Introduction to International Disaster Management - Hardcover

Coppola, Damon

Hardcover

ISBN 10: 0123821746 ISBN 13: 9780123821744

Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2011

Synopsis

Disaster management is a vibrant and growing field, driven by government spending in the wake of terrorist attacks and environmental debacles, as well as private-sector hiring of risk managers and emergency planners. An ever-increasing number of practicing professionals needs a reference that can provide a solid foundation in ALL major phases of supervision – mitigation, preparedness, response, communications, and recovery. As climate change leads to further costly catastrophes and as countries around the world continue to struggle with terrorism, the demand for solutions will only grow. This revised edition of Coppola’s revered resource meets said demand head-on with more focused, current, thoughtfully analyzed, and effective approaches to disaster relief.

• Expanded coverage of global approaches to disaster management with enhanced data and research on disasters around the world, including Cyclone Nargis, the H1N1 pandemic, and the tsunami in American Samoa
• More material on risk management, mitigation, myths that affect behavior during crises, and post-disaster evaluation of the response
• Up-to-date information on the role of aid organizations and international financial institutions like the World Bank in disaster response, as well as commentary on the latest research in disaster management and policy studies

About this title

Review

Featured Excerpt on Vulnerability from the Second Edition of Introduction to International Disaster Management

The concept of vulnerability was first presented in Chapter 1 and defined as a measure of the propensity of an object, area, individual, group, community, country, or other entity to incur the consequences of a hazard. As this section illustrates, measurement of vulnerability results from a combination of physical, social, economic, and environmental factors or processes. These factors are the primary determinant features that dictate how the likelihood and/or consequences components of risk are increased or decreased.

It is important to first clarify the difference between the concepts of vulnerability and exposure, which are often confused. The two words are used interchangeably to describe how a country, region, or community is likely to experience a certain hazard. However, this is incorrect, as the discussion on vulnerability factors shows. The United Nation’s risk reduction document Living with Risk embodies this concept, saying, “While most natural hazards may be inevitable, disasters are not” (ISDR, 2004).

Figure 3-9

Figure 3-10

While vulnerability defines the propensity to incur consequences, exposure merely suggests that the individual, structure, community, nation, or other subject will be exposed to the hazard. For instance, one might say, “The Spanish are vulnerable to drought,” meaning that Spain regularly experiences the drought hazard. But this statement implies more than the speaker intended. The use of the word “vulnerable” implies that the population is likely to incur negative consequences as a result of factors that make it less likely to protect its citizens and built and natural environments from harm, not simply that drought happens there. The reality, as Figures 3–9 and 3–10 illustrate, is that while Spain is regularly exposed to drought, the nation is not vulnerable to its consequences.

Read the rest of this featured excerpt on Vulnerability. [PDF]

Read a featured excerpt on "Recognizing That Recovery Is an Opportunity in Disguise." [PDF]

From the Back Cover

Introduction to International Disaster Management, Second Edition continues to serve as the sole comprehensive overview of global emergency management.  This second edition contains updated information on disaster trends as well as on management structures and advancements around the world.  Coppola includes changes that reflect the dual theme of the book: universal principles of global emergency management practice and advances in the field worldwide, and lessons from disasters and other watershed events that have occurred since the first edition was published.  This text includes new case studies and updated disaster, risk, and vulnerability data, as well as insightful discussions of recent national and international initiatives, and of progress towards improving non-governmental organization (NGO) and private sector cooperation and professionalism. This text approaches the practice of emergency management from a global perspective, making it the only introductory book without bias towards the emergency management system or history of a single country or region.

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Introduction to International Disaster Management, Second Edition continues to serve as the sole comprehensive overview of global emergency management. This second edition contains updated information on disaster trends as well as on management structures and advancements around the world. Coppola includes changes that reflect the dual theme of the book: universal principles of global emergency management practice and advances in the field worldwide, and lessons from disasters and other watershed events that have occurred since the first edition was published. This text includes new case studies and updated disaster, risk, and vulnerability data, as well as insightful discussions of recent national and international initiatives, and of progress towards improving non-governmental organization (NGO) and private sector cooperation and professionalism. This text approaches the practice of emergency management from a global perspective, making it the only introductory book without bias towards the emergency management system or history of a single country or region.

Edition details

• Publisher: Butterworth-Heinemann
• Publication date: 2011
• ISBN 10: 0123821746
• ISBN 13: 9780123821744
• Binding: Hardcover
• Language: English
• Edition number: 2
• Number of pages: 704