Environmental Hazards and Disasters : Contexts, Perspectives and Management

by Paul, Bimal Kanti

• ISBN13: 9781119979616
• ISBN10: 1119979617
• Edition: 2nd
• Format: eBook
• Copyright: 2011-11-03
• Publisher: Wiley

Summary

Environmental Hazards and Disasters: Contexts, Perspectives and Management focuses on manifested threats to humans and their welfare as a result of natural disasters. The book uses an integrative approach to address socio-cultural, political and physical components of the disaster process. Human and social vulnerability as well as risk to environmental hazards are explored within the comprehensive context of diverse natural hazards and disasters. In addition to scientific explanations of disastrous occurrences, people and governments of hazard-prone countries often have their own interpretations for why natural disasters occur. In such interpretations they often either blame others, in order to conceal their inability to protect themselves, or they blame themselves, attributing the events to either real or imagined misdeeds. The book contains a chapter devoted to the neglected topic of such reactions and explanations. Includes chapters on key topics such as the application of GIS in hazard studies; resiliency; disasters and poverty; climate change and sustainability and development. This book is designed as a the primary text for an interdisciplinary course on hazards for upper-level undergraduate and Graduate students. Although not targeted for an introductory hazards course, students in such a course may find it very useful as well. Additionally, emergency managers, planners, and both public and private organizations involved in disaster response, and mitigation could benefit from this book along with hazard researchers. It not only includes traditional and popular hazard topics (e.g., disaster cycles, disaster relief, and risk and vulnerability), it also includes neglected topics, such as the positive impacts of disasters, disaster myths and different accounts of disasters, and disasters and gender.

Table of Contents

Preface ix

1 Introduction 1

1.1 Hazards and disasters: definitions and distinctions 2

1.2 Types of hazards 15

1.3 Physical dimensions of natural hazards 21

References 33

2 History and Development of Hazard Studies in Geography 37

2.1 Historical perspective 37

2.2 The focus of hazard research 44

2.3 Conclusion 60

References 61

3 Vulnerability, Resiliency, and Risk 67

3.1 Vulnerability 67

3.2 Resilience 85

3.3 Risk 93

References 110

4 Disaster Effects and Impacts 119

4.1 Disaster effects 119

4.2 Disaster impacts 138

References 151

5 Disaster Cycles: Mitigation and Preparedness 157

5.1 Mitigation 158

5.2 Preparedness 169

References 192

6 Disaster Cycles: Response and Recovery 197

6.1 Response 197

6.2 Recovery 217

References 233

7 Disaster Relief 237

7.1 Providers and distributors of disaster aid 237

7.2 Conclusion 263

References 264

8 Hazards/Disasters: Special Topics 269

8.1 Gender and natural disasters 269

8.2 Global warming and climate change 277

References 302

Author Index 307

Subject Index 315