Kategoria BISAC: Social Science >> Disasters & Disaster Relief

Presidents Herbert Clark Hoover and George Walker Bush were challenged many times during their political careers. On Floods and Photo Ops: How Herbert Hoover and George W. Bush Exploited Catastrophes focuses on the visual record of two such tests: the relief efforts led by Commerce Secretary Hoover during the 1927 Mississippi River flood and the Bush team's response to Hurricane Katrina. By concentrating on these two historic events, Paul Martin Lester discusses political photography, particularly the use of photo ops during catastrophes. He illuminates the evolution of a genre and...

This book covers the experience of recent earthquakes in India and what has been learnt in the process of managing the aftermath in each case. This includes immediate medical attention, long-term mental healthcare, and reconstructing housing and infrastructure in rural and urban areas.

Much of the published work on disaster response has focused on specific disasters, highlighting what went wrong. Taking a new approach, this book explores using transformation leadership principles to change individuals and entire departments, redefining the way organizations approach disaster preparation and response, and as a consequence, change the mission of the organizations to be collaborative rather than competitive. Rather than focus on replacing people and/or centralizing responsibility, Lester takes readers through a step-by-step process of how to achieve collaboration. He...

Although scientists have effectively employed the concepts of probability to address the complex problem of prediction, modern science still falls short in establishing true predictions with meaningful lead times of zero-probability major disasters. The recent earthquakes in Haiti, Chile, and China are tragic reminders of the critical need for improved methods of predicting natural disasters. Drawing on their vast practical experience and theoretical studies, Dr. Yi Lin and Professor Shoucheng OuYang examine some of the problems that exist in the modern system of science to provide the...

From natural disaster areas to zones of political conflict around the world, a new logic of intervention combines military action and humanitarian aid, conflates moral imperatives and political arguments, and confuses the concepts of legitimacy and legality. The mandate to protect human lives -- however and wherever endangered -- has given rise to a new form of humanitarian government that moves from one crisis to the next, applying the same battery of technical expertise (from military logistics to epidemiological risk management to the latest social scientific tools for -good...

"This is the most important book I've read about Katrina and what came after. In the tradition of Howard Zinn this could be called 'The People's History of the Storm.' Jordan Flaherty was there on the front lines."
Eve Ensler, playwright of "The Vagina Monologues" and activist and founder of V-Day

"Jordan Flaherty brings the sharp analysis and dedication of a seasoned organizer to his writing, and insightful observation to his reporting. He unfailingly has his ear to the ground in a city that continues to reveal the floodlines of structural racism in America."Tram Nguyen, author of...

The tragedy that occurred in the United States on September 11, 2001 brought enhanced emergency preparedness among first responders to the forefront of public awareness. Since those events and despite significant progress made in many of the areas previously deemed deficient some response areas are still woefully inadequate. Cross-Training for First Responders highlights these weaknesses that, in many cases, still remain in the response community. The book presents concrete solutions that arm first responders with vital knowledge so that they are better prepared in the...

An unforgettable memoir from a search-and-rescue pilot and her spirited canine partner

In the wake of the Oklahoma City bombing, Susannah Charleson clipped a photo from the newspaper of an exhausted canine handler, face buried in the fur of his search-and-rescue dog. A dog lover and pilot with search experience herself, Susannah was so moved by the image that she decided to volunteer with a local canine team and soon discovered firsthand the long hours, nonexistent pay, and often heart-wrenching results they face. Once she qualified to train a dog of her own, she...

Each year, disasters such as house fires, car accidents, tsunamis, earthquakes, and hurricanes impact hundreds of thousands of children. Child victims can suffer disproportionately and the physical and psychological damage sustained can far outweigh the same effects in adults, often requiring years of therapy. Sadly, emergency planners to date have largely failed to adequately recognize and accommodate the particular requirements of children in times of disaster.

Identify Needs

Highlighting the infrastructure that supports children in a safe and...

The aftermath of September 11, 2001, brought the subject of engineering-failure forensics to public attention as had no previous catastrophe. In keeping with the engineering profession's long tradition of building a positive future out of disasters, Lessons amid the Rubble uses the collapse of the World Trade Center towers to explore the nature and future of engineering education in the United States.

Sarah K. A. Pfatteicher draws on historical and current practice in engineering design, construction, and curricula to discuss how engineers should conceive, organize, and...