Disaster Hits Home

Disaster Hits Home

Author: Mary C. Comerio

Publisher: University of California Presson Demand

Published: 1998

Total Pages: 300

ISBN-13: 9780520207806

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Using case studies of six recent urban disasters, including hurricanes and earthquakes, an expert on postdisaster reconstruction discusses the basic ingredients that mark contemporary disasters, showing how the usual response is insufficient and offering worthwhile solutions. UP.


Disaster Hits Home

Disaster Hits Home

Author: Mary C. Comerio

Publisher: Univ of California Press

Published: 2023-12-22

Total Pages: 313

ISBN-13: 052091872X

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Whenever a major earthquake strikes or a hurricane unleashes its fury, the devastating results fill our television screens and newspapers. Mary C. Comerio is interested in what happens in the weeks and months after such disasters, particularly in the recovery of damaged housing. Through case studies of six recent urban disasters—Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina, Hurricane Andrew in Florida, the Loma Prieta and Northridge earthquakes in California, as well as earthquakes in Mexico City and Kobe, Japan—Comerio demonstrates that several fundamental factors have changed in contemporary urban disasters. The foremost change is in scale, and as more Americans move to the two coasts, future losses will continue to be formidable because of increased development in these high-hazard areas. Moreover, the visibility of disasters in the news media will assure that response efforts remain highly politicized. And finally, the federal government is now expected to be on the scene with personnel, programs, and financial assistance even as private insurance companies are withdrawing disaster coverage from homeowners in earthquake- and hurricane-prone regions. Demonstrating ways that existing recovery systems are inadequate, Comerio proposes a rethinking of what recovery means, a comprehensive revision of the government's role, and more equitable programs for construction financing. She offers new criteria for a housing recovery policy as well as real financial incentives for preparedness, for limiting damage before disasters occur, and for providing a climate where private insurance can work. Her careful analysis makes this book important reading for policymakers, property owners, and anyone involved in disaster mitigation.


When Disaster Strikes

When Disaster Strikes

Author: Matthew Stein

Publisher: Chelsea Green Publishing

Published: 2011-11-16

Total Pages: 402

ISBN-13: 1603583238

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Disasters often strike without warning and leave a trail of destruction in their wake. Yet armed with the right tools and information, survivors can fend for themselves and get through even the toughest circumstances. Matthew Stein's When Disaster Strikes provides a thorough, practical guide for how to prepare for and react in many of life's most unpredictable scenarios. In this disaster-preparedness manual, he outlines the materials you'll need-from food and water, to shelter and energy, to first-aid and survival skills-to help you safely live through the worst. When Disaster Strikes covers how to find and store food, water, and clothing, as well as the basics of installing back-up power and lights. You'll learn how to gather and sterilize water, build a fire, treat injuries in an emergency, and use alternative medical sources when conventional ones are unavailable. Stein instructs you on the smartest responses to natural disasters-such as fires, earthquakes, hurricanes and floods-how to keep warm during winter storms, even how to protect yourself from attack or other dangerous situations. With this comprehensive guide in hand, you can be sure to respond quickly, correctly, and confidently when a crisis threatens.


Housing Recovery after Disasters

Housing Recovery after Disasters

Author: Frances L. Edwards

Publisher: Rowman & Littlefield

Published: 2019-08-15

Total Pages: 222

ISBN-13: 1498592805

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Recent disasters have demonstrated the critical role that re-housing victims play in communities’ long term disaster recovery. This book examines the history and theories of rehousing, the role of bonding social capital, applies systems theory to understanding the stages of recovery, then presents case studies of long term housing recovery following Hurricane Katrina and Hurricane Sandy in the United States, Hurricane Maria in Dominica, the 2010 earthquake in Haiti, and a variety of disasters in Turkey, Nepal, Japan, and India. Together these chapters address what Dr. Louise Comfort has called “one of the most persistent and difficult policy problems in the field: long term recovery of communities following disaster.”


The Disaster-Ready Home

The Disaster-Ready Home

Author: Creek Stewart

Publisher: Simon and Schuster

Published: 2022-01-04

Total Pages: 224

ISBN-13: 1507217366

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"If a disaster forces you to shelter in place, do you think you have everything you need to safely and comfortably stay put in your home? If the answer is no, The Disaster-Ready Home will help you create a safe, well-stocked place to weather out any emergency. Survival expert and bestselling author Creek Stewart gives you a step-by-step emergency preparedness plan to meet your food, water, heat, and sanitation needs during any disaster. Including detailed lists, photographs, and complete instructions to make the plan easy to follow, this book is the only resource you need for a disaster. You'll learn how to: create an emergency pantry stocked with enough food for the timeframe of your choice-from two weeks to three months to a full year; select and store food that fits your taste, diet, and budget; set up long-term water storage and renewable water sources; effectively manage sanitation issues if running water is unavailable; and much more!"--


