Natural disasters Books

Book Synopsis**SUNDAY TIMES AND THE NEW YORK TIMES BESTSELLER**''An epoch-defining book'' Matt Haig''If you read just one work of non-fiction this year, it should probably be this'' David Sexton, Evening StandardSelected as a Book of the Year 2019 by the Sunday Times, Spectator and New StatesmanA Waterstones Paperback of the Year and shortlisted for the Foyles Book of the Year 2019Longlisted for the PEN / E.O. Wilson Literary Science Writing Award It is worse, much worse, than you think. The slowness of climate change is a fairy tale, perhaps as pernicious as the one that says it isn''t happening at all, and if your anxiety about it is dominated by fears of sea-level rise, you are barely scratching the surface of what terrors are possible, even within the lifetime of a teenager today.Over the past decades, the term Anthropocene has climbed into the popular imagination - a name given to the geologic era we live in now, one defined by human intervention in the life of the planet. But however sanguine you might be about the proposition that we have ravaged the natural world, which we surely have, it is another thing entirely to consider the possibility that we have only provoked it, engineering first in ignorance and then in denial a climate system that will now go to war with us for many centuries, perhaps until it destroys us. In the meantime, it will remake us, transforming every aspect of the way we live-the planet no longer nurturing a dream of abundance, but a living nightmare.Trade ReviewIn crystalline prose, Wallace-Wells provides a devastating overview of where we are in terms of climate crisis and ecological destruction, and what the future will hold if we keep on going down the same path. Urgently readable, this is an epoch-defining book. -- Matt Haig, 'The Book that Changed My Mind' * The Guardian *'Clear, engaging and often dazzling' * The Telegraph *'A masterly analysis' * Nature *Relentless, angry journalism of the highest order. Read it and, for the lack of any more useful response, weep. . . .The article was a sensation and the book will be, too. -- Bryan Appleyard * The Sunday Times *The most terrifying book I have ever read . . . a meticulously documented, white-knuckled tour through the cascading catastrophes that will soon engulf our warming planet. * The New York Times *This is what I'm reading now: The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace-Wells. It focuses on the range of realistic possibilities with climate change. It does not sugarcoat, and can be quite scary -- that's without primarily focusing on the worstcase scenario. When people ask 'What can I do? - Read! What we need right now, in this country, is for all of us to be better, including ourselves.A must-read. It's not only the grandkids and the kids: it's you. And it's not only those in other countries: it's you. -- Margaret Atwood * Twitter *I've not stopped talking about The Uninhabitable Earth since I opened the first page. And I want every single person on this planet to read it.Riveting . . . Some readers will find Mr Wallace-Wells's outline of possible futures alarmist. He is indeed alarmed. You should be, too. * The Economist *Skipping the scientific jargon and relaying the facts in urgent and elegant prose, the magazine editor crafts a stirring wake-up call to recognize how global warming will permanently alter every aspect of human life. -- Best Nonfiction Books of 2019 So Far * Time *Wallace-Wells is an extremely adept storyteller, simultaneously urgent and humane . . . [he] does a terrifyingly good job of moving between the specific and the abstract. * Slate *Enough to induce an honest-to-God panic attack ... The margins of my review copy of the book are scrawled with expressions of terror and despair, declining in articulacy as the pages proceed, until it's all just cartoon sad faces and swear words ... To read The Uninhabitable Earth is to understand the collapse of the distinction between alarmism and plain realism -- Mark O'Connell * The Guardian *There is much to learn from this book. From media and scientific reports of the past decade, Wallace-Wells sifts key predictions and conveys them in vivid prose. -- David George Haskell * The Observer *Brilliant ... At the heart of Wallace-Wells's book is a remorseless, near-unbearable account of what we are doing to our planet * The New York Times *Not since Bill McKibben's "The End of Nature" 30 years ago have we been told what climate change will mean in such vivid terms. -- Fred Pearce * The Washington Post *Everyone should stop what they're doing and read The Uninhabitable Earth by @dwallacewells. This is our future if we don't act now. -- Johann Hari * Twitter *Wake up! Get educated - The Uninhabitable Earth by David Wallace Wells is a great place to start. -- Paris Lees * Vogue *A book that's by turns alarming, terrifying and just downright bleak . . . a sustained piece of informed polemic. * The Evening Standard *A very accessible and compelling read . . . a much more nuanced and a much more hopeful vision than you might expect. * The Irish Times *I think everyone should probably right now read David Wallace-Wells's The Uninhabitable Earth, which tells the grim story with as much optimism as possible, and which gives all the facts. -- Daniel Swift * The Spectator, Books of the Year *Well-written, captivating, occasionally wry and utterly petrifying * i News *In his gripping new book ... Wallace-Wells shocks us out of complacency' * Prospect *If you read just one work of non-fiction this year, it should probably be [this] . . . What this book forces you to face is more important than any other subject you could be informing yourself about. * The Evening Standard *Exceptionally well researched and written. . . . This short, concise book pulls no punches.Yes, this book will scare you, but it will also prompt you to take action to ensure the damage we as humans have done to the planet is stopped. * Stylist, ‘Your guide to 2019’s best non-fiction books’ *Most of us known the gist, if not the details, of the climate change crisis. And yet it is almost impossible to sustain strong feelings about it. David Wallace-Wells has now provided the details, and with writing that is not only clear and forceful, but often imaginative and even funny, he has found a way to make the information deeply felt. This is a profound book, which simultaneously makes me terrified and hopeful about the future, full of regret and new will.Harrowing. -- Jonathan Franzen * The New Yorker *The Uninhabitable Earth hits you like a comet, with an overflow of insanely lyrical prose about our pending armageddon.Just finished The Uninhabitable Earth by @dwallacewells. Everyone, everywhere, should read it. Can't remember the last time a book had such an impact on me. * Twitter *Yes, this book will scare you, but it will also prompt you to take action to ensure the damage we as humans have done to the planet is stopped. * Stylist, Your Guide to the Best Books of 2019 *On [Alexandra] Ocasio-Cortez's office bookshelf, near a picture of her late father and a photo of her with a local Girl Scout troop, two books nestle together in uneasy union. One is the Federalist papers. The other is The Uninhabitable Earth. * Time magazine profile on Alexandra Ocasio-Cortez *If there are people around to write history books in the future, they will look back at the @ExtinctionR protestors and think they were the sanest people of our time. Read The Uninhabitable Earth by @dwallacewells if you don't know why. * Johann Hari, Twitter *If we don't want our grandchildren to curse us, we had better read this book.David Wallace-Wells argues that the impacts of climate change will much graver than most people realize, and he's right. The Uninhabitable Earth is a timely and provocative work.Trigger warning: when scientists conclude that yesterday's worst-case scenario for global warming is probably unwarranted optimism, it's time to ask Scotty to beam you up. At least that was my reaction upon finishing Wallace-Wells' brilliant and unsparing analysis of a nightmare that is no longer a distant future but our chaotic, burning present.A lucid and thorough description of our unprecedented crisis, and of the mechanisms of denial with which we seek to avoid its fullest recognition.

