=clip"><img src="https://images.theconversation.com/files/442947/original/file-20220127-4868-6qoq3p.jpg?ixlib=rb-1.1.0&q=45&auto=format&w=754&fit=clip" alt="Man walks along concrete wall" /></a> A new coastal dyke in the city of Sendai, Japan, built after the 2011 tsunami. Ravindra Jayaratne, Author provided Critical infrastructure like power plants, densely populated communities and tourist hotspots must be built on higher ground, where possible. A good example of this comes from Miyagi and Iwate prefectures, Japan, which were badly hit by the 2011 Tohoku tsunami (the one which caused a nuclear disaster in neighbouring Fukushima). Some towns were <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.cbsnews.com/news/japan-tsunami-2011-fukushima-rebuilt-city-rikuzen-takata-residents-still-scared/" target="_blank">rebuilt on elevated ground</a> that had been filled in with compacted soil. If space is available, coastal forests with tall trees could be planted between communities and the beach to <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.naturebasedsolutionsinitiative.org/publications/vegetation-bioshields-for-tsunami-mitigation-review-of-effectiveness-limitations-construction-and-sustainable-management/" target="_blank">act as a buffer zone</a>, limiting the impact of waves and reducing flooding, while also improving the local ecosystem. These defences may damage the tourist-friendly aesthetic of white sandy beaches, but they could save lives. 4. Form a regional approach to tsunamis The effects of the underwater volcano eruption and tsunami in Tonga were felt around the Pacific in Australia, New Zealand, Japan and America. These vulnerable countries must implement a regional approach to defending and responding to tsunamis. Aid must be given before tsunamis hit, not just after. This can be done through sharing data, expertise, research facilities and equipment. It is vitally important that this information is specifically given to developing countries to help strengthen their own defences. The underwater volcano near Tonga is active. And even if the recent eruption was a one in 1,000 year event, there is still a strong chance that it will erupt again since geological deposits show that major eruptions like this one tend to involve a <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.scientificamerican.com/article/why-the-tonga-eruption-was-so-violent-and-what-to-expect-next/" target="_blank">series of many individual explosive events</a>. Countries that are threatened by tsunamis can’t prevent these natural disasters from happening, but they can adapt to be better prepared for when they do. Foreign aid will be vital for Tonga to recover from this horrific incident. However, education and collaboration will be its most important defence in the longer term.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175721/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/ravindra-jayaratne-1147986" target="_blank">Ravindra Jayaratne</a>, Reader in Coastal Engineering, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-east-london-924" target="_blank">University of East London</a> This article is republished from <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/four-things-tsunami-vulnerable-countries-must-do-to-prepare-for-the-next-disaster-175721" target="_blank">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

Domestic Travel

What a disaster: federal government slashes COVID payment when people need it most

