Protecting People from Natural Disasters: Political Institutions and Ocean-Originated Hazards

The Political Economy of “Natural” Disasters

Natural disasters occur in a political space. Although events beyond our control may trigger a disaster, the level of government preparedness and response greatly determines the extent of suffering incurred by the affected population. We use a political economy model of disaster prevention, supported by case studies, that explains why some governments prepare well for disasters and others do no...

At Risk: Natural Hazards, People’s Vulnerability, and Disasters

Presently in its second edition, “At Risk” stands as a primary text in risk and vulnerability studies. The authors focus on the political and economic causes of disaster, arguing that vulnerability is at the foundation of risks and recovery practices. Through focusing on natural hazards, such as floods, earthquakes, and volcanoes, ”At Risk” demonstrates how social groups with little economic or...

Hazards without disasters.

natural hazard need not become a human disaster if society learns and applies lessons in preparation and resilience. Earthquake history speaks well to this—engineered structures need to stand up to strong shaking. Chile learned this lesson before its 2010 earthquake of magnitude 8.8. Because it had already enforced seismic provisions of building codes, there was little loss of life due to damag...

India’s Key Hazards/ Disasters

The Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change (IPCC) came to the conclusion that, worldwide the frequency and magnitude of all types of natural disasters are on the rise. Discernible changes in weather with a general increase in temperature (or a decrease in the number of cold days) have been observed in nearly all the land masses. There is also an increase in the frequency of heavy precipitati...

Protecting the patient from electrical hazards.