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Book SynopsisA "how to" guide to the geology, geomorphology, anthropology, and archaeology of tsunamis and a personal story of a researcher's experience in the field and laboratory, In Search of Ancient Tsunamis takes readers on a journey through the sophisticated and interdisciplinary world of tsunami science.Table of ContentsDedication Acknowledgments Preface Chapter 1. Serendipity - An Introduction Chapter 2. Strand 1: 26 December 2004 - Indian Ocean Chapter 3. Strand 2: Same Time, Different Places Chapter 4. Strand 3: New Light Through Old Windows Chapter 5. Strand 4: Chatham Islands - Rekohu/Wharekauri - How Big? Chapter 6. Strand 5: Just Part of the Problem Chapter 7. Strand 6: The Human Touch Chapter 8. Strand 7: Piled Higher and Deeper Chapter 9. Strand 8: A Country with Latitude Chapter 10. Stand 9: Life and Death on the Edge Chapter 11. Strand 10: The Future Bibliography Index

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Book SynopsisEach year, natural disasters threaten the strength and stability of communities worldwide. This book highlights the critical role of social capital in the ability of a community to withstand disaster and rebuild the infrastructure and ties that are at the foundation of any community.Trade Review"Daniel P. Aldrich has drawn the lens back from the single event to reveal patterns of resilience - and roadblocks to recovery - in four different post-disaster contexts. Building Resilience offers a novel and compelling look at the darker side of social capital as it relates to post-disaster recovery." (Emily Chamlee-Wright, Beloit College)"

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Book SynopsisIn a cemetery on the southern outskirts of Paris lie the bodies of nearly a hundred of what some have called the first casualties of global climate change. This book tells the stories of these victims and the catastrophe that took their lives. It explores the multiple narratives of disaster-the official story of the crisis and its aftermath.Trade Review"Fatal Isolation is a riveting account of the social, cultural, and political forces that made France so vulnerable during the historic 2003 heat wave and a cautionary tale about the dangers of urban life on an overheated planet. Along the way, Keller takes up deep and unsettling questions about what we can and cannot know about the recent past. It's a memorable, haunting book." (Eric Klinenberg, author of Heat Wave: A Social Autopsy of Disaster in Chicago)

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Book SynopsisIn exploring the worldwide political and environmental aftermath of the Bhopal disaster in 1984, this text discusses various differing claims by focusing on the dynamics and paradoxes of advocacy in competing power domains.

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Book SynopsisFrom antiquity through the Enlightenment, disasters were attributed to the obscure power of the stars or the vengeance of angry gods. In this title, the author argues that post-Enlightenment culture has been haunted by the sense of emergency that made natural catastrophes and human deeds both a collective crisis and a personal tragedy.Trade Review"Brave and knowledgeable, The Culture of Disaster travels to the frontiers of sense making, where things crumble, crash, and quake only to be recuperated by sense and voracious systems of meaning. I will carry this book with me as my special guide to the catastrophic tropes that rule our clouded horizon." (Avital Ronell, New York University)"

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Book SynopsisIn the early days of 1937, the Ohio River, swollen by heavy winter rains, began rising. By the time the waters crested, the Ohio and Mississippi had climbed to record heights. Nearly four hundred people had died, while a million more had run from their homes. This is a history of one of the most destructive disasters in American history.Trade Review"David Welky has done a prodigious job of reminding us about the horror inflicted by the Ohio-Mississippi flood of 1937. At its heart, The Thousand-Year Flood is a Great Depression story not unlike the Dust Bowl tragedy. His scholarship is impeccable. Highly recommended!" (Douglas Brinkley, author of The Great Deluge)"

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Book SynopsisThe catastrophic runaway wildfires advancing through North America and other parts of the world are not unprecedented. Fires loomed large once human activity began to warm the climate in the 1820s, leading to an aggressive firefighting strategy that has left many of the continent's forests too old and vulnerable to the fires that many tree species need to regenerate.Dark Days at Noon provides a broad history of wildfire in North America, from before European contact to the present, in the hopes that we may learn from how we managed fire in the past, and apply those lessons in the future. As people continue to move into forested landscapes to work, play, live, and ignite fires intentionally or unintentionally fire has begun to take its toll, burning entire towns, knocking out utilities, closing roads, and forcing the evacuation of hundreds of thousands of people. Fire management in North America requires attention and cooperation from both sides of the border, and manyTrade Review"A well-researched and spectacularly illustrated profile of historically significant wildfires in North America between 1780 and 2021. In his conclusion Struzik calls for cultural and political efforts devoted to actively living with wildfire rather than addressing it on an as-needed basis. The book is valuable for comparing the role of, and policies toward, wildfire in the US. Recommended. All readers." Choice“[Dark Days at Noon] is easily one of the most beautiful books on wildfire I have encountered, with dozens of rich illustrations from fire photography to newspaper cartoons, and from archival materials to Struzik’s own travel photography - not simply creating a more engaging reader experience but also providing complementary material that empowers the reader to really understand the subjects Struzik is writing about. It is a book that proves accessible and enjoyable for the casual reader, insightful for the already informed, and highly useful for the experts in the subject—all while finally linking the visual and textual dimensions of fire in a well-deserved way.” H-Environment

