|
El
<br />•
<br />l%
<br />RECENT
<br />PUBLICATIONS
<br />Below are brief descriptions of some recent publications on hazards and disasters received by the Natural Hazards Center. Many of
<br />these publications are available through local and online booksellers, but information on how to obtain copies directly is also provided.
<br />All Hazards
<br />What Is a Disaster? New Answers to Old Questions. Ronald W.
<br />Perry and E.L. Quarantelli, editors. ISBN 1- 4134- 7985 -5. 2005.
<br />442 pp. $24.99. Available from Xlibris Publishers, International
<br />Plaza II, Suite 340, Philadelphia, PA 19113; (888) 795 -4274;
<br />e -mail: Orders @Xlibris. com; http: / /Www.Xlibris. conzl.
<br />This book addresses the most basic question in the disaster
<br />field: that of defining the phenomenon of study. For theoretical
<br />advancement, it is important that researchers begin to develop a
<br />consensus about the meaning of disasters and related phenomena.
<br />With the rise in international terrorism, one must clarify whether
<br />these events are disasters and, if so, what kind of disasters. Simi-
<br />larly, in addition to natural disasters, should riots, explosions, nu-
<br />clear power plant accidents, damn collapses, and land subsidence be
<br />included under the same conceptual umbrella? What practical and
<br />theoretical differences does it make if the same label is used or not
<br />used for such different situations? The editors have brought together
<br />12 social scientists representing eight disciplines and seven countries
<br />to share their definition and vision of disasters. In the process, a
<br />wide range of views are expressed and issues raised regarding the
<br />relationship of academic versus practical definitions, the impact of
<br />grouping types of disasters in different ways, and the epistemologies
<br />on which theoretical growth should rest. The book concludes with
<br />discussions of the theoretical framework of disaster research and an
<br />agenda for disaster research in the twenty -first century.
<br />World Disasters Report: Focus on Information in Disasters. Inter-
<br />national Federation of Red Cross and Red Crescent Societies. ISBN
<br />92- 9139 - 109 -3. 2005. 246 pp. $30.00. Available from Kumarian
<br />Press, 1294 Blue Hills Avenue, Bloomfield, CT 06002; (860) 243-
<br />2098; e -mail: kpbooks@kpbooks. corn; http: / /www. kpbooks. com /.
<br />Published annually since 1993, this report brings together the lat-
<br />est trends, facts, and analysis of contemporary crises, whether natural
<br />or human -made, quick -onset or chronic. Recognizing that information
<br />bestows power and lack of information can make people victims of
<br />disaster, this edition focuses on information and calls on agencies to
<br />focus less on gathering information for their own needs and more on
<br />exchanging information with the people they seek to support.
<br />Hazard & Risk Science Review 2005. 2005. 39 pp. Available free
<br />online from the Benfzeld Hazard Research Centre, Department of
<br />Earth Sciences, University College London, 136 Gower Street, Lon-
<br />don, WCIE 6BT UK; +44 (0)20 7679 3637; e-mail: info @benfzeldhrc
<br />.org; http:// www. benfieldhrc. org /activitieslhrsr /h &rsr_2005/.
<br />The exposures faced by the world's insurance markets to natu-
<br />ral catastrophes were highlighted again in 2004. The Pacific ty-
<br />phoons and severe hurricane damage across much of Florida, the
<br />southeast United States, and Caribbean caused insured catastrophe
<br />losses of more than $35 billion. These losses, followed by the devas-
<br />tating tsunami in Asia and further damage most recently from Hurri-
<br />cane Katrina in the United States, reaffirmed the ongoing need for
<br />the industry to understand and analyze natural and environmental
<br />33
<br />risks in order to develop appropriate insurance and reinsurance solu-
<br />tions. This publication provides a digest of over 60 scientific papers
<br />published during the last 12 months of relevance to the insurance
<br />market, focusing on the four major hazard areas: atmospheric, geo-
<br />logical, hydrological, and climate change.
<br />Are You Ready? What Lawyers Need to Know about Emergency
<br />Preparedness and Disaster Recovery. American Bar Association.
<br />2005. DVD. $35.00. Available from Public Entity Risk Institute,
<br />11350 Random Hills Road, Suite 210, Fairfax, VA 22030; (703)
<br />352 -1846; http: / /wwii,. riskinstitute. org/.
<br />This documentary -style DVD describes simple but effective
<br />ways lawyers can help prepare their communities and the nation for
<br />the effects of natural and human -made disasters. Designed for an
<br />audience of local government attorneys, risk managers, or anyone
<br />else who needs to know how the law affects disaster preparedness
<br />and response, it aims to enhance pre -event emergency planning and
<br />increase awareness of the legal resources that are available to aid in
<br />planning for and coping with disaster. A 98 -page coursebook ac-
<br />companies the DVD.
<br />Policymaking for Critical Infrastructure: A Case Study on Strate-
<br />gic Interventions in Public Safety Telecommunications, Gordon A.
<br />Gow. ISBN 0 -7546- 4345 -X. 2005. 212 pp. $94.95. Available from
<br />Ashgate Publishing, PO Box 2225, Williston, VT 05495 -2225; (802)
<br />862 -0095, (800) 535- 9544; e- mail: orders @ashgate. com; http: / /www
<br />ashgate. coml.
<br />This book represents an effort to weave together developments
<br />in the field of disaster management with an approach known as Con-
<br />structive Technology Assessment to help bridge the gap between
<br />scholarly research in science and technology and the practical and
<br />pressing concerns of policy makers working in disaster mitigation
<br />and critical infrastructure protection. The essential argument is that
<br />well- founded public policy must be based on an understanding of the
<br />social roots of risk and vulnerability in large technical systems and
<br />that this understanding must come from studying how these systems
<br />grow and change as sociotechnical entities.
<br />Natural Disasters and Extreme Events in Agriculture. M.V.K. Siva -
<br />kumar, R.P. Motha, and H.P. Das, editors. ISBN 3 -540- 22490 -4.
<br />2005. 368 pp. $169.00. Available from Springer New York, PO Box
<br />2485, Secaucus, NJ 07094 -2485; (212) 460 -1500, (800) 777 -4643;
<br />e -mail: service -ny @springer- sbnz.com; http: / /lvww.springeronline.com/.
<br />Agricultural production is highly dependent on weather, cli-
<br />mate, and water availability and is adversely affected by the weather
<br />and climate- related disasters. Droughts and natural disasters such as
<br />floods can result in crop failures, food insecurity, famine, loss of
<br />property and life, mass migration, and negative national economic
<br />growth. These disastrous effects can be reduced considerably
<br />through proper planning and effective preparation. Vulnerability can
<br />be controlled to some extent by accurate and timely prediction and
<br />by taking counter - measures to reduce their impacts on agriculture.
<br />Based on an expert meeting held in Beijing, China, this book may be
<br />Natural Hazards Observer November 2005
<br />
|