How can a place be built and managed so that it is safe for people to live? Ironically, many governments and citizens keep on asking the same question after every new disaster. Why, even with high levels of investment in increasing government's capacity to manage disasters, do the impacts of disasters continue to increase? What can the governments do differently? What is the role of local communities? Where should aid agencies invest? This book looks into these critical questions and highlights how current capacity development efforts might be resulting in the opposite-capacity crisis or capability trap. The book provides a new approach for the understanding and the developing of effective local capacity to reduce and manage future disaster impacts.

Earthquakes have helped shape the history of many Latin American nations. The effects of floods, droughts, hurricanes, and earthquakes and tsunamis have destroyed peoples' lives and their built environments, and changed land forms, such as mountains, rivers, forests, and canyons.
This collection of essays focuses on earthquakes in Latin America since the mid-nineteenth century. Often interpreted as evidence of God's wrath, internalized as punishment for sins, and serving as detonators of revolutions, earthquakes have shined an unforgiving light on political corruption and provided new opportunities to previously disadvantaged groups. These analyses of earthquakes reveal the human role in shaping interactions with our environment.
Contributors:
Paul J. Dosal, University of South Florida, Tampa
Virginia Garrard-Burnett, University of Texas, Austin
Mark Healey, University of California, Berkeley
Samuel J. Martland, Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, Terre Haute, Indiana
Stuart McCook, University of Guelph, Ontario
Charles Walker, University of California, Davis
Louise E. Walker, Louisiana State University, Baton Rouge

What can we learn from the spatial patterns of disasters? What human and structural factors need to be addressed to explain hazard vulnerability? As populations grow and the climate warms, how can natural hazards be mitigated? Thoroughly revised and updated, and now with a more global perspective, the second edition of this accessible text provides an integrated framework for understanding and managing natural hazards. Numerous case studies from around the world illustrate the complexities of extreme geophysical events and highlight their physical, social, political, and economic dimensions. The text identifies essential principles for tackling the fundamental causes of differential vulnerabilities that perpetuate human distress, and for promoting recovery and resilience. New to This Edition *New frameworks for understanding human resilience and adaptive capacity in recovery, dynamics of risk and uncertainty, and more. *Chapter on spatial and temporal aspects of hazards. *Discussions of cutting-edge topics, such as chronic disasters, controversies in international aid, and how hazards affect regions differentially. *Many new case studies, including Hurricanes Katrina and Charley, Superstorm Sandy, the 2011 Japan tsunami, Ecuador's chronic volcanic hazard, and others. *Reflects 20 years of research advances across the physical and social sciences, development trends, new technologies, and ongoing global climate change.

The Asia-Pacific region is one of the most vulnerable to a variety of natural and manmade hazards. This edited book productively brings together scholars and senior public officials having direct experience in dealing with or researching on recent major natural disasters in the Asia-Pacific. The chapters focus on disaster preparedness and management, including pre-event planning and mitigation, crisis leadership and emergency response, and disaster recovery. Specific events discussed in this book include a broad spectrum of disasters such as tropical storms and typhoons in the Philippines; earthquakes in China; tsunamis in Indonesia, Japan, and Maldives; and bushfires in Australia. The book aims to generate discussions about improved risk reduction strategies throughout the region. It seeks to provide a comparative perspective across countries to draw lessons from three perspectives: public policy, humanitarian systems, and community engagement.

In the present authors attempted to have a clear insight into the interworking of geotectonic, geomorphic, hydrologic and anthropogenic factors leading to landslide in the Shiv khola Watershed, the most worst affected region of Darjiling Himalaya. This book includes the parameters responsible for landslide events in mountainous areas. It provides knowledge and understanding to the local people, planners, and policy makers about the causes and consequences of landslides as well as provides a suitable method to mitigate the landslips. The book deals with the role of land, water and soil in landslide phenomena. These three attributes have been described in terms of critical rainfall, critical slope, critical height and changes and development of drainage network in landslides. Mitigations and site-specific management options are evaluated considering the roles of local govt., community and other organizations in both pre-slide and post-slide periods. Various scientific methods have been used to assess the landslides that will bring about tremendous help to researchers in the field. In particular, Researchers in Mountain Geomorphology and Geological and Geographical Society will get tremendous help from some topics such as 1-D slope stability model, SCS Curve Number Technique, Assessment of morphological parameters, application of RS & GIS, Application of Analytical Hierarchy Process. Semi-quantitative approach is followed for understanding spatial distribution of cohesion, friction angle slope, lithology and lineaments, drainage, upslope contributing area, land use and land cover types etc. This book also reveals some techniques and models for initiating slope instability.

