"Natural and man-made disasters have the power to destroy thousands of lives very quickly. Both as they unfold and in the aftermath, these forces of nature astonish the rest of the world with their incredible devastation and magnitude. In this collection of ten well-known catastrophes ... Brenda Guiberson explores the causes and effects, as well as the local and global reverberations of these calamitous events."--Barnesandnoble.com.

A thorough explanation of the mathematical theories, philosophies, and economics of catastrophes with a view to how humanity should be prepared for events with catastrophic consequences This book presents a holistic view of natural and man-made catastrophes, from mathematical theories and philosophy through to economics and policy. It is both academic and applied in its approach, offering both empirical evidence and academic reflections to give a new perspective on an ever-developing topic, and providing many examples of public policy and catastrophe responses from around the world. Natural and Man-made Catastrophes: Theories, Economics, and Policy Designs begins by introducing readers to numerous natural and man-made catastrophes and how catastrophe theories have played a pivotal role in designing policies and responses to them. It discusses hurricanes, earthquakes, nuclear disaster, asteroid collision, Large Hadron Collider, artificial intelligence, uncontrollable robots, global warming, infectious diseases without antibodies, and bioterrorism. It clarifies key mathematical and scientific theories—such as catastrophe theory, chaos, singularity, fractal, tipping point, unbounded variance, fat-tail, and Feigenbaum constant—on catastrophes. The book goes on to examine ancient and contemporary philosophies that have played critical roles in humanity’s understanding of catastrophic outcomes. The book critically builds the economics of catastrophic events 1) by consolidating the catastrophe literature in natural sciences, scientific theories, and philosophy; 2) by constructing global empirical catastrophe data and analytical models using historical data on hurricanes and earthquakes; 3) and by critically reviewing policy experiences on the aforementioned catastrophic events. Lays the foundation for the economic analyses and policy-making on potential humanity/universe threatening catastrophes Includes many examples of public policy and behavioral responses to catastrophes from around the world Provides a wide-ranging commentary on crucial implications of the studies, models, and concepts of catastrophes Synthesizes the catastrophe literature in mathematical theories, philosophical traditions, economic analyses, policy studies, and contemporary concerns. Natural and Man-made Catastrophes: Theories, Economics, and Policy Designs is an important book for students, teachers, professionals, and policy makers who are involved in environmental research and disaster response.

This is a comprehensive guide to all types of natural and man made disasters and their effect on buildings. It gives overall guidance and a basic technical understanding of prevention, mitigation and management of disaster, and outlines a checklist of preventive design elements for each situation. Every category is illustrated with a case study which pin points the essential information that is crucial to architects and engineers in designing buildings with disaster prevention in mind. The aim of the book is to give a clear understanding of the nature of events and problems, and to enable readers to respond with knowledge to the unique demands placed on their designs. A special emphasis is also placed on re-building as an opportunity to start again. For the specialists this is a process of constant learning and improving techniques in the light of events past.

What is the fate of the world as we know it? Tsunamis, earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, pandemics, cosmic radiation, gamma bursts from space, colliding comets, and asteroids—these things used to worry us from time to time, but now they have become the background noise of our culture. Are natural calamities indeed more probable, and more frequent, than they were? Are things getting worse? Are the boundaries between natural and human-caused calamities blurring? Are we part of the problem? If so, what can we do about it? In The End, award-winning writer Marq de Villiers examines these questions at a time when there is an urgent need to understand the perils that confront us, to act in such a way as best we can for the inevitable disasters when they come. We can do nothing about some natural calamities, but about others we can do a great deal. De Villiers helps us understand which is which, and lays out some provocative ideas for mitigating the damage all such calamities can inflict on us and our world. The End is a brilliant and challenging look at what lies ahead, and at what we can do to influence our future.

Experts agree everyone will have to confront at least one type of natural or man-made disaster in his or her lifetime. This resource allows the reader to customize and personalize each step to preparedness and develop self-reliance with dozens of supply checklists for building home, car, work, school, and pet emergency kits and organizing important financial, legal, medical, and insurance information.

Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine - A Practical Guide provides a framework for use by health professionals visiting a resource-constrained environment. Encompassing problems brought about by local conflict or natural disasters, the book covers preparation, organisation, logistics, treatment of major trauma and medical emergencies, and the special problems of delivering medicine in a hostile environment. Conflict and Catastrophe Medicine - A Practical Guide comprehensively tackles: - self-preparation of health professionals to face a range of medical and related problems which occur in hostile and remote environments; - war and disaster medicine, covering acute management, rehabilitation, reconstruction and prevention; - bridging the fields of medicine, nursing, international relations, history, politics and economics. The book also touches on nutrition, infection, trauma, psychiatry and psychological medicine and training. James Ryan, Leonard Cheshire Professor of Conflict Recovery, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, UK Peter F Mahoney, Consultant Anaesthetist and Honorary Senior Lecturer in Conflict Medicine, Leonard Cheshire Centre, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, UK Ian Greaves, Lecturer in Conflict Medicine, Leonard Cheshire Centre, Royal Free and University College Medical School, London, UK Gavin Bowyer, Consultant in Orthopaedic Surgery, Southampton General Hospital, UK.

The General Assembly of the United Nations passed a resolution on December 11, 1987, designating the 1990s as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction. This resolution has served as a catalyst in promotion of international cooperation in the field of natural disaster reduction; in initiation of wide-ranging research activities on natural and man-made disasters; in development of tech nologies for assessment, prediction, prevention, and mitigation through technical assistance, technology transfer, demonstration projects, and education and training; and in dissemination of information related to measures for assessment, prediction, prevention, and mitigation of natural disasters. Disasters are manifestations of environmental extremes. Depending upon the type of disasters, their occurrence may have short-term andlor long-term detri mental environmental consequences. Disasters cannot be prevented altogether, but their impact can be mitigated. This book is an attempt to provide a discussion of hydrological aspects of the various types of natural disasters. It is hoped that others will be stimulated to write more comprehensive texts on this subject of enormous importance.