"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.
"Disasters Man-Made" is the compilation of stories where firefighters battle the worst-case scenarios in industrial emergencies. The team that has made Industrial Fire World magazine the leading publication in industrial emergency response has put together a chronicle of industrial crises big and small, detailing how responders deal with a rapidly evolving crisis that threatens lives, property and livelihoods. These are the details that you won't hear on the 5 O'Clock News about firefighters weighing their lives against the economic impact of a community losing a plant or refinery.
A pictorial history of the major man-made calamities that shocked the world throughout the twentieth century. It was a period during which the power and scale of industrialization changed the planet—an unforeseen consequence being the creation of more human-created catastrophes than ever before experienced. The events recorded here include the needless carnage of history’s worst air disaster when two jumbo jets collided on the island of Tenerife. We recall the horrors of Aberfan, the Welsh village in which schoolchildren were buried alive. The story of the explosion aboard the Challenger space shuttle reveals how warnings that were ignored led to the deaths of seven astronauts. And we report on the failings that caused the nuclear nightmare at Chernobyl, a poisonous blot on the face of the globe. These and the other tragedies in this book were all man-made and, it seems, just waiting to happen. A further link between these horrific events is that they were all caused by either folly or greed—or both. But despite the tales of monstrous misfortune, many also produced heart-lifting stories of heroism, selflessness, sacrifice, and human resilience.
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.
In recent years, several major natural and man-made hazards have challenged scientists, government officials and the public in general: earthquakes, major volcanic and other seismic eruptions in Mount St. Helens, EI Chichon, Mexico city, Nevado del Ruiz, Japan, Italy, Greece, Cameroon and many other places on our globe; Tsunami in the Pacific Ocean and deadly storm surges along the coasts of India, Bangladesh and Japan; Cyclones, floods, thunderstorms, snow storms, tornadoes, drought, desertification and other climatic catastrophes; Amoco-Cadiz oil spill accident (France), Three-Mile Island (U. S. A. ) and Chernobyl (U. S. S. R. ) nuclear accidents, Bhopal chemical accident (India), acid rain (Canada, U. S. A. ) and other technological disasters. Such hazards have snuffed out millions of lives, infli
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.
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.
Humans have proven themselves to be their own worst enemies on many occasions. This unnerving compilation features blunders that had devastating consequences: pollution that destroyed lives, ruthless terrorist attacks, and more—all of which are as intriguing as they are horrifying. The deadliest disasters' stats are charted out against one another to get readers comparing and contrasting.
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.