What can we learn from the spatial patterns of disasters? What human and structural factors need to be addressed to explain hazard vulnerability? As populations grow and the climate warms, how can natural hazards be mitigated? Thoroughly revised and updated, and now with a more global perspective, the second edition of this accessible text provides an integrated framework for understanding and managing natural hazards. Numerous case studies from around the world illustrate the complexities of extreme geophysical events and highlight their physical, social, political, and economic dimensions. The text identifies essential principles for tackling the fundamental causes of differential vulnerabilities that perpetuate human distress, and for promoting recovery and resilience. New to This Edition *New frameworks for understanding human resilience and adaptive capacity in recovery, dynamics of risk and uncertainty, and more. *Chapter on spatial and temporal aspects of hazards. *Discussions of cutting-edge topics, such as chronic disasters, controversies in international aid, and how hazards affect regions differentially. *Many new case studies, including Hurricanes Katrina and Charley, Superstorm Sandy, the 2011 Japan tsunami, Ecuador's chronic volcanic hazard, and others. *Reflects 20 years of research advances across the physical and social sciences, development trends, new technologies, and ongoing global climate change.

Through application of the Smoothed Particle Hydrodynamics (SPH) method, this monograph mainly focuses on large deformations and flow failure simulations of geomaterials and movement behavior, which are always involved in geo-disasters. The work covers the theoretical background, numerical techniques, code implementation issues, and many novel and interesting applications. Two-dimensional and three-dimensional SPH models in the framework of both hydrodynamics and solid mechanics are established, with detailed descriptions. The monograph also contains many appealing and practical examples of geo-disaster modeling and analysis, including the fluidized movement of flow-like landslides, lateral spread of liquefied soils, and flow slides in landfills. In the documented SPH simulations, the propagation of geo-disasters is effectively reproduced. Dynamic behaviors of geomaterials during propagation are ascertained, including sliding path, flow velocity, maximum distance reached, and distribution of deposits. In this way, the monograph presents a means for mapping hazardous areas, estimating hazard intensity, and identifying and designing appropriate protective measures.

Earthquakes, droughts, floods, and storms are natural hazards, but unnatural disasters are the deaths and damages that result from human acts of omission and commission. Every disaster is unique, but each exposes actions by individuals and governments at different levels that, had they been different, would have resulted in fewer deaths and less damage. Prevention is possible, and this book examines what it takes to do this cost-effectively. It looks at disasters primarily through an economic lens. Economists emphasize self-interest to explain how people choose the amount of prevention, insurance, and coping. But lenses can distort as well as sharpen images, so the book also draws from other disciplines: psychology to examine how people may misperceive risks, political science to understand voting patterns, and nutrition science to see how stunting in children after a disaster impairs cognitive abilities and productivity as adults much later. Peering into the future, it shows that while urbanization and climate change will increase exposure to hazards, vulnerability can be reduced if cities are better managed. This book will be of interest to government officials, urban planners, relief agencies, NGOs, donors, and other development practitioners ."

Behavioural neurology is a subspecialty of neurology that investigates the neurological basis of human behaviour and cognitive function. Recently, dementing diseases have become so common that their behavioural abnormalities are now being investigated with reference to brain damage. During a big disaster, which can critically affect the human population, people should utilise their brains fully in order to survive, that is, to understand the situation around them, to make a proper judgement, and to decide their behaviours; these are associated with brain functions. However, disaster medicine is focused mainly on the environment, with the underlying assumption that brain function is always normal, and thus judgement and behaviour remain normal. By contrast, dementia medicine does not always consider dementia in determining peoples behaviours during the disaster. The author believes that approaches to brain-based disaster medicine and disaster-associated dementia medicine have not been fully integrated nor even investigated. Herein, the author focuses on reconstruction support after the Great East Japan earthquake in 2011, from an academic perspective, with particular respect to behavioural neurology based on his own experiences.