With Australia’s official COVID-19 infection numbers topping <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/australia-covid-cases.html">100,000 a day</a>, the federal government has slashed its last remaining pandemic support payment. The decision is ill-timed, irresponsible and heartless. It is stripping away support for those most affected by the pandemic at the time they need it most. It will place those in low paid and precarious work in further financial stress as they lose income to isolate when infected or in close contact with someone else with COVID-19. The Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment was introduced in August 2020 in response to concerns casual workers and others without sick or pandemic leave entitlements could not take time off work when infected or in contact with someone with COVID-19. The leave payment was initially available to those not qualifying for JobKeeper – or, after JobKeeper ended in March 2021, the “disaster payment” introduced in response to <a href="https://theconversation.com/support-package-for-sydney-better-and-more-fit-for-purpose-than-jobkeeper-164394">the Sydney lockdown</a> in July 2021. Since that payment ended the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment is the only individual financial support the federal government provides. Available to people who had contracted COVID, were a close contact or needed to care for someone who had COVID, until this week it paid A$750 a week for two weeks. You could claim the payment regardless of the number of hours of paid work you lost. On January 18 the rules tightened – a move announced via a <a href="https://ministers.pmc.gov.au/mckenzie/2022/changes-pandemic-leave-disaster-payment">press release </a> on January 8 (a Saturday). Now it only pays $750 if you lose 20 hours or more of paid work a week. If you lose 8-19 hours you get just $450 a week. If you lose less than eight hours you get nothing. Getting the payment has also been made more difficult by imposing a 14-day time limit to apply, from the start of the isolation period. To qualify, you must show evidence of a positive PCR or rapid antigen test. Considering the difficulty of obtaining RATs, and delays in PCR test results <a href="https://www.smh.com.au/politics/victoria/test-samples-no-longer-suitable-after-seven-day-wait-20220108-p59ms1.html">of a week or more</a>, this is a unreasonable and unnecessary constraint. <h2>Flawed eligibility rules</h2> A major flaw in the eligibility rules for the leave payment it is not available to people receiving social security payments. This excludes all JobSeeker recipients, despite about <a href="https://data.gov.au/data/dataset/dss-payment-demographic-data/resource/80cc89a3-3208-4e0d-9745-598f7a882e28">one in four</a> being in some form of paid work – generally low-paid casual jobs. The leave payment has been a vital part of the economic supports to help people stay safe and protect their loved ones and the community. The peak body for the community services sector, the Australian Council of Social Service, has <a href="https://www.acoss.org.au/media-releases/?media_release=another-income-hit-for-casual-workers-massive-cut-to-pandemic-leave-disaster-payment">condemned this decision</a>. It says cutting the payment will leave people without enough to cover basic costs, let alone the extra costs of isolation such as delivery fees, rapid tests (if you can get them) and personal protective equipment. <h2>Worst time possible</h2> There could scarcely be a worse time to cut this payment, with Australia now in the worst stage of the pandemic. Between August 5 2020 and July 8 2021 the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment provided <a href="https://www.aph.gov.au/About_Parliament/Parliamentary_Departments/Parliamentary_Library/pubs/rp/rp2122/Quick_Guides/COVID-19DisasterPayments">almost 15,000 grants</a> to support those in need. During this period the peak COVID case rate was just over 500 day, in August 2020. Consider, therefore, the likely need now we’re at more than <a href="https://www.nytimes.com/interactive/2021/world/australia-covid-cases.html">100,000 a day</a>. With no other form of federal income support available you may apply for an unemployment or sickness payment like JobSeeker. But Services Australia advises this will be paid about <a href="https://www.servicesaustralia.gov.au/when-youll-get-your-first-jobseeker-payment?context=51411">two weeks after</a> a claim is granted. That is of little help to cover rent while you’re isolating with COVID. JobSeeker is also a maximum of $315 a week – inadequate to cover basic costs. This cut will affect many of the same people <a href="https://www.dailytelegraph.com.au/news/national/pm-announces-national-day-of-thanks-for-pandemic-heroes/news-story/174c8ccb94814aaa554d79eea0193e4f">lauded as the heroes of pandemic</a> – essential workers employed casually in health and aged care, supermarkets, hospitality venues and warehouses. It will also hurt temporary visa holders, who are entitled to the leave payment and do not qualify for any other federal income support. Last week <a href="https://www.acoss.org.au/media-releases/?media_release=community-sector-calls-for-collaboration-and-decisive-leadership-from-national-cabinet-to-deal-with-covid-debacle">ACOSS called for</a> the establishment of a civil society COVID Rapid Response Group to work alongside National Cabinet. We need the interests of people most at risk in the room at the highest levels when decisions like the future of the Pandemic Leave Disaster Payment are made. Cutting this payment now is effectively telling low-paid workers at the worst stage of the pandemic in Australia that they’re on their own.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/175146/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/cassandra-goldie-94635">Cassandra Goldie</a>, Adjunct Professor and UNSW Law Advisory Council Member, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414">UNSW</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-a-disaster-federal-government-slashes-covid-payment-when-people-need-it-most-175146">original article</a>. Image: Mick Tsikas/AAP

Retirement Income

Man’s skin ruined after tanning injection disaster

Before a much anticipated holiday to Spain, 28-year-old Dylan Wright wanted to boost his golden tan. To get the glow he was searching for, he purchased $18 tanning injections, and administered two of them before leaving for the airport. However, at the end of his six-day trip, his complexion was a lot darker than he expected. Dylan says that looking back, he probably should’ve used only one syringe, but didn’t want to run the risk of bringing the injections through airport security. “I bought them before to make the most of the sun. I went on the sunbeds a bit before the holiday but didn’t take the injections until just before I left,” he told <a href="https://swns.com/">SWNS</a>. Sharing his story to TikTok, Dylan said he has been left with permanent physical reminders of the injections, and even experienced a cancer scare as a result. “The doctors called me an idiot and told me it’s a side effect from the drug, but now I’m stuck with [freckles],” he said. “I’ve got freckles like I’m in my 50s or 60s. It feels like my skin’s aged.” The injections contain a lab-made hormone called melanotan II to increase melanin production, but at the cost of lasting skin damage. Now that Dylan’s excessive tan has faded, he is trying to spread awareness of the dangers of tanning injections, and urging people to do their own research. “It’s really not worth it. There’s safer ways to tan, like fake tanning,” he said. “It gave me a wake-up call … It’s a classic case of being 20 and thinking you’re invincible.” Image credits: TikTok

Beauty & Style

Convenient but susceptible to fraud: Why it makes sense to regulate charitable crowdfunding

