Dear J.M. Albala-Bertrand,
The summary volume from the "Second Assessment of Hazards Research" was
recently published by the National Academy Press here in the U.S. Details
are included below.
Hal Cochrane was a contributor to that five-year National Science
Foundation-sponsored study. However he is not publishing a separate
monograph based on his research (although some of the other contributors
are).
If you would like to know more about Cochrane's contribution to the
Assessment, I suggest you contact him directly. He is at Colorado State
University. His e-mail address: [log in to unmask]
You might also note the other volumes resulting from this study that have
been published (they are listed below); some of them may be of interest to
you as well.
Hope this is helpful,
David Butler
Natural Hazards Information Center
University of Colorado
[log in to unmask]
http://www.colorado.edu/hazards
[Taken from Disaster Research E-mail newsletter #290 -
to subscribe, see http://www.colorado.edu/hazards/dr/dr.html]
----------------------------------------------------------------------
Re-Examining Natural Hazards in the U.S.
Summary Volume now Available
Twenty-five years ago, geographer Gilbert F. White and sociologist J.
Eugene Haas published a pioneering report on the U.S.'s ability to
withstand and respond to natural disasters. At that time, research on
disasters primarily involved physical science and engineering. As
White and Haas pointed out in their "Assessment of Research on Natural
Hazards" (1975), little attempt had been made to tap the social
sciences to better understand the economic, social, and political
significance of extreme natural events.
Their work attempted to fill this void and, perhaps more importantly,
they advanced the critical notion that, rather than simply picking up
the pieces following disasters, the U.S. could employ better planning,
land-use controls, and other preventive and mitigative measures to
reduce disasters' toll. The report also paved the way for an
interdisciplinary approach to disaster research and management,
encompassing areas such as climatology, economics, engineering,
geography, geology, law, meteorology, planning, seismology, and
sociology.
Recently, more than 100 hazards researchers revisited the work of
White and Haas to reassess the state of natural hazards knowledge in
the U.S. by conducting the Second U.S. Assessment of Research and
Applications for Natural Hazards, a project sponsored by the National
Science Foundation and several federal agencies. They addressed a
fundamental question: "Why, despite all our knowledge about the causes
of, consequences from, and remedies for disasters, do losses continue
to rise?"
Their findings are now available in a summary volume, "Disasters by
Design: A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United States" by
Dennis S. Mileti. The book summarizes hazards research findings from
the last two decades, synthesizes what has been learned, and outlines
a proposed shift in direction in research and policy for natural and
related technological hazards in the United States.
Among their many conclusions, the contributors to "Disasters by
Design" found that one of the central problems in coping with
disasters has been the belief that we can use technology to control
nature and "solve" problems posed by natural hazards. Also, most
strategies for coping with hazards have failed to take into account
the complexity and changing nature of hazards; events in the past 25
years have shown that natural disasters and related technological
hazards are not problems that can be dealt with in isolation. Losses
from hazards result from shortsighted and narrow conceptions of the
relationship of humans to the natural environment, and poor choices
regarding where and how we will construct our communities.
To redress these shortcomings, the researchers recommend that the U.S.
shift to a policy of sustainable hazard mitigation, a concept that
links wise management of natural resources with local economic and
social resiliency. To achieve sustainability, communities must take
responsibility for choosing where and how development proceeds.
"Disasters by Design" outlines objectives to reduce losses and
advances several specific approaches for mitigating the effects of
natural hazards.
"Disasters by Design: A Reassessment of Natural Hazards in the United
States" by Dennis Mileti (1999, 376 pp.) costs $47.95, plus $4.50
shipping and handling and can be ordered from National Academy Press,
2101 Constitution Avenue, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055;
(800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313; fax: (202) 334-2451; WWW:
http://www.nap.edu/bookstore.
Two prior publications from this project are also available from the
National Academy Press. Interested persons can view and print the
complete text of these documents and/or order them on-line for a 20%
discount:
* "Cooperating With Nature: Confronting Natural Hazards with Land-Use
Planning for Sustainable Communities," edited by Raymond J. Burby
(1998, 368 pp., $38.36);
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/records/0309063620.html.
* "Paying the Price: The Status and Role of Insurance Against Natural
Disasters in the United States," edited by Howard Kunreuther and
Richard J. Roth Sr. (1998, 320 pp., $38.36):
http://www.nap.edu/readingroom/records/0309063612.html.
Finally, a complete, extended bibliography for "Disasters by Design"
is now available from the Natural Hazards Center Web site:
http://www.colorado.edu/hazard/assessbib.html.
This list of literature comprises all the citations provided by the
numerous researchers, practitioners, reviewers, and others who
contributed to the book.
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
On Mon, 26 Jul 1999, J.M.Albala-Bertrand wrote:
>
> I wonder if there is anybody who knows where to find the book below, if it
> was published at all. My library does not appear to find it for an
> inter-library loan. The book is:
>
> Cochrane, H. et al (1997?) The Economics of Hazards and Disasters. Second
> Assessment of Hazard Research. (Boulder: University of Colorado).
>
> If not, are you aware of any similar book (after 1995)? I would appreciate
> a prompt answer. Thank you.
>
> Dr J.M. Albala-Bertrand
>
>
>
>
> * J.M. Albala-Bertrand *
> * Department of Economics *
> * Queen Mary & Westfield Colleg *
> * University of London *
> * Mile End Road *
> * London E1 4NS *
> * *
> Tel 0171 975 5094 *
> Fax 0181 983 3580 *
>
%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%%
|