In recent years, a number of disasters caused by earthquakes have demonstrated the vulnerability of both the developing and the developed world. This book provides new research on earthquakes. Chapter One focuses on the behavior of a simple spring-block model from the viewpoint of nonlinear dynamics and seismology. Chapter Two employs a new technique based on Extreme Learning Machine (ELM) for determination of liquefaction susceptibility of soil based on Standard Penetration Test (SPT) and Cone Penetration Test (CPT) from the Chi-Chi earthquake. Chapter Three presents a review of earthquake phenomenon in Nigeria, the occurrence and available data. Chapter Four describes the behavior and failure mechanisms of unreinforced masonry buildings and different rehabilitation and strengthening techniques. Chapter Five presents the results related to the preferred sources of information related to Risk, Hazard and Natural disaster. Chapter Six presents results regarding urban and semi-rural schoolchildren's seismic risk perception, awareness and preparedness of a highly seismic region, in the state of Oaxaca, Mexico. Chapter Seven reviews the anomalous decrease in groundwater radon before the Taiwan large earthquakes.

Damage from hurricanes is expected to increase significantly in the coming decades because of the effects of climate change and coastal development. In turn, potential requests for federal relief and recovery efforts will increase as well. The Congressional Budget Office has estimated the magnitude of the increases in hurricane damage and the associated amounts of federal aid if historical patterns hold. This book provides a detailed discussion on the implications of increased risk on the federal budget of hurricane damage in the upcoming years.

The book is expressly written for the young minds because they are our best hope for a safer tomorrow. The book is profusely illustrated, as it offers a joyride to the world of the whole range of hazards through simplified teaching-learning process, with less of teaching and more of learning. This is because most readers would love to learn without actually being taught. The book is designed to take advantage of distilled wisdom of centuries to inspire and enlighten the common man to turn them into prime movers of safer societies. Senior citizens, community leaders, self-trained disaster managers, social workers, media personnel, bureaucrats and those averse to the very thought of reading will also find the book useful as it is illustrative and inviting.

On May 5, 2007, two days into his twenty-seventh trip to the Boundary Waters, Stephen Posniak found a perfect spot on Ham Lake and set about making a campfire. Over the next two weeks, the fire he set would consume 75,000 acres of forest and 144 build

This book explains key lessons learned from diverse disaster situations and analyzes them within the framework of governance, education, and technology, providing a framework for disaster recovery as a development opportunity. In post-disaster situations, different types of resources are put into the affected region, varying according to technical, financial, intellectual, and community resources. If properly implemented, disaster recovery can change the context of risk-reduction approaches; if not, it can create additional hazards. In some countries, the post-disaster recovery process has even changed the socio-economic and political context of the affected region and country.

The book has 21 chapters and is divided into four parts: governance and institutional issues (five chapters), education and learning issues (four chapters), technology and innovation issues (five chapters), and cross-cutting issues (five chapters). The final chapter provides an analysis of the key topics.

The primary target groups for this book are students and researchers in the fields of environment, disaster risk reduction, and climate change studies. The book provides them with a good idea of the current research trends in the field and furnishes basic knowledge about these vital topics. Another target group comprises practitioners and policy makers, who will be able to apply the knowledge collected here to policy and decision making."

