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The media plays a significant role in constructing the public meanings of disasters and influencing disaster management policy. In this article, we investigate how the mainstream and LGBTI media reported—or failed to report—the experiences of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and intersex (LGBTI) populations during disasters in Brisbane, Australia and Christchurch, New Zealand. The implications of our work lie within recent disasters research suggesting that marginalized populations—including LGBTI peoples—may experience a range of specific vulnerabilities during disasters on the basis of their social marginality. In this article, we argue that LGBTI experiences were largely absent from mainstream media reporting of the Brisbane floods and Christchurch earthquake of 2011. Media produced by and about the LGBTI community did take steps to redress this imbalance, although with uneven results in terms of inclusivity across that community. We conclude by raising the possibility that the exclusion or absence of queer disaster narratives may contribute to marginality through the media’s construction of disasters as experienced exclusively by heterosexual family groups. [ABSTRACT FROM PUBLISHER]

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Abstract: A comet impact on February 13, 1491AD, 250km SW of New Zealand, named “Mahuika”, has been proposed as the tsunamigenic source for an alleged large 15th century tsunami along the New Zealand and east Australian coastlines. This hypothesis has been based on astronomic and atmospheric evidence and data from near the putative impact site, but the underpinning documentation has never been fully presented. We outline the current Mahuika comet impact tsunami hypothesis and analyse the original data sources. Geophysical evidence for a crater has never been documented; tektites are widespread in south Pacific sediments and provide no indication of the event age, and far-field evidence for any comet impact in the 15th century is unconvincing. All the evidence reviewed indicates that no comet, “Mahuika” or otherwise, struck the Earth on February 13, 1491AD. Based upon our reassessment, the origin of apparent tsunami deposits along the coasts of New Zealand and east Australia needs to be reassessed — they are not tsunami deposits. The Mahuika comet impact tsunami hypothesis should be treated with extreme caution until stronger evidence is presented. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]

Abstract: Palaeotsunami databases are now available for both Australia and New Zealand. They indicate that there is a distinct disjunct between relatively small historic events and their larger prehistoric counterparts. Historically, several tsunamis have affected both the Australian and New Zealand coasts and it would therefore seem logical to assume that larger, prehistoric events would leave a recognisable geological signal. A review of the two datasets indicates up to five possible contemporaneous Holocene palaeotsunamis. A more critical examination of some of the underpinning research however, indicates that there are significant differences between the approaches adopted for establishing the chronology of individual events, and also in the nature and extent of the physical evidence used. We conclude that there are two key steps that need to be taken to ascertain whether or not these Holocene events are contemporaneous. First, a consistent methodology for the calibration of radiocarbon dates needs to be adopted across both datasets. Second, the physical characteristics used to define the Holocene palaeotsunamis listed in the Australian database need to be critically reviewed. Once completed a more constructive investigation of possible contemporaneous trans-Tasman or Australasian palaeotsunamis can be made that will help to shed light on the nature of the regional risk from tsunamis. Globally, similar precautions should be taken prior to attempting comparisons between any palaeotsunami databases. [Copyright &y& Elsevier]