Few natural disasters come bigger than the 2004 tsunami. It left a trail of destruction from one side of the Indian Ocean to the other. Hardest hit was Aceh in Indonesia's west where the tsunami killed almost a quarter of a million people and left half million homeless as it smashed into a strip of coastline 800 kilometres long and several kilometres wide. The global community rallied to help in the largest military deployment since World War II. It then spent billions rebuilding Aceh in one of the most challenging reconstruction programs of its kind. "Tsunami Chronicles: Adventures in...

Earthquakes and tsunamis are two of humanity's greatest natural threats. The mightier they are the more deadly they are, and few were more deadly than the earthquake that ripped open the floor of the Indian Ocean on Boxing Day 2004 unleashing massive waves of death and destruction to steal the lives of a quarter million people from 50 countries. Then the world's greatest natural disaster, certainly its most widespread in terms of human impact, the Boxing Day Tsunami hit Indonesia's western-most province, Aceh, hardest. Aceh was tsunami central. Rebuilding it and the lives of its shattered...

Natural disasters are nasty. Responding to and recovering from them is tremendously difficult. They require the very best leaders and the very best from leaders. "Building Back from Disaster" has been written as a handbook for leaders and aspiring leaders called on to rebuild after a natural disaster. It will hold great relevance for any who step forward including those in government, international agencies and non-government humanitarian organisations. Short, sharp and to the point, politically incorrect in parts, this is a toolkit for the professional disaster practitioner. Written with the...