The latest science and compelling stories describing the impacts of droughts, floods, and fires in the context of climate change.

Part of the Alpha Books series, which have been written with advice from experts that teach reading, and are printed in large, clear type. This title looks at fire in different places, examines safety measures to prevent fire, and describes how fire damage can be repaired. The book also focuses on flooding, and looks at ways in which man's activities have contributed to the threat, and presents some methods to prevent flooding on a large scale in the future.

New York City, 1968. The RAND Corporation had presented an alluring proposal to a city on the brink of economic collapse: Using RAND's computer models, which had been successfully implemented in high-level military operations, the city could save millions of dollars by establishing more efficient public services. The RAND boys were the best and brightest, and bore all the sheen of modern American success. New York City, on the other hand, seemed old-fashioned, insular, and corrupt-and the new mayor was eager for outside help, especially something as innovative and infallible as "computer modeling." A deal was struck: RAND would begin its first major civilian effort with the FDNY. Over the next decade-a time New York City firefighters would refer to as "The War Years"-a series of fires swept through the South Bronx, the Lower East Side, Harlem, and Brooklyn, gutting whole neighborhoods, killing more than two thousand people and displacing hundreds of thousands. Conventional wisdom would blame arson, but these fires were the result of something altogether different: the intentional withdrawal of fire protection from the city's poorest neighborhoods-all based on RAND's computer modeling systems. Despite the disastrous consequences, New York City in the 1970s set the template for how a modern city functions-both literally, as RAND sold its computer models to cities across the country, and systematically, as a new wave of technocratic decision-making took hold, which persists to this day. In The Fires, Joe Flood provides an X-ray of these inner workings, using the dramatic story of a pair of mayors, an ambitious fire commissioner, and an even more ambitious think tank to illuminate the patterns and formulas that are now inextricably woven into the very fabric of contemporary urban life. The Fires is a must read for anyone curious about how a modern city works.

Explains why fires and floods are a part of the natural environment, and describes how scientists try to forecast and prevent such potential disasters.

Working in the public sector can be tough. You want to make a difference, but too often you find yourself trapped in a labyrinth of ridiculous and impossible obstacles, facing down the three-headed monster of government itself: policies, procedures, and regulations. It's enough to make anyone want to give up. Now you don't have to. Fires, Floods, and Taxicabs: Taking a Bite Out of Big Apple Bureaucracy offers a complete kit of effective tools for your own projects, programs, and initiatives. Jeff Roth has spent twelve years inside New York City government, facing setbacks, slowdowns, and outright knockouts. Now he shares the tricks and methods he has developed to push back against bureaucracy and make a difference. Strong government depends on dedicated stewards who can earn the public's trust and make sound decisions for the people they serve. Recharge your passion with Fires, Floods, and Taxicabs, and discover the triumph of making real change happen.

First person accounts of the major catastrophies of 19th century California.