There is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster
Title | There is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster PDF eBook |
Author | Gregory Squires |
Publisher | Routledge |
Pages | 324 |
Release | 2013-01-11 |
Genre | Political Science |
ISBN | 1136084827 |
There is No Such Thing as a Natural Disaster is the first comprehensive critical book on the catastrophic impact of Hurricane Katrina on New Orleans. The disaster will go down on record as one of the worst in American history, not least because of the government’s inept and cavalier response. But it is also a huge story for other reasons; the impact of the hurricane was uneven, and race and class were deeply implicated in the unevenness. Hartman and. Squires assemble two dozen critical scholars and activists who present a multifaceted portrait of the social implications of the disaster. The book covers the response to the disaster and the roles that race and class played, its impact on housing and redevelopment, the historical context of urban disasters in America and the future of economic development in the region. It offers strategic guidance for key actors - government agencies, financial institutions, neighbourhood organizations - in efforts to rebuild shattered communities.
At Risk
Title | At Risk PDF eBook |
Author | Piers Blaikie |
Publisher | Routledge |
Pages | 492 |
Release | 2014-01-21 |
Genre | Science |
ISBN | 1134528612 |
The term 'natural disaster' is often used to refer to natural events such as earthquakes, hurricanes or floods. However, the phrase 'natural disaster' suggests an uncritical acceptance of a deeply engrained ideological and cultural myth. At Risk questions this myth and argues that extreme natural events are not disasters until a vulnerable group of people is exposed. The updated new edition confronts a further ten years of ever more expensive and deadly disasters and discusses disaster not as an aberration, but as a signal failure of mainstream 'development'. Two analytical models are provided as tools for understanding vulnerability. One links remote and distant 'root causes' to 'unsafe conditions' in a 'progression of vulnerability'. The other uses the concepts of 'access' and 'livelihood' to understand why some households are more vulnerable than others. Examining key natural events and incorporating strategies to create a safer world, this revised edition is an important resource for those involved in the fields of environment and development studies.
A World Safe from Natural Disasters
Title | A World Safe from Natural Disasters PDF eBook |
Author | |
Publisher | |
Pages | 112 |
Release | 1994 |
Genre | Disaster relief |
ISBN | 9789275121146 |
This publication is a comprehensive look at how the countries of Latin America and the Caribbean have dealt with the enormous and recurring impact of natural disasters on their lives and fragile economies. Published as a contribution from this Region to the World Conference on Natural Disaster Reduction in 1994, the book traces the transition from an era of improvised response and poorly coordinated international assistance to the more aggressive stance on disaster preparedness and prevention taken in many countries today.--Publisher's description.
Unbreakable
Title | Unbreakable PDF eBook |
Author | Stephane Hallegatte |
Publisher | World Bank Publications |
Pages | 380 |
Release | 2016-11-24 |
Genre | Nature |
ISBN | 1464810044 |
'Economic losses from natural disasters totaled $92 billion in 2015.' Such statements, all too commonplace, assess the severity of disasters by no other measure than the damage inflicted on buildings, infrastructure, and agricultural production. But $1 in losses does not mean the same thing to a rich person that it does to a poor person; the gravity of a $92 billion loss depends on who experiences it. By focusing on aggregate losses—the traditional approach to disaster risk—we restrict our consideration to how disasters affect those wealthy enough to have assets to lose in the first place, and largely ignore the plight of poor people. This report moves beyond asset and production losses and shifts its attention to how natural disasters affect people’s well-being. Disasters are far greater threats to well-being than traditional estimates suggest. This approach provides a more nuanced view of natural disasters than usual reporting, and a perspective that takes fuller account of poor people’s vulnerabilities. Poor people suffer only a fraction of economic losses caused by disasters, but they bear the brunt of their consequences. Understanding the disproportionate vulnerability of poor people also makes the case for setting new intervention priorities to lessen the impact of natural disasters on the world’s poor, such as expanding financial inclusion, disaster risk and health insurance, social protection and adaptive safety nets, contingent finance and reserve funds, and universal access to early warning systems. Efforts to reduce disaster risk and poverty go hand in hand. Because disasters impoverish so many, disaster risk management is inseparable from poverty reduction policy, and vice versa. As climate change magnifies natural hazards, and because protection infrastructure alone cannot eliminate risk, a more resilient population has never been more critical to breaking the cycle of disaster-induced poverty.
Natural Hazards, UnNatural Disasters
Title | Natural Hazards, UnNatural Disasters PDF eBook |
Author | World Bank |
Publisher | World Bank Publications |
Pages | 280 |
Release | 2010-11-10 |
Genre | Social Science |
ISBN | 0821381415 |
This book examines how to ensure that the preventive measures are worthwhile and effective, and how people can make decisions individually and collectively at different levels of government.
A Safer Future
Title | A Safer Future PDF eBook |
Author | National Research Council |
Publisher | National Academies Press |
Pages | 85 |
Release | 1991-02-01 |
Genre | Science |
ISBN | 0309045460 |
Initial priorities for U.S. participation in the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, declared by the United Nations, are contained in this volume. It focuses on seven issues: hazard and risk assessment; awareness and education; mitigation; preparedness for emergency response; recovery and reconstruction; prediction and warning; learning from disasters; and U.S. participation internationally. The committee presents its philosophy of calls for broad public and private participation to reduce the toll of disasters.
Natural Disasters
Title | Natural Disasters PDF eBook |
Author | Kim Etingoff |
Publisher | Simon and Schuster |
Pages | 82 |
Release | 2015-02-03 |
Genre | Juvenile Nonfiction |
ISBN | 1422288323 |
Storms, tornados, floods, wildfires—the world is full of natural disasters that do terrible damage to our homes, towns, and cities. Knowing how to prepare for a natural disaster and what you can do if one does happen is the best way to keep yourself safe.