Comparative Emergency Management ─ Examining Global and Regional Responses to Disasters

A host of natural and man-made disasters have plagued the world in the twenty-first century, many with significant global impact. The Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill, the Indian Ocean tsunami, and Hurricane Katrina all affected broad regions with devastating results. The need for better emergency management policies, procedures, and cooperation among nations is evident. Bringing together contributions from a cadre of international experts, Comparative Emergency Management: Examining Global and Regional Responses to Disasters demonstrates ways to recognize and reduce regional infrastructure vulnerability by building secure networks of collaboration within different geographical areas of the world.

With discrete sections on the Americas, Africa and the Middle East, Europe, Asia, and the Pacific Rim, the book presents the work of researchers and practitioners who examine ways different societies have responded to environmental threats using innovative methods to cope with their vulnerabilities to disaster. Topics discussed include:

• A game approach that has been used as an effective tool in the communication of disaster risk information in the Caribbean
• Efforts to rebuild tourism in New Orleans despite the challenges presented by media coverage of Hurricane Katrina
• Faith-based organization (FBO) humanitarian assistance in the Muslim world
• Nongovernmental and community-based responses to the Asian tsunami and the Sumatran earthquake

The book presents a multifaceted study that aims to foster dialogue among policymakers to reduce social vulnerability and build local and regional capacities to withstand environmental assaults. Encouraging creative thinking, it offers ideas and solutions that have been successful in a range of environments worldwide. The authoritative scholarship presented combines interdisciplinary studies that will be valuable to a broad range of fields and professionals.

DeMond Shondell Miller is a professor of sociology and director of the Liberal Arts and Sciences Institute for Research and Community Service at Rowan University (Glassboro, New Jersey). He has worked as principal investigator to facilitate research projects involving natural and technological disasters, environmental issues, and community satisfaction. His primary area of specialization is environmental sociology (disaster studies and the study of the social construction of place), community development and community organizing, and social impact assessment. He is currently engaged in research on international environmental policy, coastal and maritime sustainable tourism, and the ongoing social impacts of Hurricane Katrina and the Deepwater Horizon Oil Spill.

Jason David Rivera is a research associate in the William J. Hughes Center for Public Policy at The Richard Stockton College of New Jersey. His research focuses on social vulnerability to natural and manmade disasters with an emphasis on minority experiences. Additionally, his research highlights institutional structures that have historically perpetuated social vulnerability within minority and low income communities. These research findings have been incorporated into policy recommendations that make mitigation, response, and recovery more efficient.