Within 24 hours of <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/why-the-southern-us-is-prone-to-december-tornadoes-173643" target="_blank">devastating tornadoes striking six states</a> in December 2021, Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear launched the <a rel="noopener" href="https://secure.kentucky.gov/formservices/Finance/WKYRelief" target="_blank">Team Western Kentucky Tornado Relief Fund</a>. That the leader of the state this disaster hit hardest would immediately tap into <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.councilofnonprofits.org/tools-resources/crowdfunding-nonprofits" target="_blank">crowdfunded charity</a> – raising money from the public directly – to complement relief dollars from official sources should come as no surprise. Crowdfunded donations have become a key source of disaster assistance – and often raise significant sums. In 2017, for example, football star J.J. Watt quickly raised more than $40 million help people affected by <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.houstontexans.com/news/j-j-watt-foundation-announces-hurricane-harvey-recap-and-2018-19-plans" target="_blank">Hurricane Harvey</a>. Following a series of Australian wildfires, entertainer Celeste Barber made a public appeal that eventually raised more than AU$50 million for the <a rel="noopener" href="https://eprints.qut.edu.au/200554" target="_blank">New South Wales Rural Fire Service & Brigades Donation Fund</a>. And to date, the CDC Foundation has raised more than $51 million to support its “<a rel="noopener" href="https://give4cdcf.org/?utm_source=CDCF&utm_medium=web&utm_campaign=combat-coronavirus" target="_blank">Crush COVID</a>” campaign. What’s not to like about this new way to raise funds for a good cause? Well, as long as there has been charitable fundraising there has been the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/how-donors-can-help-make-nonprofits-more-accountable-85927" target="_blank">potential for scams</a>. As a <a rel="noopener" href="https://scholar.google.com/citations?user=uplx-M8AAAAJ&hl=en&oi=ao" target="_blank">law professor who studies the regulation of charities</a>, as well as a lawyer who has represented numerous charities and donors in legal disputes, I’ve seen that two aspects of charitable crowdfunding make it particularly vulnerable to fraud. Sometimes it turns out to be crowd-frauding In late 2017, a New Jersey couple posted an inspiring story on GoFundMe. A homeless veteran, they said, had come to the wife’s rescue after she ran out of gas on a highway exit ramp. Their “<a rel="noopener" href="https://abc7ny.com/homeless-hero-gofundme-money-stolen-from-man-john-bobbitt-gofund-me-go-fund/4690185/" target="_blank">Paying it Forward</a>” campaign raised more than $400,000 to help the veteran. Heartwarming, right? Trouble is, it was a lie. All three of the people involved in this trickery eventually <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.inquirer.com/news/mark-damico-johnny-bobbitt-kate-mcclure-gofundme-guilty-20211122.html" target="_blank">pleaded guilty to federal charges</a> of “<a rel="noopener" href="https://www.dicindiolaw.com/what-constitutes-theft-by-deception/" target="_blank">theft by deception</a>.” Fraudulent crowdfunding can also prey on political sentiments rather than just exploiting sympathy. In 2020, <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.justice.gov/usao-sdny/pr/leaders-we-build-wall-online-fundraising-campaign-charged-defrauding-hundreds-thousands" target="_blank">federal prosecutors charged</a> former senior Trump adviser Steve Bannon and three others with defrauding thousands of donors to a crowdfunding campaign for <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/why-steve-bannon-faces-fraud-charges-4-questions-answered-144834" target="_blank">building portions of a wall</a> along the U.S. border with Mexico. Bannon and his partners allegedly instead used some of the funds raised to compensate themselves and pay for personal expenses. Although then-President <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/01/19/trump-pardons-expected-day-before-biden-inauguration.html" target="_blank">Donald J. Trump pardoned Bannon</a> in advance of any trial, the former White House aide still <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.forbes.com/sites/alisondurkee/2021/05/25/steve-bannon-officially-cleared-of-federal-charges-after-trump-pardon---but-this-state-probe-still-looms/?sh=1a58e95657c4" target="_blank">faces possible state charges</a>. Reasons for vulnerability Making a special website isn’t necessary to raise charitable funds this way. Some 45 million people donated to or created a fundraiser using Facebook from 2015 to 2020, raising over <a rel="noopener" href="https://about.fb.com/news/2019/09/2-billion-for-causes/" target="_blank">$3 billion for charities</a>, according the company. And crowdfunding efforts can help people without <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.irs.gov/taxtopics/tc506" target="_blank">technically