Disaster Management

A Paradise Built in Hell is an investigation of the moments of altruism, resourcefulness, and generosity that arise amid disaster's grief and disruption and considers their implications for everyday life. It points to a new vision of what society could become - one that is less authoritarian and fearful, more collaborative and local.

The world is anything but serene and still. We are all vulnerable to natural threats, both internal and external. Meteor showers, asteroids are only a few of the factors likely to pose threats to the world from space. As for the seemingly solid earth, the planet's interior has an inner core of molten elements. It surely would not be an exaggeration to call this part of the earth, which remains invisible to our eyes, "a flaming core". There also exists an atmosphere surrounding the earth, which is a "shield" against external threats. Yet, no part of the earth is immune against the effects of...

Conquer the Emergency Management Exam: Your Concise Guide to Disaster Preparedness and Response is a comprehensive resource designed to prepare aspiring emergency managers for the challenges of both the exam and real-world disaster scenarios. This guide focuses on delivering essential knowledge in a concise and accessible format, covering critical topics such as the Incident Command System, FEMA’s role, hazard assessments, and disaster response strategies. The book emphasizes practical insights, helping readers understand not only the theory but also the application of emergency ...

Rethinking Readiness offers an expert introduction to human-made threats and vulnerabilities, with a focus on opportunities to reimagine how we approach disaster preparedness. Jeff Schlegelmilch identifies and explores the most critical threats facing the world today, detailing the dangers of pandemics, climate change, infrastructure collapse, cyberattacks, and nuclear conflict. Drawing on the latest research from leading experts, he provides an accessible overview of the causes and potential effects of these looming megadisasters.

“As time moves on and memories fade, this unique, compelling book will serve as an important and accurate first-hand record of traumatic events, faithfully and sensitively recounted by Lally Brown.” Professor Willy Aspinall, University of Bristol, UK A Recipe for Adversity: Take one small Caribbean island, Toss in an erupting volcano, Bring slowly to the boil, Whisk in three hurricanes, Sprinkle with hundreds and thousands of earthquakes, Simmer gently for two decades or longer, Now live there! ‘An enchanting slice of Paradise’ is how the travel brochures described Montserrat in ...

A comprehensive catalog of the most devastating and deadly events-natural or man-made-in human history. If you follow the news it can seem like injury, sickness, and death are now constant, inescapable occurrences that threaten us every second of every day. But such catastrophic events - as terrible and frightening as they are - have been happening for as long as mankind has walked the Earth.... and even before. From ancient volcanoes and floods to epidemics of cholera and smallpox to Hitler's mass killings in the 20th century, humanity's continued existence has always seemed perilous.

In Design Any Disaster, certified emergency manager and master business continuity practitioner Patrick Hardy reveals the secrets of disaster preparedness that helped him build the largest and most successful small business and family disaster planning company in the world. He explains why: You should never, ever "remain calm" during a disaster, 99% of all disaster plans are a complete waste of time, and fancy disaster equipment and supplies actually leave you less prepared.

In her groundbreaking reporting, Naomi Klein introduced the term "disaster capitalism." Whether covering Baghdad after the U.S. occupation, Sri Lanka in the wake of the tsunami, or New Orleans post-Katrina, she witnessed something remarkably similar. People still reeling from catastrophe were being hit again, this time with economic "shock treatment," losing their land and homes to rapid-fire corporate makeovers. The Shock Doctrine retells the story of the most dominant ideology of our time, Milton Friedman's free market economic revolution.

The dust storms that terrorized the High Plains in the darkest years of the Depression were like nothing ever seen before or since. Following a dozen families and their communities through the rise and fall of the region, Timothy Egan tells of their desperate attempts to carry on through blinding black dust blizzards, crop failure, and the death of loved ones. Brilliantly capturing the terrifying drama of catastrophe, he does equal justice to the human characters who become his heroes.

What do elite members of the military, first responders in the disaster zone, and high-performing leaders in fast-paced, high-pressure, modern day organizations have in common? The ability to have clarity of mind and purpose when surrounded by chaos. To operate at peak performance under risk. To be able to see clearly when others are blinded by fear, and act when others are paralyzed. To craft plans even with incomplete information, then execute those plans decisively...

