Natural Disasters - Hardcover

Davis, Lee

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0816070008 ISBN 13: 9780816070008

Publisher: Facts on File, 2008

Synopsis

Offers a survey of the natural calamities that have altered the course of human history. This reference features approximately 600 entries organized by disaster type, then alphabetized by the name of the country in which the event occurred. It also offers insight into the background of each event and its impact on mankind and the environment.

About this title

About the Author:

Davis is Associate Professor at the Institute of International Economics and Management, Copenhagen Business School.

From School Library Journal:

Grade 9 Up—The opinionated introduction to this update of the 2002 edition paves the way for the unstinting social commentary ("people situated near volcanoes ignore common sense and the warnings of experts") in these 500-plus articles. Chapters begin with thorough explanations of the phenomena and a chronological list of calamities, prehistory to 2007. They are arranged by disaster type and include "Avalanches and Landslides," "Earthquakes," "Famines and Droughts," "Plagues and Epidemics," "Hurricanes," "Icestorms and Snowstorms," and "Volcanic Eruptions and Natural Explosions." Within these divisions, arrangement is geographical and then chronological. Entries provide a synopsis of the disaster, and then proceed with a detailed history, including magnitude or strength (Richter scale measurements, etc.) death toll, property damage, and other effects, interspersed with numerous eyewitness accounts and quotes. New coverage includes entries on Hurricane Katrina, the U.S. Midwestern floods of 2007, and SARS. There are no cross-references. Also, there is no chapter on tsunamis, so the book lacks a comprehensive explanation of their creation. Instead, descriptions of the genesis and destructiveness of individual tsunamis, including the massive 2004 disaster, are scattered throughout the flood and earthquake sections. Black-and-white photographs accompany many of the entries, and there is an eight-page section of color photos. Both types are grainy. Though it covers only through 2006, Marlene Bradford and Robert S. Carmichael's Notable Natural Disasters (Salem, 2007) is a better option. It covers more disaster types, gives the 2004 Indian Ocean tsunami its own entry, and discusses prevention more thoroughly.—Henrietta Thornton-Verma, School Library Journal
Copyright © Reed Business Information, a division of Reed Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.

About this edition

• Publisher: Facts on File
• Publication date: 2008
• ISBN 10: 0816070008
• ISBN 13: 9780816070008
• Binding: Hardcover
• Number of pages: 464