Description
Book SynopsisHumanity is committed to living along the world's shores, but a catastrophic storm like Sandy shines a bright light at how costly and vulnerable life on a shoreline can be.
Taking Chances offers a wide-ranging exploration of the diverse challenges of Sandy and asks if this massive event will really change how coastal living and development is managed.
Trade Review"Taking Chances raises important questions about the long-term viability of coastal communities. It does so without proposing reductive solutions that ignore the attachment residents may feel to their homes. Together, these essays provide nuance to very complex problems that we will continue to face with increasing frequency in the future, making for a timely contribution to the literature. While each essay stands alone, they also work in tandem to explore how different entities (residents, businesses, government agencies, infrastructure, etc.) responded to Hurricane Sandy. Though the book focuses on Sandy, the findings speak to broader societal trends of risk perceptions and disaster response." -- Vanessa Parks, Lousiana State University * Rural Sociology *
"O'Neill and Van Abs examine Sandy's impacts through the perspectives of urban planners, ecologists, climatologists, policy makers, and emergency managers to assess the vulnerabilities of the northeastern coast and to help better plan for and mitigate future disasters … The essays argue for a more thoughtful, planned response to coastal rebuilding and development ... Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals and practitioners." * Choice *
"Highly accessible and interdisciplinary in its approach,
Taking Chances would be a fine contribution to any undergraduate or graduate course with a concentration on disaster studies, or climate change." * City & Community *
"Surrendering to Rising Seas" by Jen Schwartz * Scientific American *
Table of ContentsAcknowledgmentsIntroduction: A Transformational Event, Just Another Storm, or Something in Between?Karen M. O’Neill, Daniel J. Van Abs, and Robert B. GramlingPart One: The StormChapter 1: Hurricane Sandy from Meteorological and Climatological PerspectivesSteven G. Decker and David A. RobinsonChapter 2: A Tough Move to Make: Lessons Learned from Emergency Evacuations in Coastal Connecticut during Hurricane SandyDaniel Baldwin Hess and Brian W. ConleyPart Two: The Days after the StormChapter 3: Overlooked Impacts of Hurricane Sandy in the CaribbeanAdelle ThomasChapter 4: Polling Post-Hurricane Sandy: The Transformative Personal and Political Impact of the Hurricane in New JerseyAshley A. Koning and David P. RedlawskChapter 5: Ecological Injury and Responses to Hurricane Sandy: Physical Damage, Avian and Food Web Responses, and Anthropogenic Attempts to Aid Ecosystem Recovery in New Jersey EstuariesJoanna Burger and Larry NilesChapter 6: Surviving Sandy: Identity and Cultural Resilience in a New Jersey Fishing CommunityAngela Oberg, Julia A. Flagg, Patricia M. Clay, Lisa L. Colburn, and Bonnie McCayPart Three: Planning for Change?Chapter 7: Green Gentrification and Hurricane Sandy: The Resilience of the Green Growth Machine around Brooklyn’s Gowanus CanalKenneth A. Gould and Tammy L. LewisChapter 8: Boardwalks Reborn: Disaster and Renewal on the Jersey ShoreMark Alan HewittChapter 9: A Sure/Shore Thing? Tourism Recovery in New York and New Jersey after Hurricane SandyBriavel HolcombChapter 10: Local Fiscal Impacts of Hurricane SandyClinton J. AndrewsChapter 11: Local Responses to Hurricane Sandy: Heterogeneous Experiences and Mismatches with Federal PolicyMariana Leckner, Melanie McDermott, James K. Mitchell, and Karen M. O’NeillChapter 12: Water Utilities: Storm Preparedness and RestorationDaniel J. Van AbsChapter 13: Impact of Extreme Events on the Electric Power Sector: Challenges, Vulnerabilities, Institutional Responses, and Planning Implications from Hurricane SandyFrank A. Felder and Shankar ChandramowliConclusion: Emerging Responses to Life on the Urbanized Coast after Hurricane SandyDaniel J. Van Abs and Karen M. O’NeillNotes on ContributorsIndex
