Handbooks of Sociology and SocialResearch

Series editorJohn DeLamaterUniversity of Wisconsin, Madison, WI, USA

Each of these Handbooks survey the field in a critical manner, evaluatingtheoretical models in light of the best available empirical evidence. Distinc-tively sociological approaches are highlighted bymeans of explicit comparisonto perspectives characterizing related disciplines such as psychology, psychi-atry, and anthropology. These seminal works seek to record where the field hasbeen, to identify its current location and to plot its course for the future. If youare interested in submitting a proposal for this series, please contact the serieseditor, John DeLamater: delamate@ssc.wisc.edu

More information about this series at http://www.springer.com/series/6055

Havidán Rodríguez • William DonnerJoseph E. TrainorEditors

Handbook of DisasterResearchSecond Edition

123

EditorsHavidán RodríguezUniversity at Albany, SUNYAlbany, NYUSA

William DonnerUniversity of Texas Rio Grande ValleyEdinburg, TXUSA

Joseph E. TrainorCore Faculty, Disaster Research CenterUniversity of DelawareNewark, DEUSA

ISSN 1389-6903Handbooks of Sociology and Social ResearchISBN 978-3-319-63253-7 ISBN 978-3-319-63254-4 (eBook)https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-319-63254-4

Library of Congress Control Number: 2017954477

1st edition: © Springer Science+Business Media, LLC 20072nd edition: © Springer International Publishing AG 2018This work is subject to copyright. All rights are reserved by the Publisher, whether the whole orpart of the material is concerned, specifically the rights of translation, reprinting, reuse ofillustrations, recitation, broadcasting, reproduction on microfilms or in any other physical way,and transmission or information storage and retrieval, electronic adaptation, computer software,or by similar or dissimilar methodology now known or hereafter developed.The use of general descriptive names, registered names, trademarks, service marks, etc. in thispublication does not imply, even in the absence of a specific statement, that such names areexempt from the relevant protective laws and regulations and therefore free for general use.The publisher, the authors and the editors are safe to assume that the advice and information inthis book are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication. Neither the publisher northe authors or the editors give a warranty, express or implied, with respect to the materialcontained herein or for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher remainsneutral with regard to jurisdictional claims in published maps and institutional affiliations.

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This Springer imprint is published by Springer NatureThe registered company is Springer International Publishing AGThe registered company address is: Gewerbestrasse 11, 6330 Cham, Switzerland

We dedicate this book to two of the founding scholars of disasterresearch and the founding fathers of the Disaster ResearchCenter (DRC) without whom an entire field of inquiry, as well asthis book, would have likely never existed—or, at the very least,would likely exist in a form largely absent of the depth, scope,and breadth with which we encounter it today. Their dedication,commitment, contributions, and impact on the field of disasterresearch has been nothing short of remarkable; they helped setstrong and firm foundations for the field. Their contributionswill forever shape the landscape of disaster research:

Russell (Russ) R. DynesEnrico (Henry) L. Quarantelli

We already miss you Henry.

We also dedicate this book to two outstanding colleagues andfriends who are no longer with us, but will forever beremembered:

William (Bill) A. AndersonJoseph (Joe) Scanlon

Foreword by Senator Thomas RichardCarper

In the decade-and-a-half since the devastating attacks of September 11, 2001,communities across the U.S. have worked to improve their efforts to preparefor, and respond to, crises of all kinds—from cyber and terrorist attackswaged by our enemies, to natural disasters, such as Hurricane Katrina andHurricane Sandy, to public health epidemics like Zika and Ebola, and thethreats we face from climate change.

As former Chairman and, later, Ranking Member of the United StatesHomeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee, I workedhand-in-hand with Democratic and Republican colleagues to strengthenfederal emergency response through our oversight of the Department ofHomeland Security and the Federal Emergency Management Agency.Through our efforts and those of many others, these agencies have improvedtheir approaches to preparedness and response, in part by drawing on thelessons learned from previous disasters.

Ensuring real preparedness, however, requires not only sound manage-ment at the federal level, but coordination and cooperation among federal,state, and local governments, as well as among community leaders, emer-gency responders, health workers, and members of communities themselves.Ensuring real preparedness also requires the participation of experts, such associologists, epidemiologists, and public policy practitioners, who can helpus understand the impacts of disasters and how best to use our resources tomitigate and prevent damage, as well as loss of life.

Like the first edition, this second edition of the Handbook of DisasterResearch provides an in-depth review of many aspects of disasters, includingsome that have been less explored in the past. These include research thatshines a light on the technological solutions needed to help first respondersprovide lifesaving assistance, the varying impacts disasters have on differentsegments of the population, and the important role that innovation in indi-vidual communities play in the development of disaster response.

It is often said that an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure.Nowhere is that maxim more true than when a community faces unexpectedcrisis that tests the strength of ties, practices, and principles built up beforedisaster strikes. The research collected in this book underscores the impor-tance of bringing diverse perspectives together to explore the social,

vii

economic, physical and psychological aspects—along with other aspects ofdisasters—in order to continually inform and improve our preparedness andour response.