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAs catastrophes proliferate around us, We Are All Survivors provides a timely, intimate, and empathetic look at disasters and recovery. Written by a group of outstanding folklorists, most of whom have themselves faced the devastation of traumatic events, this volume explores the role folkloristics has played and can play in disaster stricken communities. We Are All Survivors is a book of thought, methodological skill, and heart. -- Diane Goldstein, Professor Emeritus, Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, Indiana UniversityTable of ContentsPreface1. Introduction: We Are All Survivors, by Carl Lindahl2. Into the Bullring: The Significance of "Empathy" after the Earthquake, by Yutaka Suga3. Rebuilding and Reconnecting After Disaster: Listening to Older Adults, by Yoko Taniguchi4. The Story of Cultural Assets and their Rescue: A First-Hand Report from Tohoku, by Kōji Katō5. Critical Empathy: A Survivor's Study of Disaster, by Kate Parker Horigan6. Empathy and Speaking Out, by Amy Shuman7. The Intangible Lightness of Heritage, by Michael Dylan Foster8. Documenting Disaster Folklore in the Eye of the Storm: Six Months After María, by Gloria M. Colom BrañaConclusion: The COVID-19 Pandemic and "Folklife's First Responders," by Georgia Ellie Dassler and Kate Parker Horigan

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Book SynopsisTrade ReviewAs catastrophes proliferate around us, We Are All Survivors provides a timely, intimate, and empathetic look at disasters and recovery. Written by a group of outstanding folklorists, most of whom have themselves faced the devastation of traumatic events, this volume explores the role folkloristics has played and can play in disaster stricken communities. We Are All Survivors is a book of thought, methodological skill, and heart. -- Diane Goldstein, Professor Emeritus, Department of Folklore and Ethnomusicology, Indiana UniversityTable of ContentsPreface1. Introduction: We Are All Survivors, by Carl Lindahl2. Into the Bullring: The Significance of "Empathy" after the Earthquake, by Yutaka Suga3. Rebuilding and Reconnecting After Disaster: Listening to Older Adults, by Yoko Taniguchi4. The Story of Cultural Assets and their Rescue: A First-Hand Report from Tohoku, by Kōji Katō5. Critical Empathy: A Survivor's Study of Disaster, by Kate Parker Horigan6. Empathy and Speaking Out, by Amy Shuman7. The Intangible Lightness of Heritage, by Michael Dylan Foster8. Documenting Disaster Folklore in the Eye of the Storm: Six Months After María, by Gloria M. Colom BrañaConclusion: The COVID-19 Pandemic and "Folklife's First Responders," by Georgia Ellie Dassler and Kate Parker Horigan

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is a superb look at scientists and science at work." * Publishers Weekly *"The book is richly illustrated, supporting Wagner's evocative description of both the site and the procedures of the scientists he followed, a true window into the world of field science." * Choice *"Author Eric Wagner takes a lively, enthusiastic look at the post-eruption landscape." * The Oregonian *"Readers interested in the Pacific Northwest and historical ecology have much to glean from this carefully rendered portrait of an exceptional research community and iconic place." * Oregon Historical Quarterly *"It is a wonderful story that combines ecology, sociology, and anthropology to paint a picture of nature that can give us a feeling of hope." * In Defense of Plants *"Wagner has told an excellent story of nature in response to an extreme event and the resilience of ecosystems. There is a perfect blend of describing core ecological theories, the individuals conducting the research, and the passion many ecologists share for understanding natural systems. The book also has an inherent positivity, showing that life finds a way through the destruction of a volcanic eruption, that it makes for an enjoyable read beyond the ecological details." * Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America *"Like the seeds of lupine, Mount St. Helens is fortunate that such a writer landed on its soil, turning desolation into fertile ground." * Natural History Magazine *"Marvelous... Wagner's book highlights the amazing work done by a cast of characters who were among the first scientists to arrive at the blast site. More urgently, it chronicles nature's resiliency and the power of our ecosystems to restore and reinvent themselves." * Post Alley *

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Book SynopsisTrade Review"This is a superb look at scientists and science at work." * Publishers Weekly *"The book is richly illustrated, supporting Wagner's evocative description of both the site and the procedures of the scientists he followed, a true window into the world of field science." * Choice *"Author Eric Wagner takes a lively, enthusiastic look at the post-eruption landscape." * The Oregonian *"Readers interested in the Pacific Northwest and historical ecology have much to glean from this carefully rendered portrait of an exceptional research community and iconic place." * Oregon Historical Quarterly *"It is a wonderful story that combines ecology, sociology, and anthropology to paint a picture of nature that can give us a feeling of hope." * In Defense of Plants *"Wagner has told an excellent story of nature in response to an extreme event and the resilience of ecosystems. There is a perfect blend of describing core ecological theories, the individuals conducting the research, and the passion many ecologists share for understanding natural systems. The book also has an inherent positivity, showing that life finds a way through the destruction of a volcanic eruption, that it makes for an enjoyable read beyond the ecological details." * Bulletin of the Ecological Society of America *"Like the seeds of lupine, Mount St. Helens is fortunate that such a writer landed on its soil, turning desolation into fertile ground." * Natural History Magazine *"Marvelous... Wagner's book highlights the amazing work done by a cast of characters who were among the first scientists to arrive at the blast site. More urgently, it chronicles nature's resiliency and the power of our ecosystems to restore and reinvent themselves." * Post Alley *