counting as tax-deductible charity</a>. <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.gofundme.com/" target="_blank">GoFundMe</a>, a popular charitable crowdfunding platform, lets people raise funds for both personal needs, such as covering medical expenses, and for specific charities of all kinds. Being fast and cheap to operate makes charitable crowdfunding ideal in some ways, not others. More traditional fundraising campaigns that rely on mailings and phone calls are time-consuming to establish. In contrast, it’s possible to set up a new campaign on GoFundMe that is then visible both nationally and internationally within a few minutes. In the wake of a highly publicized disaster, when many people are <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/how-to-select-a-disaster-relief-charity-83928" target="_blank">looking for a quick way to help</a>, everyone – even governors – will want to move fast. Opportunities for fraud are perhaps at their peak. Compounding this problem: Laws governing charitable fundraising do not clearly apply to campaign organizers and crowdfunding platforms. As I detail in an article <a rel="noopener" href="https://papers.ssrn.com/sol3/papers.cfm?abstract_id=3686612" target="_blank">soon to be published in the Indiana Law Journal</a>, state legislatures wrote those laws decades ago, when charities raised money either directly or using paid solicitors. As a result, those laws do not usually apply to individuals who voluntarily raise money for individuals or charities to which they have no formal ties. Nor do they apply to the recently emerged platforms where people crowdfund for causes. California takes aim So far, there’s no regulation taking shape to address these issues at the federal level. California became the first state to pass legislation specifically targeting charitable crowdfunding when Gov. Gavin Newson signed Assembly Bill No. 488 into law in October 2021. The measure, which will not <a rel="noopener" href="https://leginfo.legislature.ca.gov/faces/billNavClient.xhtml?bill_id=202120220AB488" target="_blank">take effect until Jan. 1, 2023</a>, requires both charities raising funds online and platforms hosting campaigns for specific charities to register and file regular reports with the state’s <a rel="noopener" href="https://oag.ca.gov/charities" target="_blank">Registry of Charitable Trusts</a>. The new law will also require these charities and platforms to make certain public disclosures and receipts, as needed. It will also require platforms to promptly distribute donations to the designated charities and obtain a charity’s written consent before soliciting funds for its benefit – with some exceptions. In my view, California’s new law is a good first effort. It places the burden of compliance on the charities themselves and the handful of online platforms engaged in this work, not on the numerous individuals who start campaigns. But it remains to be seen whether the registration, reporting, disclosure and other requirements will create enough transparency and accountability to sufficiently deter fraud without over burdening legitimate charities and platforms. I appreciate the difficult task legislators face in striking a balance that avoids both over- and underregulation. Lawmakers do not want to overregulate charitable crowdfunding to the point that generous individuals and legitimate charities shy away from launching campaigns because of the legal burdens of doing so. That is, all new laws and regulations, in addition to discouraging crowdfunding fraud, ought to encourage generosity. At the same time, lawmakers want to regulate charitable crowdfunding enough to ensure that all or almost all funds raised go the individuals and charities that the donors intend to support. Time will tell whether California and the states that follow its example have struck the right balance.<img style="border: none !important; box-shadow: none !important; margin: 0 !important; max-height: 1px !important; max-width: 1px !important; min-height: 1px !important; min-width: 1px !important; opacity: 0 !important; outline: none !important; padding: 0 !important; text-shadow: none !important;" src="https://counter.theconversation.com/content/172029/count.gif?distributor=republish-lightbox-basic" alt="The Conversation" width="1" height="1" /> <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/lloyd-hitoshi-mayer-1148002" target="_blank">Lloyd Hitoshi Mayer</a>, Professor of Law, <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/university-of-notre-dame-990" target="_blank">University of Notre Dame</a> This article is republished from <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com" target="_blank">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a rel="noopener" href="https://theconversation.com/convenient-but-susceptible-to-fraud-why-it-makes-sense-to-regulate-charitable-crowdfunding-172029" target="_blank">original article</a>. Image: Getty Images