Dramatic scenes of devastation and suffering caused by disasters such as the 2011 Japanese earthquake and tsunami, are viewed with shock and horror by millions of us across the world. What we rarely see, however, are the international politics of disaster aid, mitigation and prevention that condition the collective response to natural catastrophes around the world. In this book, respected Canadian environmental sociologist John Hannigan argues that the global community of nations has failed time and again in establishing an effective and binding multilateral mechanism for coping with disasters, especially in the more vulnerable countries of the South.Written in an accessible and even-handed manner, Disasters without Borders it is the first comprehensive account of the key milestones, debates, controversies and research relating to the international politics of natural disasters. Tracing the historical evolution of this policy field from its humanitarian origins in WWI right up to current efforts to cast climate change as the prime global driver of disaster risk, it highlights the ongoing mismatch between the way disaster has been conceptualised and the institutional architecture in place to manage it. The book's bold conclusion predicts the confluence of four emerging trends - politicisation/militarisation, catastrophic scenario building, privatisation of risk, and quantification, which could create a new system of disaster management wherein 'insurance logic' will replace humanitarian concern as the guiding principle. "Disasters Without Borders" is an ideal introductory text for students, lecturers and practitioners in the fields of international development studies, disaster management, politics and international affairs, and environmental geography/sociology.

Crises and disasters that directly impact tourism can have extensive reputational implications for the organisations and destinations involved. It is critical that DMOs and CEOs communicate the right message in such circumstances to reassure the public that they have their best interests at heart. Often this is not done well. Every crisis and disaster is different, and knowledge is required to understand how different crises and disasters, whether they be at a destination or an organisational level, affect members of the public. Such insight will provide managers with a clearer understanding of the most effective messaging and communication strategies post event. 'Reputation and Image Recovery for the Tourism Industry' uses real life cases studies to contextualise the relevant theories on tourism, marketing and communication, and unpacks examples of best practice to illustrate how carefully managed response strategies can ensure the organisation's future survival. Packed with international case studies, and with contributions from experts, this edited book is divided into three sections that cover: * Natural Disasters: including cyclones/hurricanes; flooding; earthquakes, volcanos and tsunamis; bush/forest fires and other severe natural events. * Man Made Crises and Organisational Crises: including specific case studies that focus on how destinations restore their reputation following a random act of crime or terror; managing the threat of terrorism- a destination image perspective; managing destination image in the midst of political turmoil and reputation recovery for destinations with long term image issues. * Organisational Crises in the Tourism and Hospitality Industry: including reputation recovery for various tourism organisations including airlines, hotels and theme parks; managing the media in times of organisational crises; best practice public relations strategies for tourism organisations and the role of social media in organisational reputation recovery. Essential reading for students, researchers and industry managers, and the 'go to' text for those wishing to learn about specific strategies and best practice techniques proven to assist with the reputational management of destinations and organisations affected by crises and disasters.

Volcanic eruptions are common, with more than 50 volcanic eruptions in the United States alone in the past 31 years. These eruptions can have devastating economic and social consequences, even at great distances from the volcano. Fortunately many eruptions are preceded by unrest that can be detected using ground, airborne, and spaceborne instruments. Data from these instruments, combined with basic understanding of how volcanoes work, form the basis for forecasting eruptionsaEURO"where, when, how big, how long, and the consequences. Accurate forecasts of the likelihood and magnitude of an eruption in a specified timeframe are rooted in a scientific understanding of the processes that govern the storage, ascent, and eruption of magma. Yet our understanding of volcanic systems is incomplete and biased by the limited number of volcanoes and eruption styles observed with advanced instrumentation. Volcanic Eruptions and Their Repose, Unrest, Precursors, and Timing identifies key science questions, research and observation priorities, and approaches for building a volcano science community capable of tackling them. This report presents goals for making major advances in volcano science.

The recent earthquake disasters in Japan and a series of other disasters in the world have highlighted again the need for more reliable geotechnical prediction and better methods for geotechnical design and in particular dealing with geohazards. This book provides a timely review and summaries of the recent advances in theories, analyses and methods for geotechnical predictions and the most up-to-date practices in geotechnical engineering and particularly in dealing with geohazards. A special section on the geotechnical aspects of the recent Tohoku earthquake disaster in Japan is also presented in this book.
Key Features: This book is written by a group of internationally renowned researchers and practioners to honour and mark the 40 years contribution of one of the greatest educators, researchers and engineers in the world, Professor Hideki Ohta, to geotechnical engineering. Professor Ohta is presentlyprofessorat Chou University after his retirement from Tokyo Institute of Technology, Japan. The book provides some first-hand information on the 2011 Tohuko earthquake disasters in Japan, the most recent update on the theories and methods for geotechnical analyses and predictions, and the latest methods and practices in geotechnical engineering, in particular, dealing with geotechnical hazard. It is a rare occasion for some 30 plus international authorities to write on their best topic that they have been working on for years. The book is a must-have collection for any libraries and professionals in geotechnical engineering.

