Most journalists and academics attribute the rise of wildfires in the western United States to the USDA Forest Service's successful fire-elimination policies of the twentieth century. However, in Fire Management in the American West, Mark Hudson argues that although a century of…
What does it take to recognise and prevent hazards with international causes and consequences? How can we handle the risks related to financial instability, terrorism, pandemics, air pollution, flooding and climate change? The book brings together scholars and senior practitione…
The 2004 Asian tsunami was the greatest natural disaster in recent times. Almost 230000 people died. In response, governments in Asia and the broader international community announced large aid programs. The resulting assistance effort was one of the largest humanitarian program…
At a time when it is clear that climate change adaptation and mitigation are failing, this book examines how our assumptions about (valid and usable) knowledge are preventing effective climate action. Through a cross-disciplinary, empirically-based analysis of climate science an…
Efficient and equitable policies for managing disaster risks and adapting to global environmental change are critically dependent on development of robust options supported by integrated modeling. The book is based on research and state-of-the art models developed at IIASA (Inte…
Discusses the Earth's inherent instability and susceptibility toward violent natural disasters and climate extremes, challenging beliefs about apocalyptic inevitabilities while revealing how to change humanity's place within the planet's cycles.
Is it really true that deforestation and the land use practices of the Himalayan farmers are to blame for the recurring and devastating monsoon floods in the plains of the Ganga and Brahmaputra? The validity of this paradigm has been increasingly questioned. This book presents n…
There is no statistical evidence that the frequency of flooding in Bangladesh has increased during the 20th century. There is indication however, that the inter-annual variation of floods and the areal extent of big events have increased since 1950. Is it really true that defore…
In this book the author tells the story of a flood of near biblical proportions; its destruction, its heroes and victims, and how it shaped America's natural disaster policies for the next century. Fourteen states in all were hit, along with every major and minor river east of t…
Prepared by the Hurricane Ike Field Assessment Team of the Coasts, Oceans, Ports, and Rivers Institute of ASCE. Hurricane Ike Coastal Impact Assessment: Field Observations from October 3-6, 2008 describes the environmental and infrastructure impacts of Hurricane Ike on the upper…
"The difference between citizen volunteers and official responders lies in the combination of training, experience, connection to official resources, and the authority to conduct operations, not in the willingness to help. Acknowledging that success in disaster response is based…
Tracing a life of radical activism and the emergence of a grassroots organization in the face of disaster, this chronicle describes scott crow's headlong rush into the political storm surrounding the catastrophic failure of the levee in New Orleans in 2005 and the subsequent fai…
An examination of the politics of disaster on the local level through the analysis of three levels of incumbent politicians in the aftermath of Hurricane Andrew in South Florida.
Despite preemptive preparations, disasters can and do occur. Whether natural disasters, catastrophic accidents, or terrorist attacks, the risk cannot be completely eliminated. A carefully prepared response is your best defense. Handbook of Emergency Response: A Human Factors and…