Money & Banking

Woman speaks out after brother dies in Amazon warehouse

US-based retail giant Amazon is facing questions and criticism over its health and safety policies after six workers died when an Illinois warehouse was destroyed by a tornado on Friday. The tornado was one of at least 30 that left areas across several states in devastation, and caused the Amazon warehouse in Edwardsville, Illinois, to collapse. One person was injured and 45 others were rescued safely. Speaking at a news conference on Saturday, Edwardsville Fire Chief James Whiteford said walls on both sides of the building collapsed inwards, while the roof collapsed downward. According to the National Weather Service, the tornado touched down in Edwardsville at approximately 8.35pm. <img style="width: 0px; height: 0px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7846342/amazon1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/b402df1e66454952971e7c37c5d36492" /> First responders surrounded the Edwardsville warehouse, where around 100 people were trapped. Image: Getty Images Amazon has said its team had “worked quickly” in response to the tornado, and that site leaders told employees on duty to take shelter at around 8.16pm local time. When contacted by the BBC, Amazon said in a statement that the site received tornado warnings between 8.06pm and 8.16pm local time, before the tornado struck at 8.27pm. However, Rachel Cope, the sister of one of the victims, told the <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.bbc.com/news/business-59641784" target="_blank">BBC</a> she understood from a conversation between her brother and parents that workers weren’t immediately told to shelter following the first warning siren. Her brother, 29-year-old Clayton Cope, spoke to his family on the phone shortly before the building was struck, with his mother Carla saying she called to warn him of the approaching tornado. “We told him it looked like the storm was heading that way and that he needed to get to shelter,” Carla told NBC-affiliated television station KSDK. Clayton, formerly trained in the Navy, told his mother that he would warn his coworkers before taking shelter. Rachel has since taken to social media calling for publicity around the company’s approach to health and safety. “Everyone knows that this warehouse didn’t let everyone get to shelter after he [sic] first siren was heard,” she <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2021/12/13/torn-d13.html" target="_blank">wrote</a> in a Facebook post. “Everyone knows that all Amazon cares about is productivity. My brother never would have died if this company actually gave 2 shits about their employees and got them to safety after the storm started to get bad and took it seriously… “I want them to answer for this, I want this to be a starting point of places taking the lives of their employees seriously and treating them as more than a number. This never would have happened if they cared about lives over productivity and you all know that.” Another victim, father-of-four Larry Virden, reportedly texted his long-term girlfriend telling her the company wouldn’t let workers leave. Cherie Jones, his partner of 13 years, told The Post he had texted her at 8.23pm local time, with her messages sent at 8.51pm going unanswered. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Horrifying details are emerging about the tornado disaster at Amazon's warehouse in Illinois, where at least 6 workers were killed on the job. Before he died, Larry Virden reportedly texted his girlfriend: "Amazon won’t let us leave." He leaves behind four children. <a href="https://t.co/3ZRLik9VIs">pic.twitter.com/3ZRLik9VIs</a> — More Perfect Union (@MorePerfectUS) <a href="https://twitter.com/MorePerfectUS/status/1470513075489054720?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 13, 2021</a></blockquote> “I got text messages from him. He always tells me when he is filling up the Amazon truck when he is getting ready to go back,” she <a href="https://au.news.yahoo.com/dad-of-fours-last-text-16-minutes-before-death-in-amazon-warehouse-104740521.html">said</a>. “I was like ‘OK, I love you’. He’s like, ‘well Amazon won’t let me leave until after the storm blows over’.” “We heard the tornado didn’t touch down until 8.39 so he had 20 minutes to get home. “I messaged him and that was the last text message I got from him. “I told him where we live, it was only lightning at the time. After that, I got nothing from him.” The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has announced it will <a href="https://www.cnbc.com/2021/12/13/osha-opens-probe-into-deadly-amazon-warehouse-collapse-in-illinois.html">investigate the collapse</a>. Founder Jeff Bezos has also been the target of criticism after posting pictures of himself and his Blue Origin space crew following the incident. <blockquote style="background: #FFF; border: 0; border-radius: 3px; box-shadow: 0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width: 540px; min-width: 326px; padding: 0; width: calc(100% - 2px);" class="instagram-media" data-instgrm-captioned="" data-instgrm-permalink="https://www.instagram.com/p/CXWLFkxr5td/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" data-instgrm-version="14"> <div style="padding: 16px;"> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: row; align-items: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 40px; margin-right: 14px; width: 40px;"></div> <div style="display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center;"> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 100px;"></div> <div style="background-color: #f4f4f4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 60px;"></div> </div> </div> <div style="padding: 19% 0;"></div> <div style="display: block; height: 50px; margin: 0 auto 12px; width: 50px;"></div> <div style="padding-top: 8px;"> <div style="color: #3897f0; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: 550; line-height: 18px;">View this post on Instagram</div> </div> <p style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; line-height: 17px; margin-bottom: 0; margin-top: 8px; overflow: hidden; padding: 8px 0 7px; text-align: center; text-overflow: ellipsis; white-space: nowrap;"><a style="color: #c9c8cd; font-family: Arial,sans-serif; font-size: 14px; font-style: normal; font-weight: normal; line-height: 17px; text-decoration: none;" rel="noopener" href="https://www.instagram.com/p/CXWLFkxr5td/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=loading" target="_blank">A post shared by Jeff Bezos (@jeffbezos)</a> </div> </blockquote> He later issued a statement expressing his condolences to the families of the victims. “The news from Edwardsville is tragic. We’re heartbroken over the loss of our teammates there, and our thoughts and prayers are with their families and loved ones,” he wrote. <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> (2/2) All of Edwardsville should know that the Amazon team is committed to supporting them and will be by their side through this crisis. We extend our fullest gratitude to all the incredible first responders who have worked so tirelessly at the site. — Jeff Bezos (@JeffBezos) <a href="https://twitter.com/JeffBezos/status/1469849247042334721?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">December 12, 2021</a></blockquote> Amazon has said it will donate $USD 1 million ($AUD 1.41 million or $NZD 1.48 million) to the Edwardsville Community Foundation, which represents 0.0000009 percent of the company’s earnings in <a href="https://techcrunch.com/2021/10/28/amazon-stock-falls-on-revenue-miss-rising-costs-due-to-macroeconomic-conditions/">Q3 2021</a>. The company has also said it will provide relief supplies such as transport, food and water. Images: Getty Images

Travel Trouble

Woman's spray tan disaster goes viral

Image: News.com.au UK woman has gone viral after she shares photos of her pre-wedding fake tan disaster. Derrie Matthews, aged 36 from the UK, had asked a beautician to spray her twice in the darkest tan shade, admitting this “seemed like a good idea at the time”. However, when she got home following her appointment, her partner and daughter couldn’t stop laughing. “Dolly was nearly crying in case any of her friends saw me. I thought they were overacting,” Derrie wrote on Facebook, alongside a series of snaps showing off her new tan. “I woke up this morning and absolutely shat my pants. Thank the Lord a shower sorted me but RIP bed sheets.” Derrie says she was going to a wedding and wanted to add some colour to her “super pale” complexion. “So, I just asked the girl if she would do it twice, so much darker,” she said. The beautician told her to leave it on for eight hours and then wash it off but Derrie didn’t want to, out of fear it would stop developing. Derrie’s post has since attracted more than 3000 comments and 18,000 likes since sharing snaps of her fake tan disaster over the weekend.

