Book Description

Hurricane Andrew has proved to be the most costly natural disaster in US history. This book documents how Miami prepared, coped and responded to the hurricanes which slammed into one of the largest and most ethnically diverse metropolitan areas of the US and explores how social, economic and political factors set the stage for Hurricane Andrew by influencing who was prepared, who was hit the hardest, and who was most likely to recover. ... Read more

Book Description

What to Do Before, During and After a Natural Disaster When disasters strike, they often hit hardest on historic buildings and landscapes. Hurricanes blow off roofs and uproot ancient trees. Earthquakes tear apart Victorian Main Streets. Floods wash away irreplaceable furnishings and artwork. But simple planning steps can make a difference. In this practical guide, the National Trust shows how everyone who cares for our past can prepare for, respond to and recover from the next natural disaster. ... Read more

Book Description

The first book to establish hurricanes as a key factor in the development of modern Cuba, Winds of Change shows how these great storms played a decisive role in shaping the economy, the culture, and the nation during a critical century in the island's history.

Always vulnerable to hurricanes, Cuba was ravaged in 1842, 1844, and 1846 by three catastrophic storms, with staggering losses of life and property. Louis Pérez combines eyewitness and literary accounts with agricultural data and economic records to show how important facets of the colonial political economy--among them, land tenure forms, labor organization, and production systems--and many of the social relationships at the core of Cuban society were transformed as a result of these and lesser hurricanes. He also examines the impact of repeated natural disasters on the development of Cuban identity and community. Bound together in the face of forces beyond their control, Cubans forged bonds of unity in their ongoing efforts to persevere and recover in the aftermath of destruction. ... Read more

Book Description

AIPG has prepared this book to educate potential homeowners about geologic hazards and geologic processes in the hope that an increased awareness of such hazards will help them avoid the misfortune of having their dream house become a financial nightmare. Geologic hazards are natural processes that threaten people and proeprty. When individuals and communities build or develop, ignoring the geologic characteristics of the area, resulting losses can be measured in both lives and dollars. The general public may prevent many of these losses by seeking, and taking advantage of, available geologic knowledge prior to purchasing a home or property. ... Read more

Book Description

Agricultural production is highly dependent on weather, climate and water availability and is adversely affected by the weather and climate-related disasters. Droughts and natural disasters such as floods can result in crop failures, food insecurity, famine, loss of property and life, mass migration and negative national economic growth. It may not be possible to prevent the occurrence of these natural disasters, but the resultant disastrous effects can be reduced considerably through proper planning and effective preparation. Vulnerability associated with the hazards of natural disasters can be controlled to some extent by accurate and timely prediction and by taking counter-measures to reduce their impacts on agriculture. This book based on an expert meeting held in Beijing, China should be of interest to all organizations involved in disasters reduction and mitigation of extreme events.

Book Description

This book is concerned with the causes and consequences of river and coastal floods and the ways in which people can respond to the flood hazard. Individual chapters address issues such as floods as natural hazards; impacts and interpretations of flood hazard; causes, spatial characteristics and form of river floods and coastal floods; flood estimation; flood defence; flood forecasting and warning; other responses including land use planning and insurance; and a concluding discussion of problems, policies and prospects. Floods has been written by two experienced and successful authors whose complementary skills are combined to give a broad, comprehensive and up-to-date treatment of the subject which can be used not only as a text book or learning manual but also as an authoritative reference source. This has been achieved by organising and structuring the material to demonstrate the continuity and linkages between the causes and impacts of flooding and the many possible responses to the flood hazard. At the same time the book ensures that discussion of each of the main themes and topics is, as far as is practicable, self-contained. The book is timely in several aspects. It addresses the topicality and universality of floods which are an increasing hazard at a time of global environmental change (climate, land use, population distribution etc.). It also offers the layman and practitioner alike a synthesis and clarification of many individual research efforts near the close of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. ... Read more

Amazon.com

Devastation! covers all the natural disasters you might want to know about in one handy place. Lesley Newson describes everything from the end-Cretaceous asteroid impact to mad cow disease in vivid prose illustrated by some of the most astounding photographs ever printed. The book includes a gazetteer mapping more than 550 disaster sites around the world and giving information on historic disasters at each location. Newson covers the standard dangers from earth, air, water, and fire, but adds diseases, droughts, famines, ice ages, and mass extinctions--every large-scale threat to human life except war.Devastation! gives far more evenhanded coverage of disasters around the world than is usual for works of this type; it describes storms in Bangladesh as well as Florida, floods in China as well as Iowa, and fires in Australia as well as Yellowstone. In the Tao Te Ching, Lao Tsu said: "When men lack a sense of awe, there will be disaster"; the pictures and text in this book may not actually prevent disaster, but they are guaranteed to inspire awe. --Mary Ellen Curtin ... Read more

