All You Wanted To Know About Disasters


Book Description

India Being A Disaster Prone Country Has Been Regularly Affected By Earthquakes On One Side, Severe Droughts And Floods On Another Side, Landslides, Cyclones, Tsunami All Leading To Mass Destruction Of Loss Of Life And Property. With Very Little Resources Available With The Administration And Lack Of Coordination Being The Main Road Block, It Is Left To Each Individual To Take Steps To Save Himself.




Disaster by Choice


Book Description

An earthquake shatters Haiti and a hurricane slices through Texas. We hear that nature runs rampant, seeking to destroy us through these 'natural disasters'. Science recounts a different story, however: disasters are not the consequence of natural causes; they are the consequence of human choices and decisions. we put ourselves in harm's way; we fail to take measures which we know would prevent disasters, no matter what the environment does. This can be both hard to accept, and hard to unravel. A complex of factors shape disasters. They arise from the political processes dictating where and what we build, and from social circumstances which create and perpetuate poverty and discrimination. They develop from the social preference to blame nature for the damage wrought, when in fact events such as earthquakes and storms are entirely commonplace environmental processes We feel the need to fight natural forces, to reclaim what we assume is ours, and to protect ourselves from what we perceive to be wrath from outside our communities. This attitude distracts us from the real causes of disasters: humanity's decisions, as societies and as individuals. It stops us accepting the real solutions to disasters: making better decisions. This book explores stories of some of our worst disasters to show how we can and should act to stop people dying when nature unleashes its energies. The disaster is not the tornado, the volcanic eruption, or climate change, but the deaths and injuries, the loss of irreplaceable property, and the lack and even denial of support to affected people, so that a short-term interruption becomes a long-term recovery nightmare. But we can combat this, as Kelman shows, describing inspiring examples of effective human action that limits damage, such as managing flooding in Toronto and villages in Bangladesh, or wildfire in Colorado. Throughout, his message is clear: there is no such thing as a natural disaster. The disaster lies in our inability to deal with the environment and with ourselves.







How to Avoid a Climate Disaster


Book Description

#1 NEW YORK TIMES BEST SELLER • In this urgent, authoritative book, Bill Gates sets out a wide-ranging, practical—and accessible—plan for how the world can get to zero greenhouse gas emissions in time to avoid a climate catastrophe. Bill Gates has spent a decade investigating the causes and effects of climate change. With the help of experts in the fields of physics, chemistry, biology, engineering, political science, and finance, he has focused on what must be done in order to stop the planet's slide to certain environmental disaster. In this book, he not only explains why we need to work toward net-zero emissions of greenhouse gases, but also details what we need to do to achieve this profoundly important goal. He gives us a clear-eyed description of the challenges we face. Drawing on his understanding of innovation and what it takes to get new ideas into the market, he describes the areas in which technology is already helping to reduce emissions, where and how the current technology can be made to function more effectively, where breakthrough technologies are needed, and who is working on these essential innovations. Finally, he lays out a concrete, practical plan for achieving the goal of zero emissions—suggesting not only policies that governments should adopt, but what we as individuals can do to keep our government, our employers, and ourselves accountable in this crucial enterprise. As Bill Gates makes clear, achieving zero emissions will not be simple or easy to do, but if we follow the plan he sets out here, it is a goal firmly within our reach.







Absolute Disaster


Book Description

Absolute Disaster explores ninety-nine commonly held misconceptions about natural disasters, and answers questions such as... -are natural disasters becoming more frequent? -can mobile phones help calculate how many people have died? -does teaching children to swim help them survive a flood? -can cholera be predicted from space? -do disasters result in 'baby booms'? -is sending relief supplies always the right response? -does coordination work? If charity represents how people would like the world to work, then Absolute Disaster shows how it actually does. "An invaluable contribution to the field of disaster management." DR. PETER WALKER, FORMER DIRECTOR, THE INTERNATIONAL FEINSTEIN CENTER, TUFTS UNIVERSITY "A unique and practical insight into the causes and consequences of disaster." PROF. RICHARD GARFIELD, US CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL & PREVENTION




Natural Hazards


Book Description

Natural Hazards: Earth Processes as Hazards, Disasters and Catastrophes, Fourth Edition, is an introductory-level survey intended for university and college courses that are concerned with earth processes that have direct, and often sudden and violent, impacts on human society. The text integrates principles of geology, hydrology, meteorology, climatology, oceanography, soil science, ecology and solar system astronomy. The book is designed for a course in natural hazards for non-science majors, and a primary goal of the text is to assist instructors in guiding students who may have little background in science to understand physical earth processes as natural hazards and their consequences to society. Natural Hazards uses historical to recent examples of hazards and disasters to explore how and why they happen and what we can do to limit their effects. The text's up-to-date coverage of recent disasters brings a fresh perspective to the material. The Fourth Edition continues our new active learning approach that includes reinforcement of learning objective with a fully updated visual program and pedagogical tools that highlight fundamental concepts of the text. This program will provide an interactive and engaging learning experience for your students. Here's how: Provide a balanced approach to the study of natural hazards: Focus on the basic earth science of hazards as well as roles of human processes and effects on our planet in a broader, more balanced approach to the study of natural hazards. Enhance understanding and comprehension of natural hazards: Newly revised stories and case studies give students a behind the scenes glimpse into how hazards are evaluated from a scientific and human perspective; the stories of real people who survive natural hazards, and the lives and research of professionals who have contributed significantly to the research of hazardous events. Strong pedagogical tools reinforce the text's core features: Chapter structure and design organizes the material into three major sections to help students learn, digest, and review learning objectives.




A Safer Future


Book Description

Initial priorities for U.S. participation in the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, declared by the United Nations, are contained in this volume. It focuses on seven issues: hazard and risk assessment; awareness and education; mitigation; preparedness for emergency response; recovery and reconstruction; prediction and warning; learning from disasters; and U.S. participation internationally. The committee presents its philosophy of calls for broad public and private participation to reduce the toll of disasters.




All You Need to Know About the Music Business


Book Description

Through seven editions and twenty years, All You Need to Know About the Music Industry has been the essential go-to reference for music business pros--musicians, songwriters, entertainment lawyers, agents, concert promoters, music publishers, record company execs, and music managers--as they try to navigate the rapid transformation of their industry. Now in its eighth edition--revised and updated with crucial information on the industry's major changes in response to rapid technological advances and economic uncertainty, this book is still the definitive, essential guide to the music industry. Author Donald Passman, one of the most influential figures in the business, has been in the thick of this transformation and understands that anyone involved in the music business is feeling the deep, far-reaching effects of it. Drawing on his unique professional experience as one of the most trusted advisors in the business, Passman offers authoritative information on assembling a winning team of advisors, negotiating deals, music publishing and copyrights, new digital streaming services, and much more. The new edition includes up-to-date information on the new business models, including music streaming services and cloud lockers; developments in new legislation and industry-wide deals concerning piracy and digital rights; new challenges in performing rights; and updated numbers and statistics for the traditional industry. This book, called 'the industry bible' by the Los Angeles Times, is a comprehensive guide to the legal and financial aspects of the music world--an indispensable tool that no one who makes their living from music can afford to be without. -- from publisher description.