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Book SynopsisIn time for the one year anniversary of the 2011 earthquake in Japan, a collection of essays and stories by Japanese writers on the devastating disaster, its aftermath, and the resolve of a people to rebuild.On March 11, 2011, a massive earthquake occurred off the northeastern coast of Japan, triggering a 50-foot tsunami that crushed everything in its path—highways, airports, villages, trains, and buses—leaving death and destruction behind, and causing a major radiation leak from five nuclear plants. Here eighteen writers give us their trenchant observations and emotional responses to such a tragedy, in what is a fascinating, enigmatic and poignant collection.

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Book SynopsisTable of Contents1 Front Matter; 2 Summary; 3 1 Earth Sciences in the 21st Century; 4 2 New Research Opportunities in the Earth Sciences; 5 3 Findings and Recommendations; 6 References; 7 Appendixes; 8 Appendix A: List of Background Materials; 9 Appendix B: List of Contributors; 10 Appendix C: Committee and Staff Biographies

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Book SynopsisEntries clearly describe each disaster by defining the cause, the consequences, and the clean-up efforts.Readers will learn who the responsible parties were, the effect on the environment and people living in the immediate area, and the economic impact of each disaster.

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Book SynopsisIn this urgent and “thrillingly written” book, there is a case and solution for humanity’s last shot at survival (Sunday Times). Humanity’s future is at risk. We face existential catastrophes, climate change, nuclear war, and more. If we do not act fast to reach a place of safety, it will soon be too late. Drawing on over a decade of research, The Precipice explores the cutting-edge science behind the risks we face. And it points the way forward, to the actions and strategies that can safeguard humanity. An Oxford philosopher, Toby Ord has advised the US National Intelligence Council, the UK Prime Minister's Office, and the World Bank on the biggest questions facing humanity. In The Precipice, he offers a startling reassessment of human history, the future we are failing to protect, and the steps we must take to ensure that our generation is not the last.'A book that seems made for the present moment.' —New Yorker

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Book SynopsisA real-life thriller in the vein of The Devil in the White City, Kate Winkler Dawson''s debut Death in the Air is a gripping, historical narrative of a serial killer, an environmental disaster, and an iconic city struggling to regain its footing. London was still recovering from the devastation of World War II when another disaster hit: for five long days in December 1952, a killer smog held the city firmly in its grip and refused to let go. Day became night, mass transit ground to a halt, criminals roamed the streets, and some 12,000 people died from the poisonous air. But in the chaotic aftermath, another killer was stalking the streets, using the fog as a cloak for his crimes. All across London, women were going missing--poor women, forgotten women. Their disappearances caused little alarm, but each of them had one thing in common: they had the misfortune of meeting a quiet, unassuming man, John Reginald Christie, who invited them back to his de

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Book SynopsisPublic organizations are increasingly expected to cope with crisis under the same resource constraints and mandates that make up their normal routines, reinforced only through collaboration. Collaborative Crisis Management introduces readers to how collaboration shapes societiesâ capacity to plan for, respond to, and recover from extreme and unscheduled events.Placing emphasis on five conceptual dimensions, this book teaches students how this panacea works out on the ground and in the boardrooms, and how insights on collaborative practices can shed light on the outcomes of complex inter-organizational challenges across cases derived from different problem areas, administrative cultures, and national systems. Written in a concise, accessible style by experienced teachers and scholars, it places modes of collaboration under an analytical microscope by assessing not only the collaborative tools available to actors but also how they are used, to what effect, and with whiTrade Review"Crisis collaboration across geographical and administrative borders is a must. It is also extremely hard. Under the guidance of Bynander and Nohrstedt, crisis experts pursue the Holy Grail of crisis collaboration in an exciting set of case studies. Extremely relevant for both academics and practitioners. A welcome addition to the crisis literature!" —Arjen Boin, Leiden University"Collaborative Crisis Management addresses collective action dilemma in response to major crises and disasters such as terrorism, wildfires, and earthquakes in different geographies, cultures, and political and administrative settings. This timely volume provides conceptually and analytically valuable perspectives from experts in the field in applying network governance in dealing with crises and disasters. The volume is an essential resource for both scholars and practitioners." —Naim Kapucu, Ph.D., Pegasus Professor & Director of the School of Public Administration, University of Central Florida“Emergency management is, above all, a social process. This authoritative book provides a valuable structure for analyzing the participation of people and organizations in crisis response. Its coverage of hazards and geographical areas is broad and eclectic. In responding to disasters and major incidents, collaboration is becoming more and more necessary. Many different agencies are likely to be involved, and hence the interorganizational perspective brought by the authors of this book is particularly welcome.” —David Alexander, Professor of Risk and Disaster Reduction, University College LondonTable of ContentsAcknowledgmentsList of FiguresAppendicesList of TablesList of Contributors1. Collaborative Crisis Management: Inter-Organizational Approaches to Extreme EventsFredrik Bynander and Daniel Nohrstedt2. Upscaling Collaborative Crisis Management: A Comparison of Wildfire Responder Networks in Canada and SwedenDaniel Nohrstedt, Julia Baird, Örjan Bodin, Ryan Plummer and Robert Summers3. Secure Summits: Collaborative Crisis Management Before and During Global Government ConventionsSanneke Kuipers and Marij Swinkels4. Managing Extraordinary Influx of Migrants: The 2015 Migration Crisis in Sweden Edward Deverell and Dan Hansén5. Overcoming Collective-Action Problems in Collaborative Crisis Management: Meta-Governance and Security Communications SystemsOscar L. Larsson6. Vertical Collaboration During the 2014 Swedish WildfireFredrik Bynander7. Collaborative Crisis Management in Turkey: Perceptions and Outcomes of Collaboration During Two EarthquakesHelena Hermansson8. Transregional Crisis Management in Africa Simon Hollis and Eva-Karin Olsson9. Addressing the Challenges of Transboundary Crises: The Dutch Local Response to the Global Surge in ISIS SupportersScott Douglas, Aline Bos and Mirko Noordegraaf10. Avoiding the Failures of Collaborative Crisis Management: Lessons from Research and Practice Charles F. Parker and Bengt Sundelius11. Under What Conditions Does an Extreme Event Deploy its Focal Power?: Toward Collaborative Governance in Swiss Flood Risk ManagementKarin Ingold and Alexandra Gavilano12. Lessons and Avenues for Future Research in Collaborative Crisis ManagementDaniel Nohrstedt And Fredrik BynanderIndex