Body

“Somebody getting fired”: Angelina Jolie’s red carpet disaster

Angelina Jolie, or more specifically her hair, has gone viral after an unfortunate disaster on the red carpet. The Hollywood actress walked the carpet for the premiere of Marvel’s The Eternals at the Rome Film Festival on Sunday, and became the biggest talking point of the night. Despite wearing a show-stopping silver Atelier Versace gown, her dodgy hair extensions became the hot topic. Eagle-eyed fans were quick to point out the Angelina's hair extensions, which flowed all the way down her back, were uneven and didn't blend into her natural hair, which stops just past her shoulders. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7845111/angelina-hair.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/cd71f29286b04a70b4322d92c6042dd0" /> Image credit: Getty Images “How do you let Angelina Jolie walk a red carpet with her hair extensions looking like this,” one person wrote on Twitter. “Somebody getting fired. Angelina Jolie’s hair stylist needs sacking asap,” a second person said. Another outraged fan said, “How did you mess up her hair when it was gloriously bouncy and sexy that morning before?” <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> I have been trying to cope with Angelina Jolie’s hair extensions for the past 24 hours — Bernie Zilio (@berniezilio) <a href="https://twitter.com/berniezilio/status/1452848533636190209?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Whomever handled Angelina Jolie's extensions in Rome needs to be put on warning - STAT. The queen was wronged — Chocolate is a vegetable (@alnaazenathoo) <a href="https://twitter.com/alnaazenathoo/status/1453031422642511873?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Who cares abt Angelina Jolie’s hair extensions she’s still hot either way — Annie (@anniexakbar) <a href="https://twitter.com/anniexakbar/status/1452807067304136708?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2021</a></blockquote> <blockquote class="twitter-tweet"> Who ever did Angelina Jolie’s hair/extensions will have a special place in hell. 😇 — liezelle (@liezzellee) <a href="https://twitter.com/liezzellee/status/1452922258935074818?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">October 26, 2021</a></blockquote> Jolie's daughters Zahara and Shiloh joined her on the red carpet for her latest movie, in which she plays a member of the race of super-humans in the Marvel universe called The Eternals. The film will be released on November 5th, but is already creating an international buzz own social media. Image credits: Getty Images

Beauty & Style

Millions of people were evacuated during disasters last year – another rising cost of climate change

