About the Book
During the 1980's, many Americans participated directly and indirectly in the drama and tragedy of major catastrophes, from volcanic eruptions to air crashes, closing the decade with the devastating Exxon Valdez oil spill, Hurricane Hugo, and the San Francisco earthquake. The objective of this volume is to examine how we have addressed some of the major hazards and, to the extent possible, assess the effectiveness of these efforts. This volume inventories and evaluates the major programs and policies designed to deal with the most common and destructive natural and man-made disasters, dividing them into four categories: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Disaster-types included in the handbook are earthquakes, volcanoes, hurricanes, floods, tornadoes, fires, droughts, hazardous materials accidents, nuclear facility accidents, structural failures, and transportation accidents. Following the analyses of specific disaster-types, the book considers the utility of all-hazard programs, such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency's Integrated Emergency Management System and documents the status of present emergency management efforts in the United States. A list of emergency management organizations is also included.
Each disaster-type is evaluated in terms of the frequency of occurrence, potential for property loss and human casualties, predictability of events, and the history of such disasters in the United States. In addition to analyzing the disasters themselves, the book outlines the development of emergency management efforts by federal, state, and local governments; the major problems in designing policy to respond to the specific risks and hazards, as well as some of the major policy alternatives. The analyses address questions of issue salience, levels of program funding, and technical problems. Due to the wide variety of responses at the state and local levels, the primary focus is on federal emergency management program. This book will serve students, officials, and academic researchers by providing an overview of the major emergency management program areas. The addition of graphs, tables, and maps will assist nonspecialists in understanding the nature of the disasters and risks being discussed.
Table of Contents:
Preface
Introduction to Emergency Management by William L. Waugh, Jr., and Ronald John Hy
The Function of Emergency Management by Ronald John Hy and William L. Waugh, Jr.
Earthquakes by Richard T. Sylves
Volcanic Hazards by William L. Waugh, Jr.
Hurricanes by William L. Waugh, Jr.
Floods by Beverly A. Cigler and Raymond J. Burby
Tornadoes by Loran B. Smith and David T. Jervis
Wildfire Hazards by Diane Moskow-McKenzie and John C. Freemuth
Drought by Donald A. Wilhite
Hazardous Material Transport Accidents by and Jeanette M. Trauth and Thomas J. Pavlak
Nuclear Emergencies by Joan Aron
Air Disasters by Margaret Baty
Structural Failures by Ronald John Hy
Public Health Emergencies by Caffilene Allen
Civil Defense by Loran B. Smith
The Utility of All-Hazard Programs by William L. Waugh, Jr., and Ronald John Hy
Selected Bibliography
Emergency Management Organizations and Information Sources
Index
About the Author :
WILLIAM L. WAUGH, JR., is Associate Professor of Public Administration and Political Science at Georgia State University. He is the author of International Terrorism: How Nations Respond to Terrorists, Terrorism and Emergency Management, and is the coeditor of Cities and Disaster: North American Studies in Emergency Management, and Antiterrorism Policies(forthcoming). In addition, he is the editor of Emergency Management Dispatch.
RONALD JOHN HY is Director of the Division of Governmental Studies and Professor of Public Administration at the Universtiy of Arkansas at Little Rock. He is the author of Financial Management for Health Care Administrators (Quorum Books, 1989) and the coauthor of Research Methods and Statistics. He has also written numerous articles, reports, and chapters in books.
Review :
?Waugh and Hy's handbook examines how Americans have addressed recent major hazards and assesses the effectiveness of these efforts. It evaluates individual disaster types (floods, tornadoes, hazardous materials spills, etc.) in terms of their frequency of occurrence, potential for property loss and human casualties, predictability of events, and the history of such disasters in the U.S. In addition, the volume outlines the development of emergency management efforts by federal, state, and local governments to cope with these hazards; the major problems in designing policy to respond to specific risks as well as some of the major policy alternatives. Following the analyses of specific hazards, the book considers the utility of all-hazards programs, such as FEMA's Integrated Emergency Management System, and documents the status of present emergency efforts by federal, state, and local governments.?-Natural Hazards Observer
"Waugh and Hy's handbook examines how Americans have addressed recent major hazards and assesses the effectiveness of these efforts. It evaluates individual disaster types (floods, tornadoes, hazardous materials spills, etc.) in terms of their frequency of occurrence, potential for property loss and human casualties, predictability of events, and the history of such disasters in the U.S. In addition, the volume outlines the development of emergency management efforts by federal, state, and local governments to cope with these hazards; the major problems in designing policy to respond to specific risks as well as some of the major policy alternatives. Following the analyses of specific hazards, the book considers the utility of all-hazards programs, such as FEMA's Integrated Emergency Management System, and documents the status of present emergency efforts by federal, state, and local governments."-Natural Hazards Observer