Reviews (1)

Powerful Devastation
Beautifully illustrated with color photos, this book vividly describes various catastrophic events that have occurred and continue to happen throughout the world. The events showing nature's often-horrific power include hurricanes, floods, volcanoes, fire, etc. Also discusses plagues, including AIDS, the Black Plague, as well as other diseases. Provides an international perspective on these events and discusses their causes, in addition to documenting their history and geographic areas where they occur. Includes a gazetteer pinpointing geographic locations of disaster areas. Will stimulate discussions about catastrophic events and will increase interest in geography by encouraging readers to locate the places where they occur. Good for school and public libraries. Ages middle school and up. ... Read more

Book Description

Flood Problem and Management in South Asia focuses on both the hazard and the vulnerability aspects of floods. This book addresses floods in South Asia from a multidisciplinary approach. The characteristics and nature of the flood problem and its management aspects are examined. It is suggested that flood control and management focused on structural solutions using embankments and reservoirs are insufficient. Effective solutions must go beyond structural measures and require major restructuring of both legal systems and institutions responsible for management. For those people living in the vast flood plains of South Asia to be able to overcome social, economic and environmental vulnerabilities, an adaptive approach to management of flood risks that identifies specific strategies is needed.This book will be of interest to water resources managers and policy makers, natural management planners, hydrologists, research scientists, academics and students of water resources, geography and natural hazards, international donor agencies, NGOs and media people. ... Read more

Book Description

This book examines the aspects of prevention, mitigation, and management of environmental hazards and disasters from an international perspective. In light of the recent debate on climate change and the possible effects of such a change upon increasing frequency and magnitude of extreme environmental events, this publication overviews various policy and response discourses. Several case studies from various countries and world regions depicting recent experience in mitigation policy and program development and implementation and establishing links between vulnerability and mitigation are presented to provide further insights.

This book is primarily intended for academics, policymakers, professionals, and practitioners in hazards reduction activities who are seeking a better understanding of the complex and dynamic aspects of nature and society. This topic is a well-established issue among most sectors of our society since the costs, both human and socioeconomic, of extreme environmental events have been rising astronomically, and significant vulnerabilities exist throughout the world. Without effective prevention and mitigation, these costs are likely to continue to increase, enhancing the uncertainty of societal progress. The knowledge and information embodied in this volume will be of immense benefit to anyone working in this field.

 

 

Reprinted from: Mitigation and Adaptation Strategies for Global Change

Book Description

The outside world scarcely knew of northwestern North America in the year 1700. The Pacific coast, from southcentral Alaska to Oregon's Cape Blanco, was uncharted until the Spanish and English explorations of the 1770s. Yet, when tectonic plates suddenly shifted there in 1700, a train of ocean waves -- a tsunami -- that sped across the Pacific Ocean. When the waves came ashore in Japan, they flooded fields and washed away houses. Samurai, merchants, and villagers recorded the mysterious event, but they observed no storm and felt no parent earthquake. In Japan, this tsunami was an orphan.

The Orphan Tsunami of 1700 tells this transpacific detective story by presenting its primary sources, Japanese documents and North American sediments and tree rings. They tell of a catastrophe a century before Lewis and Clark's expedition that now guides preparations for future earthquakes and tsunamis in the North Pacific.

A rich array of graphic detail and narrative explains the creation, action, and lasting effects of earthquakes and tsunamis. ... Read more

Reviews (1)

interesting history of NH's White Mountain region
Author Eric Purchase makes the case that New Hampshire's tourism industry took off after an 1826 tragedy in which the entire Willey family, who ran an inn in the Crawford Notch area, was killed trying to outrun an avalanche that left their home untouched. Along the way, we also learn a lot about America of the early 19th century -- tourism, literature, commerce and science -- all are discussed in this interesting literary portrait of a time before nature became romantic.

Lots of b&w photographs and illustrations, notes, references and an index. ... Read more