The 72-Hour Rule: Surviving the First Three Days of Business Disruption A Tactical ISO 22301 Playbook for Crisis Management, Fast Recovery, and Business Continuity Under Pressure In a world where business disruptions can strike without warning, the first 72 hours are critical. The 72-Hour Rule: Surviving the First Three Days of Business Disruption is your essential playbook for managing crises and recovering fast using ISO 22301, the global standard for business continuity. This tactical guide offers a clear, step-by-step approach to navigate the chaos in the first three days of disruption ...

In a world increasingly shaped by disruption, uncertainty, and “permacrisis,” the ability to lead through chaos is no longer a niche skill, it is a core leadership imperative. Originally published in the aftermath of major global disasters, The Crisis Leader has guided thousands of leaders across the humanitarian, business, government, and nonprofit sectors through the complexities of crisis response. Now, in this fully updated and expanded edition, Gisli Olafsson draws on more than three decades of experience leading teams through disasters, pandemics, political upheavals, and digital ...

Green Berets are "Masters of Chaos." What makes us elite is our planning. We prepare not only for the mission but for all the things that could go wrong. We worst-case scenarios in order to prevent them from happening, and being prepared if, despite our best efforts, they do occur. It is a unique mindset that is the hallmark of the Quiet Professionals. This book is about past disasters and how to avoid them in the future, mitigate their effects and learn from them. As you will see studying significant events, they didn’t just happen, and the people and organizations involved weren’t ...

Crisis-Proof: Building an Invincible Organization with ISO 22301 How Smart Companies Turn Disruption into Competitive Advantage Through Business Continuity Mastery In a world where businesses face constant challenges and unpredictable disruptions, it’s no longer enough to simply react to problems. Crisis-Proof: Building an Invincible Organization with ISO 22301 is your practical guide to preparing your business for anything that comes your way. By leveraging ISO 22301, the international standard for business continuity management, this book shows you how to protect your operations, ensure...

Are you ready for the leadership moment? Learn valuable lessons from the stories of Merck's Roy Vagelos, who commits millions of dollars to develop a drug needed only by people who can't afford it; Eugene Kranz, who struggles to bring the Apollo 13 astronauts home after an explosion rips through their spacecraft; Arlene Blum, who organizes the first women's ascent of one of the world's most dangerous mountains; Nancy Barry, who leads Women's World Banking in the fight against Third World poverty; and more.

Will Your Business Beat the Odd and Survive a Catastrophe? The Insurance Institute for Home & Business Safety, funded by insurance companies, states that slightly over 50% of businesses will not be able to reopen or close within three years, from an INSURED catastrophe. Will you be able to rebuild after a fire? Survive? What are the odds you will thrive afterward or will you just limp along? Add to this the growing number of natural disasters where FEMA reports that nearly half of businesses never reopen after a disaster, and the U.S. Small Business Administration warns that over 90% fail ...

In Anticipate Failure, Lak Ananth—CEO of global venture capital firm Next47—describes the most common patterns of failure in innovation. He starts with the premise that building a business based on innovation is a perilous endeavor, and failures big and small are always around the corner. Ananth then dives into instances of failures, guiding the listener to understand root causes. Finally, he provides listeners with insights and coaching that will enable them not just to avoid failure, but to anticipate it and then get through it on the way to success.

By combining practical case studies with cutting-edge research, Never Go With Your Gut will help you make the best decisions and prevent these business disasters. The leading expert on avoiding business disasters, Dr. Gleb Tsipursky, draws on over 20 years of extensive consulting, coaching, and speaking experience to show how pioneering leaders and organizations - many of them his clients - avoid business disasters.

A crisis can strike at any time. Is your organization ready to deal with it? Are you ready to lead your organization through those chaotic times.  In The Crisis Leader, the author, Gisli Olafsson brings decades of experiences in leading teams through some of the most difficult natural disasters of recent times and shares the lessons learnt with the reader. The Crisis Leader provides the reader with insight into how to better prepare yourself for dealing with crisis, how to prepare your team, how to make decisions under pressure, dealing with stress, how to focus on team morale, and focus...

In Station Blackout, Chuck Casto, the foremost authority on responding to nuclear disasters, shares his first-hand account of how he led the collaborative team of Japanese and American experts that faced the challenges of Fukushima. A lifetime of working in the nuclear industry prepared him to manage an extreme crisis, lessons that apply to any crisis situation.