A full train plunges into a raging river at Tangiwai; the Wahine is tossed onto rocks at the entrance to Wellington Harbour; an Air New Zealand DC-10 plunges into Mt Erebus; an earthquake destroys Christchurch … disasters like these are known to all New Zealanders: they are part of our history. But New Zealand has experienced many less well-known disasters, some of them shocking and brutal. Graham Hutchins and Russell Young describe some of the most extraordinary events in New Zealand history. Who knew that a fire killed 39 people at Seacliff Mental Hospital in 1942? That 10 people died in a lahar on White Island in 1914? That a yacht race between Lyttelton and Wellington in 1951 resulted in 10 fatalities? That a tornado ripped through 150 houses in Hamilton in 1948? A fire raging through Raetihi in 1918 was so fierce it destroyed houses, shops and 11 timber mills. Drownings were so common here in the 19th century that they were called ‘the New Zealand death’. These and many other remarkable stories are told in this eye-opening book. While it describes accidents and tragedies, it also reveals acts of heroism. For when human beings make mistakes, others often achieve daring feats of rescue. Some of the stories show that we underestimate Mother Nature at our peril, but many also testify to the courage of the human spirit. Few books are genuine page-turners; this one is.

Shipwrecks litter the coasts and reefs of New Zealand. Disasters at sea are no longer the regular occurrence they were in the days when sea travel was the main means of coastal and international transport, yet recent wrecks like the Rena show that perils remain. Shipwrecked retells the voyages of ships doomed never to make their next port, in a jacketed hardback featuring plentiful photos and ephemera - including Eric Heath's superb colour illustrations of notable ships lost to the sea.

Graphic accounts of Australia’s worst disasters – historical as well as events of recent years. From the Ash Wednesday bushfires of 1983 to the implosion of the Royal Canberra Hospital in 1997, and from the shocking Granville railway crash in 1977 to the Sea King helicopter crash of 2005, Australia's history has been punctuated by incidents of disaster and tragedy that have shocked us all. Sometimes warning signs were not read (or were ignored); sometimes human error was to blame. These graphic and compelling accounts by veteran Sydney Morning Herald journalist Malcolm Brown and other award-winning journalists tell us far more than simply what happened - they provide unique insights into the impact of these events on the lives of innocent people. And, interspersed with stories of death and destruction, are heart-warming accounts of courage, grace and just plain good luck.

This is an open access title available under the terms of a CC BY 3.0 IGO licence. It is free to read at Oxford Scholarship Online and offered as a free PDF download from OUP and selected open access locations. Dull Disasters? shows how countries and their partners can better prepare for natural disasters such as typhoons, earthquakes, floods, and drought. By harnessing lessons from finance, political science, economics, psychology, and the naturalsciences, it is possible for governments, civil society, private firms, and international organizations to work together to achieve better preparedness, thereby reducing the risks to people and economies and enablingquicker recoveries. In this way, responses to disasters become less emotional, less political, less headline-grabbing, and more business as usual and effective.

The first history of one of the nineteenth century's greatest natural calamities, its political context and its impact on colonial India

For over 25 years our building industry, economy and Government have failed to provide this basic guarantee: new buildings will not rot. Leaky buildings are the result of an unfortunate confluence of industrial, legislative, historical and cultural factors. Collectively, these elements stubbornly continue to defy a full and final resolution. Featuring personal stories of homeowners faced with insurmountable repair costs of hundreds of thousands to their 'dream home', often leading to sickness, depression and financial loss. And revealed for the first time, withheld Government reports that estimate the total cost of leaky dwellings at $47 Billion. Rottenomics is an engaging expose into a national crisis that refuses to go away.