Each emergency comes with its own set of challenges, however, many emergencies of the past can be used as tools to evaluate the decisions made and apply them to similar situations. Designed to enable public officials to conduct this kind of evaluation, Case Studies in Disaster Response and Emergency Management details a selection of emergencies—more than 50—that actually occurred. The book demonstrates that often there is no wrong or right answer, just choices that will resolve a problem favorably or cause the situation to deteriorate.
The book illustrates the application of public administration theories and practices to real-life disasters. Arranged chronologically, the case studies involve incidents from the U.S. and worldwide, with topics including natural disasters, industrial accidents, epidemics, and terrorist attacks. It includes a set of generic questions at different points in the case study to allow evaluation of which decisions were successful and why. The decision-making process described gives readers an applied venue to test theoretical emergency management techniques that should work in real-world situations.
The book demonstrates with the perspective of 20/20 hindsight how preventive planning measures are best practiced. It provides practical advice and guidance for public officials during emergency situations.
Table of Contents:
GUIDELINES AND GENERAL INFORMATION FOR PUBLIC OFFICIALS AND ADMINISTRATORS
Key Issues to Consider in Emergency or Disaster Response Situations
CASE STUDIES
PART I: Disasters from Natural Forces
Group 1 – Fires
Richmond Theater Fire - Virginia – 1811
Great Chicago Fire – 1871
Peshtigo Fire - Wisconsin - 1871
Big Blowup - Washington, Idaho and Montana – 1910
Hartford Circus Fire – Connecticut- 1944
Nightclub Fire – Rhode Island – 2003
Black Saturday Brushfires, Australia – 2009
Group 2: Hurricanes
Newfoundland Hurricane – 1775
Galveston Hurricane – Texas - 1900
Hurricane Katrina – 2005
Hurricane Rita – 2005
Group 3: Floods
Johnstown, Pennsylvania - Johnstown Flood - 1889
Great Lakes Storm – 1913
Banqiao Dam Flood, China – 1975
Group 4: Tornados
Natchez Tornado - Mississippi - 1840
Goliad Tornado - Texas – 1902
Tri State Tornado – 1925
Group 5: Earthquakes
San Francisco Earthquake - 1906
Aleutian Island Earthquake - 1946
Great Chilean Earthquake - 1960
Good Friday Earthquake - 1964
Mount Saint Helens – Washington - 1980
Sichuan Earthquake, China – 2008
Group 6: Other Natural Disasters
Great Blizzard – 1888
Lions of Tsavo – Africa - 1898
Great White Shark Attacks – New Jersey - 1916
Chicago Heat Wave – 1995
North America West Nile Virus – 1999 – 2004
Killer Bee Attacks - United States - 2008
Disasters from Industrial Accidents and Structural Failure
Monongah Mine Disaster – West Virginia - 1907
Triangle Shirtwaist Factory Fire – New York – 1911
Bhopal Industrial Chemical Accident – India - 1984
Texas City Disaster – 1947
Exxon Valdez – Alaska - 1989
Hyatt Regency Walkway Collapse – Kansas City - 1981
Bridge Collapse – Minnesota - 2007
Northeast Blackout – 2003
Disasters from Criminal or Terrorist Acts
Group 1: Bombings
Bomb at Haymarket Square – Chicago - 1886
Wall Street Bombing – 1920
Bombing of Boeing 247 – 1933
World Trade Center Bombing – 1993
Oklahoma City Bombing - 1995
Atlanta – Centennial Olympic Park Bombing - 1996
Group 2: Other Terrorist Events
Rajneeshee Cult Salmonella Attacks – Oregon - 1984
Subway Attack by the Aum Cult – Tokyo - 1995
Amerithrax - 2001
9-11-2001
J.F.K. International Airport Terror Plot - 2007
Group 3: Shootings and Riots
University of Texas at Austin – Charles Whitman – 1966
Los Angeles Riots – 1992
Columbine High School Massacre – Colorado - 1999
Beltway Sniper Attacks – 2002
Virginia Tech Massacre – 2007
Disasters from Nuclear, Bio-toxins, or Chemicals
Donora – Air Pollution – 1948
Love Canal – Niagara Falls - 1970
Three Mile Island – Pennsylvania – 1979
Chernobyl – Ukraine - 1986
Biological Hazardous Material Violation – Texas A&M University - 2007
Conclusion
References
Index
About the Author :
Nicolas Valcik is Associate Director of the Office of Strategic Planning and Analysis and a Clinical Assistant Professor of Public Affairs at the University of Texas at Dallas.
Paul E. Tracy is with the University of Massachusetts – Lowell.
Review :
"In government service anything can and will happen. Valcik and Tracy have selected a wide variety of case studies to help the reader prepare for that phone call when you least expect it."
—Allen Barnes, City Manager of Gonzales, Texas
"I have gained a whole new appreciation of the need for a more informed manager. … This book will be on my office desktop, and I will be referring to it often. I know this book will be dog-eared in very short order."
—Ted Benavides, Executive Scholar in Residence at the University of Texas at Dallas
