Natural disasters

Increasing National Resilience to Hazards and Disasters

The Perspective from the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi: Summary of a Workshop

by Steve Olson, Rapporteur; Committee on Increasing National Resilience to Hazards and Disasters; National Research Council

Description

Natural disasters are having an increasing effect on the lives of people in the United States and throughout the world. Every decade, property damage caused by natural disasters and hazards doubles or triples in the United States. More than half of the U.S. population lives within 50 miles of a coast, and all Americans are at risk from such hazards as fires, earthquakes, floods, and wind. The year 2010 saw 950 natural catastrophes around the world--the second highest annual total ever--with overall losses estimated at $130 billion. The increasing impact of natural disasters and hazards points to increasing importance of resilience, the ability to prepare and plan for, absorb, recover from, or more successfully adapt to actual or potential adverse events, at the individual , local, state, national, and global levels. Assessing National Resilience to Hazards and Disasters reviews the effects of Hurricane Katrina and other natural and human-induced disasters on the Gulf Coast of Louisiana and Mississippi and to learn more about the resilience of those areas to future disasters. Topics explored in the workshop range from insurance, building codes, and critical infrastructure to private-sector issues, public health, nongovernmental organizations and governance. This workshop summary provides a rich foundation of information to help increase the nation's resilience through actionable recommendations and guidance on the best approaches to reduce adverse impacts from hazards and disasters.

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WW ex JP, CN, KR ; L

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http://www.nap.edu/13178

National Academies Press

National Academies Press

The National Academies Press (NAP) publish the reports of the National Academies of Sciences, Engineering and Medicine. They published more than 200 books a year on a wide range of topics.

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Bibliographic Information

  • Publisher National Academies Press
  • Publication Date September 2011
  • Orginal LanguageEnglish
  • ISBN/Identifier 9780309215275
  • Publication Country or regionUnited States
  • FormatPaperback
  • Primary Price 36 USD
  • Pages150
  • ReadershipProfessional and scholarly
  • Publish StatusPublished
  • Dimensions9 x 6 inches
  • Biblio Notes2011

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