Natural disasters push ordinary gender disparities to the extreme--leaving women not only to deal with a catastrophe's aftermath, but also at risk for greater levels of domestic violence, displacement, and other threats to their security and well-being. Elaine Enarson presents a comprehensive assessment, encompassing both theory and practice, of how gender shapes disaster vulnerability and resilience. -- Publisher description.

Natural disasters push ordinary gender disparities to the extreme¿leaving women not only to deal with a catastrophe¿s aftermath, but also at risk for greater levels of domestic violence, displacement, and other threats to their security and well-being. Elaine Enarson presents a comprehensive assessment, encompassing both theory and practice, of how gender shapes disaster vulnerability and resilience.

Measuring Vulnerability to Natural Hazards presents a broad range of current approaches to measuring vulnerability. It provides a comprehensive overview of different concepts at the global, regional, national, and local levels, and explores various schools of thought. More than 40 distinguished academics and practitioners analyse quantitative and qualitative approaches, and examine their strengths and limitations. This book contains concrete experiences and examples from Africa, Asia, the Americas and Europe to illustrate the theoretical analyses.The authors provide answers to some of the key questions on how to measure vulnerability and they draw attention to issues with insufficient coverage, such as the environmental and institutional dimensions of vulnerability and methods to combine different methodologies.This book is a unique compilation of state-of-the-art vulnerability assessment and is essential reading for academics, students, policy makers, practitioners, and anybody else interested in understanding the fundamentals of measuring vulnerability. It is a critical review that provides important conclusions which can serve as an orientation for future research towards more disaster resilient communities.

Natural and manmade disasters do not affect everyone equally, especially when resources are not equally accessible. Girls and women in particular face heightened risks of violence and abuse and many countries bar female-headed households from receiving aid. Across the globe, a wider understanding of gender issues is needed to craft effective policies and carry out equitable practices in disaster planning and response. The first full-length reference of its kind, Issues of Gender and Sexual Orientation in Humanitarian Emergencies brings together data pinpointing disparities with practical suggestions toward improving post-event adjustment for all. Arguing forcefully for an egalitarian lens in humanitarian aid, the book offers guidelines that governmental agencies and NGOs alike can implement at all levels of preventive and relief efforts to better assist victims and minimize further trauma. Salient areas covered include gender differences in the effects of disasters on children and adolescents, the heightened risk of domestic violence in disasters and challenges facing the LGBTI community in relocation. In addition, examples from a cyclone event in Australia relate the experiences of victims, organizations and aid workers to larger social issues. Included among the topics: Gender and the impact of disaster on youth. Personal network structure and gendered well-being in disaster and relocation. Sexual and gender minorities in humanitarian emergencies. Gender as hazard in disaster planning and response. The relationship of disaster and domestic violence. The impact of disasters on workers and services. Addressing a major threat to public and social health, Issues of Gender and Sexual Orientation in Humanitarian Emergencies is an essential sourcebook for researchers and professionals working with NGOs, disaster management, domestic violence, humanitarian relief and refugee health.

Extreme weather and climate events, interacting with exposed and vulnerable human and natural systems, can lead to disasters. This Special Report explores the social as well as physical dimensions of weather- and climate-related disasters, considering opportunities for managing risks at local to international scales. SREX was approved and accepted by the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) on 18 November 2011 in Kampala, Uganda.

Social science research conducted since the late 1970's has contributed greatly to society's ability to mitigate and adapt to natural, technological, and willful disasters. However, as evidenced by Hurricane Katrina, the Indian Ocean tsunami, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks on the United States, and other recent events, hazards and disaster research and its application could be improved greatly. In particular, more studies should be pursued that compare how the characteristics of different types of events-including predictability, forewarning, magnitude, and duration of impact-affect societal vulnerability and response. This book includes more than thirty recommendations for the hazards and disaster community.