Disasters both natural and human-induced are leading to spiralling costs in terms of human lives, lost livelihoods and damaged assets and businesses. Yet these consequences and the financial and human crises that follow catastrophes can often be traced to policies unsuited to the emerging scales of the problems they confront, and the lack of institutional capacity to implement planning and prevention or to manage disasters. This book seeks to overcome this mismatch and to guide development of a policy and institutional framework. For the first time it brings together into a coherent framework the insights of public policy, institutional design and emergency and disaster management.

Disasters both natural and human-induced are leading to spiralling costs in terms of human lives, lost livelihoods and damaged assets and businesses. Yet these consequences and the financial and human crises that follow catastrophes can often be traced to policies unsuited to the emerging scales of the problems they confront, and the lack of institutional capacity to implement planning and prevention or to manage disasters. This book seeks to overcome this mismatch and to guide development of a more strategic policy and institutional framework. This updated and revised second edition includes new coverage of climate change adaptation, which has rapidly become central to disaster and emergency planning and management. This is an essential handbook for practitioners across the world seeking to improve the quality, robustness and capacity of their disaster management mechanisms.

The Civil Contingencies Act 2004 modernised the UK’s approach to disaster and emergency management, taking into account the kinds of threats the country faces in the 21st century, including terrorist threats and threats to the environment. This third edition of the Tolley’s Handbook of Disaster and Emergency Management has been fully updated to cover the topics and themes reflected in the Act, and collates all the key components of disaster and emergency planning for both the public and the private sector, covering both man-made and natural disasters. Written from a UK practitioner’s point of view, using case studies and examples, it helps readers to understand and formulate disaster and emergency policies and systems for their workplace. Its practical approach will help organizations to ensure business continuity and safeguard the health and safety of their staff in the event of a disaster. The new edition has been updated in line with the latest legislation: * Civil Contingencies Act 2004 * Amendment to the Control of Major Accident Hazards (COMAH) Regulations * Corporate Manslaughter Bill

This timely Handbook is based on the principle that disasters are social constructions and focuses on social science disaster research. It provides an interdisciplinary approach to disasters with theoretical, methodological, and practical applications. Attention is given to conceptual issues dealing with the concept "disaster" and to methodological issues relating to research on disasters. These include Geographic Information Systems as a useful research tool and its implications for future research. This seminal work is the first interdisciplinary collection of disaster research as it stands now while outlining how the field will continue to grow.

This work is the first nontechnical guide to the principles, practices, policies, and profession of emergency management. The monumental natural and humanmade disasters of the 20th century, which killed 25 million people in Asia alone, have underscored the need for professional and coordinated disaster response worldwide. This book examines the profession and practice of emergency management in the United States, at the United Nations, and around the globe. Emergency Management explores the history and development of the discipline from the first federal disaster relief proclamation in 1803 to the present day. It also analyzes current debates over when and how emergency resources are best utilized, and the laws and public policies that govern emergencies. An essential source for secondary and college students, and for all citizens who want to understand emergency preparedness.

Including contributions from sixty international authors, this book examines emergency responses to environmental dangers such as chemical fires, hazardous material and oil spills, nuclear reactor accidents, and earthquakes, and crises in the environment, global public service, and politics. It covers a wide range of international issues and topics, using various analyses, including critical, descriptive, empirical, quantitative, and normative methods. The book discusses approaches to natural disasters, resolutions to cultural, religious, and political tensions, terrorism and the potential use of biological, chemical, and nuclear weapons, the role of crisis public relations, and more.

Disasters and public health emergencies are increasing. Climate change, transportation incidents, increasing numbers of mass gatherings, chemical and technical incidents, increasing number of armed conflicts and terrorism are some of the major reasons for this increasing pattern. Any of these events may result in severe casualties, destruction of infrastructures and create a situation in which the number of victims may exceed available resources. Much of the knowledge in disaster medicine is based on the “lessons learned”. However, it has been proven that no lessons learned theoretically can be of practical use if the knowledge is not tested in an appropriate environment. In this perspective, the major clinical excellence and testing laboratories for disaster response are the scenes where disasters happen. Yet, most of the research and reports in the field are produced in high-income countries, while most of the disasters happen in middle- or low-income countries. There is thus a need to bring these two environments together in order to translate theory into practice and among people who are highly exposed and involved in the multidisciplinary management of a disaster or major incident.