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Book SynopsisAn essential text for todayâs emerging professionals and higher education community, the third edition of Hazard Mitigation and Preparedness provides accessible and actionable strategies to create safer, more resilient communities. Known and valued for its balanced approach, Hazard Mitigation and Preparedness assumes no prior knowledge of the subject, presenting the major principles involved in preparing for and mitigating the impacts of hazards in emergency management. Real-world examples of different tools and techniques allow for the application of knowledge and skills.This new edition includes: Updates to case studies and sidebars with recent disasters and mitigation efforts, including major hurricanes, wildfires, earthquakes, and the COVID-19 pandemic. Summary of the National Flood Insurance Program, including how insurance rates are determined, descriptions of flood maps, and strategies for communities to help reduce premiums for residents. Overview of the ways that climate change is affecting disasters and the tools that emergency managers can use to plan for an uncertain future. Best practices in communication with the public, including models for effective use of social media, behavioral science techniques to communicate information about risk and preparedness actions, and ways to facilitate behavior change to increase the publicâs level of preparedness. Actionable information to help emergency managers and planners develop and implement plans, policies, and programs to reduce risk in their communities. Updated in-text learning aids, including sidebars, case studies, goals and outcomes, key terms, summary questions and critical thinking exercises for students. An eResource featuring new supplemental materials to assist instructors with course designs. Supplements include PowerPoint slides, tests, instructor lecture notes and learning objectives, key terms and a course syllabus. Table of ContentsChapter 1: Hazards and Disasters Chapter 2: Preparedness, Hazard Mitigation, and Climate Change Part 1 Introduction Chapter 3: Meteorological and Hydrological Hazards: Hurricanes, Sea Level Rise, Floods, Drought, Wildfire, Tornadoes, Severe Winter Weather, and Extreme Heat Chapter 4: Geological Hazards: Earthquakes, Tsunamis, Volcanoes, Landslides, Coastal Erosion, and Land Subsidence Chapter 5: Human-Made Hazards: Terrorism, Civil Unrest and Technological Hazards Part 2 Introduction Chapter 6: Role of the Federal Government in Disaster Management Chapter 7: Mitigating Hazards at the State Level Chapter 8: Local Government Powers: Building Resilience from the Ground Up Chapter 9: Community Resilience and the Private Sector Part 3 Introduction Chapter 10: Risk Assessment: Identifying Hazards and Vulnerability Chapter 11: Preparedness Activities: Planning to Be Ready When Disaster Hits Chapter 12: Hazard Mitigation Planning: Creating Strategies to Reduce Vulnerability Part 4 Introduction Chapter 13: Disaster Resilience: Living With Our Environment

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Book SynopsisA definitive resource, the Introduction to Emergency Management and Disaster Science presents the essentials to better understand and manage disasters. The third edition of this popular text has been revised and updated to provide a substantively enriched and evidence-based guide for students and emerging professionals. The new emphasis on disaster science places it at the forefront of a rapidly evolving field. This third edition offers important updates, including: Newly commissioned insights from former students and professional colleagues involved with emergency management practice and disaster science; international policies, programs, and practices; and socially vulnerable populations. Significantly enriched content and coverage of new disasters and recent research, particularly the worldwide implications of climate change and pandemics. Pedagogical features like chapter objectives, key terms and definitions, discussion points and resources.Table of ContentsPart 1: The Disciplines of Emergency Management and Disaster Science 1. History and Current Status of Emergency Management and Disaster Science 2. Emergency Management Careers 3. Key Concepts, Definitions, and Perspectives 4. Advancing Emergency Management through Disaster Science Part 2: Comprehensive Emergency Management 5. Preparedness 6. Planning 7. Response 8. Recovery 9. Mitigation Part 3: Working and Volunteering in Emergency Management 10. Public Private Partnerships 11. International Humanitarian Disaster Management 12. The Next Generation of Emergency Managers and Disaster Scientists

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Book SynopsisNatural disasters bedevil our planet, and each appears to be a unique event. Leading geologist Susan W. Kieffer shows how all disasters are connected.Trade Review"Anyone interested in the processes that underlie catastrophic events within Earth will welcome this book, part riveting and all informative." -- Nature"This book ought to be placed in the hands of politicians, engineers, insurance assessors and, frankly, anyone who sees sense in understanding the processes and systems that guide our planet." -- Geographical Magazine"...the clarity of Kieffer's writing, coupled with her careful choice of supporting graphics, makes the content engaging and accessible to a wide readership." -- Times Higher Education"...brisk and lucid presentation..." -- The Times Literary Supplement"Kieffer takes a novel approach that involves thinking about natural catastrophes in terms of changes to 'systems' that otherwise present no threat." -- BBC Focus"...Kieffer...uses her deep expertise in the physics of geological processes to give an unconventional and insightful treatment of natural hazards..." -- Physics World

