Natural disaster

About: Natural disaster is a research topic. Over the lifetime, 5456 publications have been published within this topic receiving 104808 citations. The topic is also known as: natural calamity & natural hazard.

Macroeconomic Risk Management Against Natural Disasters

Abstract: Natural disasters cause considerable economic damage. While developed countries usually are able to cope with the impacts of natural hazards, developing countries are faced with severe consequences for their resources. In order to prevent long-term macroeconomic repercussions, governments need a comprehensive disaster rick management strategy.

Local government's problem with disaster management: a literature review and structural analysis1

Abstract: In response to the recent attention given the disaster management responsibilities of local governments, this study asks two questions: how have local governments managed the demands associated with major natural disasters, and what explanation have been offered for the perfor- mance patterns observed? In the first part of the paper the social science disaster literature is reviewed to ascertain performance across four disaster stages (predisaster planning, emergency, early recovery, and long-term recovery). Among the explanations offered for the performance patterns, it was surprising to find little attention devoted to underlying structural factors. In the second part of the paper, “the disaster management problem” is stipulated and a structural analysis of it is undertaken, focusing on the role of local government within both the intergovernmental system and the local power structure. The conclusion is that the disaster management problem has roots deep within American society and culture, and any attempts to redress the problem will require attention to limiting struc- tural realities.

From 9/11 to 8/29: Post-Disaster Recovery and Rebuilding in New York and New Orleans

Abstract: This article examines the process of post-disaster recovery and rebuilding in New York City since 9/11 and in New Orleans since the Hurricane Katrina disaster (8/29). As destabilizing events, 9/11 and 8/29 forced a rethinking of the major categories, concepts and theories that long dominated disaster research. We analyze the form, trajectory and problems of reconstruction in the two cities with special emphasis on the implementation of the Community Development Block Grant program, the Liberty Zone and the Gulf Opportunity Zone, and tax-exempt private activity bonds to finance and promote reinvestment. Drawing on a variety of data sources, we show that New York and New Orleans have become important laboratories for entrepreneurial city and state governments seeking to use post-disaster rebuilding as an opportunity to push through far-reaching neoliberal policy reforms. The emphasis on using market-centered approaches for urban recovery and rebuilding in New York and New Orleans should be seen not as coherent or sustainable responses to urban disaster but rather as deeply contradictory restructuring strategies that are intensifying the problems they seek to remedy.

Perspectives of Natural Disasters in East and South Asia, and the Pacific Island States: Socio-economic Correlates and Needs Assessment

Abstract: The regions of East and South Asia, and the Pacific Islands are among the most-hazard prone areas in the world. Because of this, during the last century, most of the human casualties of 'natural-triggered' disasters have taken place in this region. This circumstance therefore has become a major global humanitarian concern. Another major concern, specifically for the donor agencies, is the damage sustained by infrastructure resulting from environmental disasters. These recurrent loses take away a significant proportion of the cumulative economic gains accrued from development investments over many years. Stepwise multiple regression results substantiated the fact that many of the socio-economic and demographic variables significantly influence disaster-related deaths and injuries in this part of the world A comparative temporal analysis has shown that, over the past two decades, demographic variables have become prominent predictors of disaster-loss in South, Southeast and East Asian and the Pacific states. Many countries of the region are lagging behind in understanding and recognizing the broader scope of disaster mitigation and management. Emerging needs and awareness among the decision-makers and the general public, however, have prompted institutions in many countries to initiate a critical review of the prevailing approaches. The country-specific disaster-management capacities and needs in the region vary widely. There are many differences in historical courses, institutional and administrative settings, sociocultural characteristics. as well as political and economic systems. Development of a common institutional framework for the region, thereafter, seems unfeasible. Based upon a regional review, it has become clear that the research calls for improving the understanding of the significance of disaster mitigation and management in light of sustainable development and the emerging global issues. In addition, aspects of human resource development to enhance institutional mitigation and response capacities are emphasized.