The Dynamics of Disaster

The Dynamics of Disaster

Author: Susan W. Kieffer

Publisher: W. W. Norton & Company

Published: 2013-10-21

Total Pages: 336

ISBN-13: 0393080951

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Natural disasters bedevil our planet, and each appears to be a unique event. Leading geologist Susan W. Kieffer shows how all disasters are connected. In 2011, there were fourteen natural calamities that each destroyed over a billion dollars’ worth of property in the United States alone. In 2012, Hurricane Sandy ravaged the East Coast and major earthquakes struck in Italy, the Philippines, Iran, and Afghanistan. In the first half of 2013, the awful drumbeat continued—a monster supertornado struck Moore, Oklahoma; a powerful earthquake shook Sichuan, China; a cyclone ravaged Queensland, Australia; massive floods inundated Jakarta, Indonesia; and the largest wildfire ever engulfed a large part of Colorado. Despite these events, we still behave as if natural disasters are outliers. Why else would we continue to build new communities near active volcanoes, on tectonically active faults, on flood plains, and in areas routinely lashed by vicious storms? A famous historian once observed that “civilization exists by geologic consent, subject to change without notice.” In the pages of this unique book, leading geologist Susan W. Kieffer provides a primer on most types of natural disasters: earthquakes, tsunamis, volcanoes, landslides, hurricanes, cyclones, and tornadoes. By taking us behind the scenes of the underlying geology that causes them, she shows why natural disasters are more common than we realize, and that their impact on us will increase as our growing population crowds us into ever more vulnerable areas. Kieffer describes how natural disasters result from “changes in state” in a geologic system, much as when water turns to steam. By understanding what causes these changes of state, we can begin to understand the dynamics of natural disasters. In the book’s concluding chapter, Kieffer outlines how we might better prepare for, and in some cases prevent, future disasters. She also calls for the creation of an organization, something akin to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention but focused on pending natural disasters.


A Paradise Built in Hell

A Paradise Built in Hell

Author: Rebecca Solnit

Publisher: Penguin

Published: 2010-08-31

Total Pages: 369

ISBN-13: 1101459018

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The author of Men Explain Things to Me explores the moments of altruism and generosity that arise in the aftermath of disaster Why is it that in the aftermath of a disaster? whether manmade or natural?people suddenly become altruistic, resourceful, and brave? What makes the newfound communities and purpose many find in the ruins and crises after disaster so joyous? And what does this joy reveal about ordinarily unmet social desires and possibilities? In A Paradise Built in Hell, award-winning author Rebecca Solnit explores these phenomena, looking at major calamities from the 1906 earthquake in San Francisco through the 1917 explosion that tore up Halifax, Nova Scotia, the 1985 Mexico City earthquake, 9/11, and Hurricane Katrina in New Orleans. She examines how disaster throws people into a temporary utopia of changed states of mind and social possibilities, as well as looking at the cost of the widespread myths and rarer real cases of social deterioration during crisis. This is a timely and important book from an acclaimed author whose work consistently locates unseen patterns and meanings in broad cultural histories.


Urban Disasters and Resilience in Asia

Urban Disasters and Resilience in Asia

Author: Rajib Shaw

Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann

Published: 2016-01-06

Total Pages: 370

ISBN-13: 0128023775

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Urban Disasters and Resilience in Asia presents the latest information on the intensity and frequency of disasters. Specifically, the fact that, in urban areas, more than 50% of the world's population is living on just 2% of the land surface, with most of these cities located in Asia and developing countries that have high vulnerability and intensification. The book offers an in-depth and multidisciplinary approach to reducing the impact of disasters by examining specific evidence from events in these areas that can be used to develop best practices and increase urban resilience worldwide. As urban resilience is largely a function of resilient and resourceful citizens, building cities which are more resilient internally and externally can lead to more productive economic returns. In an era of rapid urbanization and increasing disaster risks and vulnerabilities in Asian cities, Urban Disasters and Resilience in Asia is an invaluable tool for policy makers, researchers, and practitioners working in both public and private sectors. Explores a broad range of aspects of disaster and urban resiliency, including environmental, economic, architectural, and engineering factors Bridges the gap between urban resilience and rural areas and community building Provides evidence-based data that can lead to improved disaster resiliency in urban Asia Focuses on Asian cities, some of the most densely populated areas on the planet, where disasters are particularly devastating


Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag

Build the Perfect Bug Out Bag

Author: Creek Stewart

Publisher: National Geographic Books

Published: 2012-05-18

Total Pages: 0

ISBN-13: 1440318743

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Be Ready When Disaster Strikes If an unexpected emergency or disaster hits, are you prepared to leave your home--fast? You will be if you follow the advice in this book. This book shows you how to create a self-contained disaster preparedness kit to help you survive your journey from ground zero to a safer location. Survival expert Creek Stewart details from start to finish everything you need to gather for 72 hours of independent survival--water, food, protection, shelter, survival tools, and so much more. You'll find: • A complete Bug Out Bag checklist that tells you exactly what to pack based on your survival skill level • Photos and explanations of every item you need in your bag • Resource lists to help you find and purchase gear • Practice exercises that teach you how to use almost everything in your bag • Demonstrations for multi-use items that save pack space and weight • Specific gear recommendations for common disasters The book even includes special considerations for bugging out with children, the elderly, the physically disabled, and even pets. A disaster could strike your home at any moment. Are you prepared to face the devastating aftermath? Protect yourself and your family by building a Bug Out Bag today!