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Book SynopsisSurvival narrative meets scientific, natural and social history in the riveting story of a volcanic disaster.Trade Review"With 1,500 potentially active volcanoes worldwide, this is an urgent reminder of the need for advances in the field." -- Nature"... Olson is a gifted science communicator…" -- Physics World"Steve Olson not only tells their personal stories, but also turns the tension between the science and the cultural assumptions at play on that day into a drama that reads like a tragic thriller." -- Boardman Tasker Award for Mountain Literature 2016 Shortlist - UKClimbing.com"In Mr. Olson’s telling, [the survivors’] stories read like urgent fiction… These vignettes lend a human face to an event that has become associated largely with geology." -- The Wall Street Journal

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Book SynopsisThe harrowing story of the most destructive American wildfire in a century.Trade Review"[Alastair Gee and Dani Anguiano's] account, based on interviews with residents, firefighters and academics, is horrendous, especially the section ‘Hell’, describing the fire minute by searing minute. It confirms how humans, not nature, are responsible for disasters..." -- Andrew Robinson: Five of the Week's Best Science Picks - Nature

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Book SynopsisWorldwide, disasters and climate change pose a serious risk to sustainable urban development, resulting in escalating human and economic costs. Consequently, city authorities and other urban actors face the challenge of integrating risk reduction and adaptation strategies into their work. However, related knowledge and expertise are still scarce and fragmented.Cities, Disaster Risk and Adaptation explores ways in which resilient cities can be âbuiltâ and sustainable urban transformations achieved. The book provides a comprehensive understanding of urban risk reduction and adaptation planning, exploring key theoretical concepts and analysing the complex interrelations between cities, disasters and climate change. Furthermore, it provides an overview of current risk reduction and adaptation approaches taken by both city authorities and city dwellers from diverse contexts in low, middle and high income nations. Finally, the book offers a planning framework for reducing and adapting to risk in urban areas by expanding on pre-existing positive actions and addressing current shortfalls in theory and practice. The importance of a distributed urban governance system, in which institutionsâ and citizensâ adaptive capacities can support and complement each other, is highlighted.This book takes a holistic approach; it integrates perspectives and practice from risk reduction and climate change adaptation based on a specific urban viewpoint. The text is richly supplemented with boxed case studies written by renowned academics and practitioners in the field and âtest yourselfâ scenarios that integrate theory into practice. Each chapter contains learning objectives, end of chapter questions, suggested further reading and web resources, as well as a wealth of tables and figures. This book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of geography, urban studies and planning, architecture, environmental studies, international development, sociology and sustainability studies.Trade Review"Christine Wamsler has produced what can only be described as an all-encompassing book on urban sustainability, risk and disaster management, and urban resilience." - Urban Studies, Mario Pole`se, University of Quebec, Canada"A very timely and valuable contribution to the literature for urban planners, city governments and all those who wish to understand the interactions between urbanization, disaster risk and climate change, and explore innovative ways and means of action." — David Satterthwaite, Senior Fellow at the International Institute of Environment and Development, coordinating lead author on the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report"I congratulate the author on this important book which bridges the gap between theory, rhetoric and the daily efforts to manage disasters and reduce risk in urban areas worldwide. It develops new thinking, offers practical ideas, and lessens the time-consuming task of searching for advice on what does or does not work. Its usefulness extends far beyond its directly intended readership." — Margareta Wahlström, United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk ReductionTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Setting the Scene Part I: Theoretical Framework 2. Sorting out the Conceptual ‘Jungle’ Associated with Urban Risk Reduction and Adaptation 3. The City-disasters Nexus: A Two-way Relationship Part II: Current Practice 4. City Authorities’ Approaches to Urban Risk Reduction and Adaptation 5. Citizens’ Own Ways to Reduce and Adapt to Urban Risk Part III: Moving Forward 6. Advancing Sustainable Urban Risk Governance and Transformation 7. Concluding Remarks

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Book SynopsisWorldwide, disasters and climate change pose a serious risk to sustainable urban development, resulting in escalating human and economic costs. Consequently, city authorities and other urban actors face the challenge of integrating risk reduction and adaptation strategies into their work. However, related knowledge and expertise are still scarce and fragmented.Cities, Disaster Risk and Adaptation explores ways in which resilient cities can be âbuiltâ and sustainable urban transformations achieved. The book provides a comprehensive understanding of urban risk reduction and adaptation planning, exploring key theoretical concepts and analysing the complex interrelations between cities, disasters and climate change. Furthermore, it provides an overview of current risk reduction and adaptation approaches taken by both city authorities and city dwellers from diverse contexts in low, middle and high income nations. Finally, the book offers a planning framework for reducing and adapting to risk in urban areas by expanding on pre-existing positive actions and addressing current shortfalls in theory and practice. The importance of a distributed urban governance system, in which institutionsâ and citizensâ adaptive capacities can support and complement each other, is highlighted.This book takes a holistic approach; it integrates perspectives and practice from risk reduction and climate change adaptation based on a specific urban viewpoint. The text is richly supplemented with boxed case studies written by renowned academics and practitioners in the field and âtest yourselfâ scenarios that integrate theory into practice. Each chapter contains learning objectives, end of chapter questions, suggested further reading and web resources, as well as a wealth of tables and figures. This book is essential reading for undergraduate and postgraduate students of geography, urban studies and planning, architecture, environmental studies, international development, sociology and sustainability studies.Trade Review"Christine Wamsler has produced what can only be described as an all-encompassing book on urban sustainability, risk and disaster management, and urban resilience." - Urban Studies, Mario Pole`se, University of Quebec, Canada"A very timely and valuable contribution to the literature for urban planners, city governments and all those who wish to understand the interactions between urbanization, disaster risk and climate change, and explore innovative ways and means of action." — David Satterthwaite, Senior Fellow at the International Institute of Environment and Development, coordinating lead author on the IPCC Fifth Assessment Report"I congratulate the author on this important book which bridges the gap between theory, rhetoric and the daily efforts to manage disasters and reduce risk in urban areas worldwide. It develops new thinking, offers practical ideas, and lessens the time-consuming task of searching for advice on what does or does not work. Its usefulness extends far beyond its directly intended readership." — Margareta Wahlström, United Nations Special Representative of the Secretary-General for Disaster Risk ReductionTable of ContentsIntroduction 1. Setting the Scene Part I: Theoretical Framework 2. Sorting out the Conceptual ‘Jungle’ Associated with Urban Risk Reduction and Adaptation 3. The City-disasters Nexus: A Two-way Relationship Part II: Current Practice 4. City Authorities’ Approaches to Urban Risk Reduction and Adaptation 5. Citizens’ Own Ways to Reduce and Adapt to Urban Risk Part III: Moving Forward 6. Advancing Sustainable Urban Risk Governance and Transformation 7. Concluding Remarks

