Provides an overview of the various types of disasters that may occur, the myriad of actors that are involved in emergency management, and the diverse theoretical frameworks from which post-disaster activities may be approached. • Includes updated chapters keeping the material fresh and accessible while incorporating recent changes in policy and new research • Highlights lessons learned from such incidents and catastrophes as: Hurricane Katrina, Earthquake in Haiti, Parking lot collapse in Miami, West Texas industrial explosion, Train wreck in Spain, Aurora movie shooting, Times Square bombing, etc. • Examines typical challenges to be expected during response efforts along with tools and techniques to enhance the ability to protect lives, reduce property damage and minimize disruption • Includes an instructor package which contains: Sample Syllabus, Teaching Suggestions, Test bank, and PowerPoints

Does the identification number 60 indicate a toxic substance or a flammable solid, in the molten state at an elevated temperature? Does the identification number 1035 indicate ethane or butane? What is the difference between natural gas transmission pipelines and natural gas distribution pipelines? If you came upon an overturned truck on the highway that was leaking, would you be able to identify if it was hazardous and know what steps to take? Questions like these and more are answered in the Emergency Response Guidebook. Learn how to identify symbols for and vehicles carrying toxic, flammable, explosive, radioactive, or otherwise harmful substances and how to respond once an incident involving those substances has been identified. Always be prepared in situations that are unfamiliar and dangerous and know how to rectify them. Keeping this guide around at all times will ensure that, if you were to come upon a transportation situation involving hazardous substances or dangerous goods, you will be able to help keep others and yourself out of danger. With color-coded pages for quick and easy reference, this is the official manual used by first responders in the United States and Canada for transportation incidents involving dangerous goods or hazardous materials.

A third-generation disaster researcher challenges what he sees as a myth perpetrated since the genesis of the field in the 1950s that faced with an emergency, most people will panic and flee, become helplessly impassive, or loot. He sets out the empirical evidence in statistics and case studies. He agrees with colleagues that the mass media are a primary factor in spreading the myth, but goes beyond them to address what emergency agencies can do despite it. Graduate and undergraduate students interested in social response to disasters, the disaster research community, and people responsible for responding to disaster might find the treatment interesting. Annotation copyrighted by Book News, Inc., Portland, OR

Much of the published work on disaster response has focused on specific disasters, highlighting what went wrong. Taking a new approach, this book explores ways in which transformational leadership principles may be applied to an organization’s disaster preparation and response, moving the organization away from a competitive or top-down approach and toward a more collaborative one. Rather than focus on centralizing responsibility, with commands emanating from the top, author William Lester offers readers a new paradigm, with step by step instructions on placing transformative and collaborative systems front and center, in order to develop a sustainable disaster response system – one that is not centered on a specific leader or time, but instead focuses on the changes needed to build a system that can outlive any one leader. Implementation plans to move from concept into workable, effective strategies that can be used immediately are included. Assuming no prior background in either organizational theory or disaster response systems, the book offers practical examples and hands-on explorations of the responses to Hurricanes Sandy, Harvey, Irma, and Maria, written by experts who know those disasters best – delivering important insight into what elements make the best disaster response system.

Hurricane Katrina is the latest in a series of major disasters that were not well managed, but it is not likely to be the last. Category 4 and category 5 hurricanes will, according to most predictions, become both more frequent and more intense in the future due to global warming and/or natural weather cycles. In addition, it is often said that another terrorist attack on the United States is inevitable; that it is a question of when, not whether. Add to that the scare over a possible avian flu pandemic. As a result, the United States should expect that disaster response—to natural and other types of disasters—will continue to be of vital concern to the American public and the policymakers and officials who deal with disaster response and relief, including the military. The U.S. disaster relief program reflects a basic division of responsibility between federal, state, and local governments that has generally stood the test of time. At the federal level, a single agency, FEMA—now under the Department of Homeland Security—has been charged with the responsibility for coordinating the activities of the various federal agencies that have a role in disaster relief. A successful disaster response requires three things: timely and effective coordination between state and federal governments; effective coordination among the federal agencies; and effective coordination between and among state and local government agencies. Miskel examines the effects that operational failures after Hurricanes Agnes, Hugo, Andrew, and Katrina have had on the organizational design and operating principles of the disaster response system program. He also discusses the impact of 9/11 and the evolving role of the military, and he identifies reforms that should be implemented to improve the nation's ability to respond in the future.

Disaster health is an emerging field that focuses on developing prevention, preparation, response and recovery systems for dealing with health problems that result from a disaster. As disasters worldwide differ in their nature, scope and cultural context, a thorough understanding of the fundamental tenets of sound disaster health management is essential for both students and practitioners to participate confidently and effectively in the field. Disaster Health Management is the first comprehensive textbook to provide a standard guide to terminology and management systems across the entire spectrum of disaster health. Authored by experienced educators, researchers and practitioners in disaster health management, this textbook provides an authoritative overview of: The conceptual basis for disaster management Systems and structures for disaster management Managing disasters through the continuum of preparedness, response and recovery The variations associated with both natural and technological disasters The strategic considerations associated with leadership, research, education and future directions. Using Australasian systems and structures as examples of generic principles which will find application globally, Disaster Health Management is an essential text for both undergraduate and postgraduate students, as well as for professionals involved in all aspects of disaster management.

Social Media in Disaster Response focuses on how emerging social web tools provide researchers and practitioners with new opportunities to address disaster communication and information design for participatory cultures. This book presents the results of a large-scale sociotechnical usability study on crisis communication in the vernacular related to recent natural and human-made crisis; this is an analysis of the way social web applications are transformed, by participants, into a critical information infrastructure in moments of crisis.