As world leaders prepare for the <a href="https://theconversation.com/what-is-cop26-and-why-does-the-fate-of-earth-and-australias-prosperity-depend-on-it-169648">COP26 climate talks</a> next month, it’s worth recalling a sobering <a href="https://naturaldisaster.royalcommission.gov.au/publications/html-report/foreword">line</a> from the royal commission’s report into the 2019-20 Australian bushfires: “what was unprecedented is now our future”. The bushfires saw the largest peacetime evacuation of Australians from their homes, with at least <a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/publications/the-2019-2020-australian-bushfires-from-temporary-evacuation-to-longer-term">65,000 people</a> displaced. As climate change amplifies the frequency and severity of extreme weather events, evacuations are likely to become increasingly common – and costly – in human and economic terms. <h2>Numbers of displaced people on the rise</h2> Globally, the displacement of people due to the impacts of disasters and climate change is now at a <a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/grid2021_idmc.pdf">record high</a>. In 2020, nearly <a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/grid2021_idmc.pdf">31 million</a> people were displaced within their own countries because of disasters, at least a <a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/global-report/grid2020/downloads/2020-IDMC-GRID-methodology.pdf">third</a> of which resulted from government-led evacuations. And people in poorer countries are six times more likely to be evacuated than those in wealthier countries, according to some <a href="https://www.preventionweb.net/files/61119_credeconomiclosses.pdf">estimates</a>. Already, <a href="https://news.un.org/en/story/2021/04/1090432">close to 90%</a> of the world’s refugees come from countries that are the most affected by climate change – and the least able to adapt. Evacuations are an important life-saving emergency response – a temporary measure to move people to safety in the face of imminent harm. Under human rights law, states are obligated to protect people from threats to life, including the adverse effects of disasters and climate change. At times, this <a href="http://unsworks.unsw.edu.au/fapi/datastream/unsworks:55519/bin6be6615d-56d9-409d-9998-d2a06b803ab2?view=true&xy=01">may include</a> an obligation to evacuate people at risk. However, without careful planning and oversight, evacuations can also constitute arbitrary displacement. They can uproot “<a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/grid2021_idmc.pdf">significant numbers</a>” of people for prolonged periods of time. And they can expose people to other types of risks and vulnerabilities, and erode human rights. For example, in 2020, wildfires and flooding exacerbated the existing humanitarian crisis in Syria, <a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/sites/default/files/publications/documents/grid2021_idmc.pdf">prompting</a> the evacuation of thousands of already internally displaced persons who were forced to move yet again. <h2>Too little support after disasters</h2> Unfortunately, the “rescue” paradigm that characterises the way we typically think about evacuations means such risks are too often overlooked. As a result, national responses may fail to appreciate the scale of internal displacement triggered by evacuations, or to identify it at all. In practice, this may mean there is insufficient support for those who are displaced, and little accountability by the relevant government authorities. Moving people out of harm’s way during a disaster may be one element of an effective government response. Ensuring people can return, safely and with dignity, however, is crucial to economic and social recovery. This is particularly prescient given that evacuations can create significant economic and social disruption. For instance, the cost of a year’s temporary housing for Australia’s 2019–20 bushfire evacuees <a href="https://www.internal-displacement.org/publications/the-2019-2020-australian-bushfires-from-temporary-evacuation-to-longer-term">amounted to</a> A$60–72 million. Each day of lost work cost A$705 per person. Such costs are amplified in the Asia-Pacific region, which accounted for <a href="https://www.preventionweb.net/publication/disaster-displacement-global-review-2008-2018">80% of global disaster-related displacement</a> from 2008–18. Small island states are particularly affected by disasters and the impacts of climate change. For instance, large proportions of Vanuatu’s population were displaced by <a href="https://devpolicy.org/vanuatu-after-cyclone-pam-the-economic-impact-20150410/">Cyclone Pam</a> in 2015 and by <a href="https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/tc_harold_and_covid-19_vanuatu_recovery_strategy_v3_130820.pdf">Cyclone Harold</a> just five years later. According to a UN <a href="https://repository.unescap.org/handle/20.500.12870/1553">forecast</a>, such countries could face average annual disaster-related losses equivalent to nearly 4% of their GDPs. The impact on the long-term prosperity, stability and security of individuals and communities cannot be overstated. The point is that with greater investment in disaster risk reduction and planning, many of these outcomes could be avoided. Currently, the amount of money allocated in development assistance to prepare for disaster risks is “<a href="https://reliefweb.int/sites/reliefweb.int/files/resources/full_gar_report.pdf">miniscule</a>” compared to aid funding for post-disaster responses. This is clearly is the wrong way around – especially when the UN Office for Disaster Risk Reduction <a href="https://www.preventionweb.net/english/hyogo/gar/2015/en/gar-pdf/GAR2015_EN.pdf">estimates</a> each dollar spent on preparation could have a 60-fold return. <h2>What leaders at COP26 need to do</h2> The ABC television’s miniseries <a href="https://iview.abc.net.au/show/fires">Fires</a> shows that people’s decisions about whether to stay or go in an emergency are not simple. People are influenced not only by their perceptions of the risk of harm, but also by the desire to protect relatives, property and animals, or a belief that they can withstand the disaster. Well-planned, evidence-based strategies are important when an emergency requires rapid decision-making, often in changing conditions and with limited resources to hand. If lines of authority are unclear, or there is insufficient attention to detail during the planning process, evacuation efforts may be hampered further, putting lives and property at greater risk. It is essential for policymakers to recognise that a government’s “life-saving” response to a disaster, such as an evacuation, can itself generate significant human and financial costs. Governments need to incorporate principles from human rights law into their response plans to help protect people from foreseeable risks and to enhance their rights, well-being and recovery. Climate change is only going to exacerbate increasingly extreme weather events that force people from their homes. At next month’s climate talks, leaders must agree on climate change mitigation targets and adaptation policies that avert the need to evacuate people in the first place. However, achieving change on the ground will require a far more linked-up and integrated approach to climate change, disaster risk reduction, sustainable development and mobility. This includes systematically implementing the recommendations not only of the Paris Agreement, but other <a href="https://unece.org/sendai-framework#:%7E:text=The%20Sendai%20Framework%20on%20Disaster,of%20persons%2C%20businesses%2C%20communities%20and">international agreements</a> <a href="https://sdgs.un.org/2030agenda">focused</a> on <a href="https://www.iom.int/global-compact-migration">these goals</a>. <a href="https://theconversation.com/profiles/jane-mcadam-ao-2448">Jane McAdam AO</a>, Scientia Professor and Director of the Kaldor Centre for International Refugee Law, <a href="https://theconversation.com/institutions/unsw-1414">UNSW</a> This article is republished from <a href="https://theconversation.com">The Conversation</a> under a Creative Commons license. Read the <a href="https://theconversation.com/millions-of-people-were-evacuated-during-disasters-last-year-another-rising-cost-of-climate-change-170105">original article</a>. Image: Nick Perry/AP