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Book SynopsisEspecially in an era of rapid global environmental change, questions and issues about and around natural hazards and disasters are dizzying in their complexityâand urgency. Answering the need for an authoritative reference work to make sense of this fast-moving area, and its vast and multidisciplinary corpus of scholarly literature, Disaster Risk is a new title from the acclaimed Routledge series, Critical Concepts in the Environment. Edited by a trio of expert researchers, this new collection of major works embraces a wide variety of methodological traditions to bring together in four volumes the foundational and the very best cutting-edge scholarship. The collection enables users to accessâand to make sense ofâthe most important research and practice. It provides a synoptic view of all the key issues, current debates, and controversies.Disaster Risk is fully indexed and includes comprehensive introductions, newly written by the editors, which place the collected materials in their historical and intellectual context. It is an essential reference collection and is destined to be valued by scholars and studentsâas well as policy-makers and practitionersâas a vital one-stop research and pedagogic resource.Å Å Å Disaster Risk is edited by three leading scholars in the field: Ben Wisner, formerly Director of International Studies at California State University at Long Beach, with a long career before that in research and teaching. He is presently engaged in full-time research and writing and has recently completed a four-year project for the United Nations University on defining and managing urban social vulnerability to disasters in six megacities (Johannesburg, Tokyo, Manila, Mumbai, Mexico City, and Los Angeles). The other co-editors of this Routledge Major Works collection are J. C. Gaillard of the University of Auckland, New Zealand; and Ilan Kelman, based at the Center for International Climate and Environmental Research, Oslo, Norway.

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Book SynopsisIn developed countries, the pervasive view of floods is that science and technology have largely brought these unpredictable disasters under safe control. This book shows that this is simply not so, and that floods are anything but controlled.Trade Review"...the book represents a comprehensive view of flood hazard,vulnerability and mitigation which will form an invaluable guidefor undergraduate teaching...", , , Earth Surface Processes &Landforms, Volume 24, Number 6#"...a broad and very readabletext.....", , , Transactions of the Institute of BritishGeographers#Table of ContentsTHE FLOOD HAZARD IN CONTEXT. Floods: Physical Events and Natural Hazards. Impacts and Interpretations of Flood Hazard. PROCESSES OF FLOODING. River Floods: Geophysical Processes. River Floods: Spatial Characteristics. Coastal Floods. Flood Estimation. RESPONSES TO THE FLOOD HAZARD. Flood Defence. Flood Forecasting and Warning. Mitigating and Managing Flood Losses. Outlook. Appendix. References. Index.

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Book SynopsisExamines modern disaster response in Japan, from the changing earthquake preparations and regulations, to immediate emergency procedures from the national, prefectural, and city levels, and finally the evolving efforts of rebuilding and preparing for the next great disaster in the hopes of minimizing their tragic effects.

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Book SynopsisEarthquakes. You only need to worry about them if you're in San Francisco, right? No.

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Book SynopsisAt the dawn of the twentieth century, a great confidence suffused America. Isaac Cline was one of the era's new men, a scientist who believed he knew all there was to know about the motion of clouds and the behavior of storms. The idea that a hurricane could damage the city of Galveston, Texas, where he was based, was to him preposterous, 'an absurd delusion.' It was 1900, a year when America felt bigger and stronger than ever before. Nothing in nature could hobble the gleaming city of Galveston, then a magical place that seemed destined to become the New York of the Gulf.That August, a strange, prolonged heat wave gripped the nation and killed scores of people in New York and Chicago. Odd things seemed to happen everywhere: A plague of crickets engulfed Waco. The Bering Glacier began to shrink. Rain fell on Galveston with greater intensity than anyone could remember. Far away, in Africa, immense thunderstorms blossomed over the city of Dakar, and great currents of wind converg

