Introduction to Disaster Management

Contents: Preface. 1. Disaster: an introduction. 2. Disaster through ages. 3. Apartheid forced removals: a man-made disaster. 4. Human behaviour and disaster review and response. 5. Environmentally sound management of solid wastes and sewage-related issue. 6. Natural hazards research. 7. New face of disaster: wars--mortality--poverty. 8. Industrial disasters/Hazards. 9. Disaster Management Act: India. 10. Disaster survey and assessment. 11. Disaster training and control planning. Appendices. Glossary of terms. Bibliography. Index.

"A disaster is defined as a serious disruption of the functioning of society, causing widespread human, material or environmental losses which exceed the ability of affected society to cope on its own resources. In fact, this clearly implies that the poor people/society are the most vulnerable to hazards/disasters as they posses fewer resources and have very limited capacity to prevent or cope with the impacts. No doubts, the sheer scope of the social and economic impacts of natural approach to dealing with the concept of risk and vulnerability in modern societies. Also, the social and economic costs of disasters very widely and are difficult to estimate on a global basis.

This book is an attempt in the direction of collating some valuable information on vital aspects of disasters and disaster management." (jacket)