FIVE INJURED CLIMBERS. TEN SEASONED RANGERS. ONE IMPOSSIBLE RESCUE.
On the afternoon of July 26, 2003, six vacationing mountain climbers ascended the peak of the Grand Teton in Jackson Hole, Wyoming. Rain and colliding air currents blew in, and soon a massive electrical charge began to build. As the group began to retreat from its location, a colossal lightning bolt struck and pounded through the body of every climber. One of the six died instantly, one lay critically injured next to her body, and four dangled perilously into the chasm below. In riveting, page-turning prose, veteran journalist Jennifer Woodlief tells the story of the climb, the arrival of the storm, and the unprecedented rescue by the Jenny Lake Rangers, one of the most experienced climbing search-and-rescue teams in the country.
Against the dramatic landscape of the Teton Range, Woodlief brings to life the grueling task of the rangers, a band of colorful characters who tackle one of the riskiest, most physically demanding jobs in the world. By turns terrifying and exhilarating, "A Bolt from the Blue "is both a testament to human courage and an astonishing journey into one of history's most dangerous mountain rescues.

The primary goal here is to present a treatise on the significance and value of coarse clastic carbonate sediments (i.e. large coral boulders) on tropical coastlines for understanding both modern and pre-historical (Holocene) high-magnitude marine inundation events. There has been a rapid groundswell of interest in large carbonate blocks on tropical coasts over the last decade, yet it is not widely appreciated that such features were observed and recorded back in the early explorations of Matthew Flinders on the Great Barrier Reef in the 1800s. This book will illuminate how various characteristics of datable carbonate blocks torn up from coral reefs and deposited on reef platforms yield importance evidence about the storms and tsunamis that emplaced them over decadal and centennial timescales. No comprehensive review has so far been published. A need now exists for a 'definitive reference' on coral boulder research, which details the earliest observations, changing terminology, sedimentology, and relevance for coastal hazard research in the tropics. A wide range of examples will be incorporated from across Asia, Australia, the Pacific and the Americas, as well as a full up-to-date review of the existing literature.

This book presents a unique, interdisciplinary approach to disaster risk research, combining cutting-edge natural science and social science methodologies. Bringing together leading scientists, policy makers and practitioners from around the world, it presents the risks of global hazards such as volcanoes, seismic events, landslides, hurricanes, precipitation floods and space weather, and provides real-world hazard case studies from Latin America, the Caribbean, Africa, the Middle East, Asia and the Pacific region. Avoiding complex mathematics, the authors provide insight into topics such as the vulnerability of society, disaster risk reduction policy, relations between disaster policy and climate change, adaptation to hazards, and (re)insurance approaches to extreme events. This is a key resource for academic researchers and graduate students in a wide range of disciplines linked to hazard and risk studies, including geophysics, volcanology, hydrology, atmospheric science, geomorphology, oceanography and remote sensing, and for professionals and policy makers working in disaster prevention and mitigation.

This edited volume assesses capabilities of data mining algorithms for spatial modeling of natural hazards in different countries based on a collection of essays written by experts in the field. The book is organized on different hazards including landslides, flood, forest fire, land subsidence, earthquake, and gully erosion. Chapters were peer-reviewed by recognized scholars in the field of natural hazards research. Each chapter provides an overview on the topic, methods applied, and discusses examples used. The concepts and methods are explained at a level that allows undergraduates to understand and other readers learn through examples. This edited volume is shaped and structured to provide the reader with a comprehensive overview of all covered topics. It serves as a reference for researchers from different fields including land surveying, remote sensing, cartography, GIS, geophysics, geology, natural resources, and geography. It also serves as a guide for researchers, students, organizations, and decision makers active in land use planning and hazard management.