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Book SynopsisTells the story of nine volcanic events, explaining the related geology for the general reader and exploring the ways in which the earth's volcanism has affected human history. This book describes how volcanic activity has had long-lasting effects on societies, cultures, and the environment.Trade Review"Does the world need another book about volcanic eruptions and the havoc they wreak? The answer, for this book, is an emphatic 'yes,' especially for the general reader. [B]esides being interesting to read, Volcanoes in Human History clearly demonstrates that volcanism, and geology as a whole, should not be of concern only to geologists and that history is important."--Sally Newcomb, Isis "The authors have applied their geologic knowledge and experience, along with solid research, to produce an accessible book on volcanoes."--Library Journal "In clear prose aimed to include general readers, the authors make the case for the social consequences set in motion by large volcanic eruptions as both wide-ranging and long-lived."--Choice "A detailed and vivid account of the fiery relationship between the Earth and its surface dwellers."--The GuardianTable of ContentsForeword by Robert D. Ballard ix Preface xi Acknowledgments xv Table of Conversion xvii Chapter 1: Volcanism: Origins and Consequences 1 SIDEBAR: DATING OF VOLCANIC EVENTS Chapter 2: The Hawaiian Islands and the Legacy of Pelee the Fire Goddess 22 Chapter 3: The Bronze Age Eruption of Thera: Destroyer of Atlantis and Minoan Crete? 47 Chapter 4: The Eruption of Vesuvius in 79 C.E.: Cultural Reverberations through the Ages 74 Chapter 5: Iceland: Coming Apart at the Seams 108 Chapter 6: The Eruption of Tambora in 1815 and "the Year without a Summer" 138 SIDEBAR: MOUNT TOBA: BIGGER THAN TAMBORA Chapter 7: Krakatu, 1883: Devastation, Death, and Ecologic Revival 157 SIDEBAR: THE GHOSTS OF MERAPI Chapter 8: The 1902 Eruption of Mount Pelee: A Geological Catastrophe with Political Overtones 186 SIDEBAR: MOUNT PELEE AND THE PANAMA CANAL Chapter 9: Tristan da Cunba in 1961: Exile to the Twentieth Century 209 Chapter 10: Mount St. Helens in 1980: Catastrophe in the Cascades 228 Afterword 250 Glossary 251 Notes and References 261 Selected Bibliography 279 Index 281

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Book SynopsisThe diverse cultures of the Caribbean have been shaped as much by hurricanes as they have by diplomacy, commerce, or the legacy of colonial rule. In this panoramic work of social history, Stuart Schwartz examines how Caribbean societies have responded to the dangers of hurricanes, and how these destructive storms have influenced the region's historTrade ReviewWinner of the 2015 Gustav Ranis International Book Prize, MacMillan Center for International and Area Studies, Yale University Honorable Mention for the 2015 ASLI Choice Award in History, Atmospheric Science Librarians International Honorable Mention for the 2016 Marysa Navarro Best Book Prize, New England Council on Latin American Studies (NECLAS) Shortlisted for the 2015 Cundill Prize in Historical Literature, McGill University "[A] deeply scholarly work. It is also engaging to read."--J. R. McNeill, Wall Street Journal "[F]inely researched ... [a] fascinating story."--Adrian Barnett, New Scientist "[A] remarkable book."--James Attlee, Independent "[A] fascinating, extremely well-researched book."--Philip Hoare, Times Higher Education "The author weaves a tapestry that traces the emergence of a collective awareness of this hazard during colonization of the Americas, and considers the consequences of storm damage and catastrophes for politics, economics, geography, and life in general in the modernization of both island and continental nations of the realm."--Choice "Schwartz's book offers a refreshing perspective and is an important contribution to the study of the region's hazards and societies."--Johannes Bohle, H-Soz-u-Kult "Schwartz's versatility as a historian is on full display in this erudite, accessible, and ultimately essential book."--Kris Lane, Reviews in American History "A master synthesizer... Schwartz ... does a herculean job of studying the impact that hurricaneshave had on the Greater Caribbean since the days of Columbus to Katrina."--Douglas Brinkley, Environmental History "Sea of Storms provides the most comprehensive synthesis of the history of hurricanes to date, not just for the Caribbean but for the extended realm of the greater Caribbean."--Liz Skilton, Journal of American History "Sea of Storms is a book of Braudelian ambition by a master of the trade. The story is as engrossing as it is momentous."--Jordan E. Lauhon, Journal of Interdisciplinary History "Schwartz synthesizes the stormy Caribbean's commonalities, continuities, and ruptures with an often brilliant concision and illuminating eye."--Shawn W. Miller, American Historical Review "Sea of Storms is the product of decades of original research, a synthesis of the knowledge of hurricanes and their effects, a handbook for students and established scholars hoping to craft their own studies on hurricanes, and a summary of the multidisciplinary literature to date. It is exemplary scholarship and is indispensable for anyone who hopes to learn more about historic hurricanes or intends to employ disasters as theoretical models in their own work."--Sherry Johnson, Journal of Historical Geography "A magisterial work that is at once a history of the impact of a recurring natural phenomenon in a vulnerable geographical zone, and a social, political, and economic history of the Caribbean area from the time of early European settlement to the twentieth century... A superb book, rich in detail yet clear in its argument. Schwartz's vast research and knowledge of Latin American history have allowed him to integrate cultural history, popular music, art, and poetry into the story. Sea of Storms joins new work on the social and political implications of natural phenomena, but it also serves as a fine synthetic history of the Caribbean region."--Ann Zulawski, The AmericasTable of ContentsPreface ix Acknowledgments xxiii Chapter 1. Storms and Gods in a Spanish Sea 1 Chapter 2. Melancholy Occasions: Hurricanes in a Colonial World 33 Chapter 3. War, Reform, and Disaster 70 Chapter 4. Calamity, Slavery, Community, and Revolution 110 Chapter 5. Freedom, Sovereignty, and Disasters 145 Chapter 6. Nature and Politics at the Century's Turn 192 Chapter 7. Memories of Disaster in a Decade of Storms 226 Chapter 8. Public Storms, Communal Action, and Private Grief 272 Chapter 9. Ancient Storms in a New Century 319 Abbreviations 339 Notes 341 Bibliography of Works Consulted 393 Index 427

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Book SynopsisThe issues surrounding disaster relief where decisions are driven by capitalist forcesTrade Review'A roller-coaster ride through competing theories of linguistics, ecological philosophy, economics and redistributive justice' -- Green SocialistTable of Contents1. Introduction: The Rich Wage War, the Poor Die 2. Polite Meaningless Words 3. All Nature Is But Art 4. Opportunities Legally Monopolised 5. Si Quid Usquam Iustitia 6. Everlasting Groans Abbreviations References

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