Description
Book SynopsisHurricane Agnes struck the United States in June of 1972, just months before a pivotal election and at the dawn of the deindustrialization period across the Northeast. The response by local, state, and national officials had long-term consequences for all Americans. President Richard Nixon used the tragedy for political gain by delivering a generous relief package to the key states of New York and Pennsylvania in a bid to win over voters. After his landslide reelection in 1972, Nixon cut benefits for disaster victims and then passed legislation to push responsibility for disaster preparation and mitigation on to states and localities. The impact led to the rise of emergency management and inspired the development of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA).
With a particular focus on events in New York and Pennsylvania, Timothy W. Kneeland narrates how local, state, and federal authorities responded to the immediate crisis of Hurricane Agnes and managed the long-term rec
Trade Review
Kneeland's prose is sharp, to be sure, and his research quite impressive. The historical context is richly detailed, with comic and tragic anecdotes throughout. Perhaps its greatest strength is its depth at the local level, as Kneeland introduces many actors from the known to the obscure.
* H-Net *
One of the virtues of Kneeland's account of Hurricane Agnes is his comparative approach. He explores the response to Agnes in two medium-sized New York cities-Corning and Elmira-and in Wilkes-Barre, Pennsylvania. Kneeland's most important contribution may be his emphasis on contingency. [I]t is Kneeland's exploration of the 'local context of disaster' that distinguishes these studies.
* New York History *
Kneeland's prose is sharp, to be sure, and his research quite impressive. The historical context is richly detailed, with comic and tragic anecdotes throughout. Perhaps its greatest strength is its depth at the local level, as Kneeland introduces many actors from the known to the obscure. Scholarly readers and environmental historians will certainly find much useful here, especially the author's rendering of the political atmosphere in the 1970s and grasp of disaster management's intricacies
* H-Environment *
Table of ContentsIntroduction: Local Disasters, Government Actors, and National Policy
1. American Disaster Policy through 1972: Growing Benefits and Expanding Federal Authority
2. Agnes Makes Landfall: Death and Destruction in New York and Pennsylvania, 1972
3. Who's in Charge? Local Governments Collapse in the Face of Disaster
4. Playing Politics with Disaster: Relief Efforts and the 1972 Election
5. "I Have a HUD-Ache": Public Discontent over Disaster Aid
6. "Better Than Ever"? Rebuilding amid Industrial Decline
7. Without Warning and Defenseless: The Weather Service and Civil Defense before and after Hurricane Agnes
8. The Risky Business of Flood Control: When Dams and Levees Put People at Risk
9. The Disaster Relief Act of 1974: Richard Nixon and the Creation of Emergency Management
Epilogue: Into the Future