International Travel

“An absolute disaster”: Prince William calls out billionaires’ space race

Prince William has called out the billionaires currently competing in a space tourism race instead of focusing their efforts on the environmental problems on Earth. The Duke of Cambridge directed thinly-veiled criticism at Amazon founder Jeff Bezos, Elon Musk, and Richard Branson during a BBC interview at Kensington Palace. The three billionaires have been embroiled in a recent race to provide private commercial space travel. “We need some of the world’s greatest brains and minds fixed on trying to repair this planet, not trying to find the next place to go and live,” <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.abc.net.au/news/2021-10-15/prince-william-urges-billionaires-put-planet-before-space-race/100541038" target="_blank">William said</a>. The interview comes after Mr Musk announced his focus on reaching Mars, and after Mr Bezos said that his inaugural space flight was part of building a road to space “so that our kids and their kids can build a future”. “We need to do that to solve the problems here on Earth,” Mr Bezos said. The Amazon founder recently celebrated his second suborbital space flight, which included Star Trek actor William Shatner among its passengers. The British royal family has made a trend of speaking out on environmental issues, with William following in the steps of his father Prince Charles and late grandfather Prince Philip. Prince Charles has been calling for action to stop climate change for decades, often facing ridicule for his stance. The 72-year-old heir to the throne <a rel="noopener" href="https://www.oversixty.com.au/travel/travel-trouble/prince-charles-shocked-that-morrison-not-confirmed-for-glasgow-climate-conference?fbclid=IwAR0yBM3BrGS_5kZp0-E8kfD0lmaoVumFZDUhBcq0LmueyAmeR1gHv8fOk8I" target="_blank">recently described</a> the UN Climate Change Conference COP26 in Glasgow as a “last chance saloon” for combating climate change, sharing how he tries so hard to encourage world leaders to attend and take action. “It’s been a hard road for him. He’s had a really rough ride on that, and I think he’s been proven to being well ahead of the curve,” William said. “But it shouldn’t be that there’s a third generation now coming along having to ramp it up even more.” William also warned that not taking action now could be “robbing from our children’s future”. “For me, it would be an absolute disaster if [my son] George is sat here in 30 years’ time, still saying the same thing, because by then we will be too late. “Now I’ve got children as well and speaking to other parents, it’s a bit of a cliche, but you do start to see the world differently. “I want the things that I’ve enjoyed - the outdoor life, the nature, the environment - I want that to be there for my children, and not just my children but everyone else’s children.” The prince said the key to tackling the issue was to “bring people with us”. “People have got to feel like there’s hope, there’s a chance we can fix this.” He also echoed his father’s message, saying the upcoming COP26 conference had to result in action. “We can’t have more clever speak, clever words but not enough action,” William said. In response to the issue of climate change, William created the Earthshot Prize, with the aim of using new technologies or policies to solve Earth’s biggest environmental problems. Image: @KensingtonRoyal / Twitter

Travel Trouble

Wedding dress disaster turns to miraculous save

An initially furious bride-to-be has revealed the hilarious chain of events after she complained about her wedding dress. She ordered the dress online and fired off an "angry letter" to online store Milly Bridal after her tulle and diamante fishtail bridal gown looked "nothing like what I had ordered". She also attached two pictures for reference of the dress to show the online store. After the online store received her email, the company informed the bride-to-be that she'd put the dress on inside out. “Please put it on the right way,” the letter stated. After finding humour in the incident, the bride-to-be posted it online. “Two weeks ago my wedding dress came in,” she wrote. “I was really upset about the look of it and sent an angry email to the company wanting to return it. “I took pictures of me in the dress telling them it looked nothing like what I had ordered. “Well, today I received this response from the company: ‘You put the dress on inside out, please put it on the right way.’ <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838708/wedding-dress-body-1.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/eb25f9711c4c41cd97ce60c748b410e4" /> “Who knew that they shipped wedding dresses inside out?! The dress actually turned out beautiful.” The bride-to-be was embarrassed about lashing out at the online bridal store and went public to make up for the angry email. “Sometimes it doesn’t matter how much school we put behind us, we’re still going to lack common sense, like how to put clothes on properly,” she laughed. The dress ended up looking beautiful once it was on the right way. <img style="width: 500px; height: 281.25px;" src="https://oversixtydev.blob.core.windows.net/media/7838709/wedding-dress-body.jpg" alt="" data-udi="umb://media/7c4a09c9f91c4a1cb84a7a84529caf8c" /> <div class="body_text redactor-styles redactor-in"> The bride-to-be explained her reasons for sharing the incident online. “They probably didn’t appreciate my angry email, this post is the least I could do to thank them for ‘fixing’ the problem (me, the problem was me). “But I hope they appreciated a good laugh. And you all too - during this tense time of the election results, I hope you take comfort in the fact I was not on your presidential ballot nor will I ever be running for any office. “I’ll help save your life but seriously - please don’t call me to dress you, apparently I have trouble doing that for myself!” </div>

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