Me, Myself & Disaster

Have you ever visited a location impacted by a disaster, such as Chernobyl, Ukraine or Fukushima, Japan? Dark Tourism involves people visiting sites of death or tragedy, where the extraordinary has occurred.

In this episode, dark tourism expert Dr Philip Stone joins Andrew and Josh to understand the motivations for dark tourism and why people visit disaster sites. Philip explains the history behind dark tourism and examples from around the world. He also shares the challenges of balancing education with sensitivity when memorialising tragic events.

Dr Philip Stone is the Executive Director of the Institute for Dark Tourism Research at the University of Central Lancashire in the UK and has a PhD in Thanatology which involves researching society’s reactions to and perceptions of mortality. He has written several books and published extensively about Dark Tourism and speaks regularly at conferences on the topic, in addition to teaching undergraduate and postgraduate courses in tourism, sociology and management at the University.

Andrew and Josh share the best of Season 3, from guests across the globe.

Money is often said to make the world go round, and targeted investments in strategic projects can indeed wield significant influence, especially when directed towards mitigating disaster risks.

In this episode, Andrew and Josh chat with Steven Goldfinch, Senior Disaster Risk Specialist at the Asian Development Bank (ADB). Steve explains ADB's Strategy 2030, a comprehensive plan aligning the bank's efforts with the pressing needs of the Asia Pacific Region. This includes reducing poverty, adapting to climate change, promoting gender equality, and developing sustainable cities. Steve discusses how the ADB collaborates with nations to integrate disaster risk considerations into infrastructure projects and support low-carbon development. He also highlights ADB's role in providing both pre- and post-disaster financial assistance.

Throughout the conversation, Steve shares insights into how ADB strategically prioritises projects, balancing developmental needs with climate action - a particular challenge in one of the world's most disaster-prone regions. The discussion also covers gender considerations in disaster management, challenges of climate-induced displacement, and tools for assessing long-term climate risks.

In his role, Steve Goldfinch works across the bank, supporting resilient development and recovery. Prior to joining the ADB in 2018, he worked for over a decade with the United Nations in New York, Dhaka and Kampala. Originally from Australia, he holds a master's degree in peace and conflict studies from the University of Sydney and a bachelor's degree in Asian studies and political science.

Join Andrew and Josh as they unlock the bank vault and understand how the ADB are working to reduce the impact of disasters in the Asia Pacific.

Dr Albrecht Beck joins Andrew and Josh to discuss his award-winning disaster diplomacy work facilitating emergency management cooperation between Israel, Palestine, and Jordan - one of the world's most complex regions. 

Albrecht shares the challenges of building trust between the nations and how focusing discussions on shared risks from natural hazards such as earthquakes helped establish initial cooperation. Over a decade, the project grew to include joint training, exercises, and developing standard operating procedures.

While political tensions remain high, day-to-day coordination between emergency services continues - showing how disaster management can open lines of communication even where diplomacy has stalled.

This episode provides a rare behind-the-scenes look at the challenges and successes of using disaster resilience as a starting point for building understanding between adversaries in a high-risk, high-conflict area of the world,  and offers valuable lessons for other divided regions facing disaster threats. 

Dr Albrecht Beck is the Director of Prepared International and a former United Nations staff member. Albrecht started work on the project while working for the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA). He has since worked for NATO, lectured at a University and started a consulting firm, Prepared International.

Peter Baines shares his leadership experience deployed to the 2004 Indian Ocean Tsunami and starting Australian charity Hands Across the Water.

Parts of the northern hemisphere have been suffering through record high temperatures. Canada has experienced the worst wildfire season on record. The world is becoming warmer and communities are struggling through seemingly endless heatwaves.

Heatwaves are the silent killer. The 2003 European heatwave caused an estimated 70,000 excess deaths. 473 heat-related deaths were recorded in Australia in the 18 years to June 2018.

This month Professor Ben Zaitchik joins the show to talk us through heatwaves. Ben is a Professor of Earth and Planetary Sciences at Johns Hopkins University and explains what communities can do to mitigate the impacts of a warming climate. Ben's research is directed at understanding, managing and coping with climatic and hydrologic variability. He holds a PhD in geology and geophysics from Yale University, a Masters in social sciences from Cornell University and a Bachelor of Arts in Biology from Harvard College.

Andrew and Josh ask Ben what we can do to minimise the impacts of heatwaves, the effects of climate change which lead to climate migration, early warnings, heat islands, humidity and what happens when cities become unliveable.

Have you ever worked or volunteered in an organisation where it felt toxic? It's likely a result of poor leadership and culture. Expert leadership scientist Dr Darja Kragt joins the show to discuss leadership and culture in emergency management, and what leadership looks like now and into the future.

Darja shares with Andrew and Josh the importance of emergency management and key challenges when leading volunteers. She explains the science behind leadership, influencing in a hierarchical culture of command and control, measuring culture and how to address improvements to the culture of an organisation.

Darja is a leadership consultant and founder of The Leading Lab. She is a lecturer in work psychology at the University of Western Australia School of Psychological Science, and has recently completed a project working with the Western Australia SES.

Innovation is everywhere - and technology is distrupting our lives faster than ever before. But what happens when we cross innovative technology with the climate crisis and the impact of more intense disasters? In this episode, Andrew and Josh speak with Associate Professor Roslyn Prinsley, Head of Disasters Solutions at the Institute for Climate, Energy & Disaster Solutions at the Australian National University.

Roslyn shares her experience living in Canberra during the Black Summer bushfires, and how the impact of the smoke promoted her into action, to look at new research and innovative technology to reduce or even prevent disasters. The team at ANU are currently working on surveillance technology to monitor for lighting ignition of bushfires, and then using drones to extinguish the fires at the source. Roslyn also discusses weather manipulation, cloud seeding, deflecting cyclones and early detection of earthquakes.

Tune in as we look to the future on Me, Myself & Disaster.

The emergency management workforce is rapidly changing. What does the future look like, and how do we attract volunteers in this new world? We ask expert Dr Blythe McLennan.

Shortly after taking off from Singapore in November 2010, a Qantas A380 suffered a severe engine failure. Engine No. 2 exploded and 400 pieces of shrapnel almost cut the engine off the wing and busted holes in fuel tanks. It took the flight crew an hour and a half to work through the problem before devising a plan to safely land the aircraft back at Changi Airport.

Captain Richard Champion de Crespigny AM was in command of the flight and speaks with Andrew and Josh about the complexity of leading during an unfolding disaster. Richard continued to lead once back on the ground and he shares his approach to how communications were managed with passengers to ensure they were comfortable but also advocates when speaking externally about their experience.

Richard has many lessons for those working in disaster management, including his approach to maintaining chronic unease and always been prepared for the unexpected. This episode covers a range of resilience, leadership and personal growth topics with stories from Richard's books QF32 and FLY!. Richard also shares his personal story of experiencing post traumatic stress following the incident.

Richard's books (QF32 and Fly!) are available for purchase from his website. Learn more about the QF32 incident at QF32.com