Thomas Richard CarperU.S. Senator

Capt., USN (RET)

viii Foreword by Senator Thomas Richard Carper

Foreword by Russell (Russ) R. Dynes

Disasters have impacted and reshaped the everyday lives of tens of millionsof people throughout the world. Some of the most recent devastating dis-asters (e.g., 9–11, the Indian Ocean Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and themeltdown of the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant, among others) remind usof the increasing negative consequences of these events for the most vul-nerable populations throughout the world. We are also reminded that dis-asters are socially constructed events that result from the intersection ofhazard events combined with societal responses or lack thereof. For over 50years, disaster researchers throughout the globe, have studied the social,economic, organizational, and political factors that give rise to devastatingdisasters, as well as the impacts, outcomes, and consequences of such events.During this same time period, the Disaster Research Center (DRC), as well asother disaster research and educational centers in the U.S. and abroad, haveestablished strong foundations that have resulted in a field of study with solidresearch contributions, which have increased our knowledge and under-standing regarding the detrimental impacts and outcomes of disasters.

The first edition of the Handbook of Disaster Research (co-edited byHavidán Rodríguez, Enrico L. Quarantelli, and Russell R. Dynes, 2006)resulted in a compilation of chapters reflecting some of the most relevant andtimely topics in disaster research. The Handbook highlighted some of themost important issues and themes in the field of disaster studies while alsofocusing on the increasingly interdisciplinary nature of the field with con-tributions from research scholars throughout the world. The Handbook hasbecome an important “must read” in the field of disaster studies, whichsignificantly impacted the dissemination of disaster research both inside andoutside the classroom and has become a handy reference book amongteachers, scholars, and practitioners, both nationally and globally.

The second edition of the Handbook of Disaster Research (co-edited byHavidán Rodríguez, Joseph (Joe) Trainor, and William (Bill) Donner) buildsand expands on the rich contributions of the first edition, while undergoingsignificant, important, and very positive changes. While still highlightingsome of the key and iconic themes of the 1st Edition, including what is adisaster; morbidity and mortality associated with disasters; gender and dis-asters; and race, class, ethnicity, and disasters, among others, the secondedition also brings to the forefront new and emerging research themes in thefield of disaster studies, including climate change; children and disasters;

ix

technological and natech disasters; as well as the news media and disasters,among others. Also, while some of the most important researchers in thedisaster field remain as contributors to the second edition, the editors havealso included new and emerging scholars who are making significant con-tributions to this important field of study.

As one of the founding directors of the Disaster Research Center(DRC) and one of the co-editors of the 1st Edition of the Handbook ofDisaster Research, I am very pleased and optimistic to see that our field ofstudy has continued to grow and develop. What has emerged over the lastdecade is a strong and vibrant community that will continue to make sig-nificant contributions in substantive, theoretical, and methodological areasthat are fundamental to our research and scholarship. Consequently, disasterresearchers from a diversity of disciplinary backgrounds will continue tohave a significant and positive impact on the growth and development of thisfield, which continues to contribute to alleviating or mitigating the devas-tating impacts of disasters on societies throughout the world.

Russell (Russ) R. DynesFounding Director, Disaster Research Center,

University of Delaware

x Foreword by Russell (Russ) R. Dynes

Foreword by Dennis E. Wenger

In 2006, Bill Anderson wrote a Foreword to the first edition of the Handbookof Disaster Research, a landmark document that was edited by HavidánRodríguez, Henry Quarantelli, and Russ Dynes. In addition to theirinvolvement in the original work, Bill and Henry shared a number of researchinterests, passions, and concerns. One of their most significant concerns wasthe future of the hazard and disaster research community. They were con-cerned about producing the next generation of researchers and expanding theexisting knowledge base in the field. They were worried that the field might“gray out.”

If Bill and Henry were with us today, this second edition of the Handbookof Disaster Research would quell many of their fears. Building upon theacclaimed 2006 first edition, this revision demonstrates how the field isexpanding, increasingly bringing together social scientists, engineers, andphysical scientists to examine complex issues inherent in this multidisci-plinary topic. Through this updated edition, one can see that the next gen-eration of hazard and disaster researchers is now here—a multidisciplinarycommunity of experts that are building upon the significant contributionsof the research community’s senior scholars.

Thirteen of the 28 chapters in this volume include revised and updateddiscussions of previous chapters that incorporate research findings from thepast ten years. These thirteen chapters discuss the core building blocks for thehazard and disaster literature over the past three decades. Among these topicsare definitions of disaster; race, class, ethnicity and vulnerability; gender anddisasters; GIS and technology in disaster management; disaster recovery andresilience; popular culture of disasters; community innovation and disasters;community processes and coordination; sheltering and housing; crisis mod-eling; and terrorism as hazard and disaster. The authors of these chaptersinclude some of the most lauded researchers in the field.

The remaining 15 chapters include discussions that indicate what havebeen major trends in research over the past decade. These topics includeresiliency and disasters; climate change and disasters; social capital andresilience; computer simulation and optimization; disabilities and vulnera-bility; population and community displacement; crisis informatics; techno-logical and NATECH research; and children in disasters, among others.

This volume includes exceptional analyses by gifted researchers on themost current issues in the field of hazards and disasters. The collection is

xi

brilliantly edited, and both the research community and practitioners willbenefit from it greatly. Although Henry, Russ, and Bill were not a part of theproduction of this edition, I am certain that they would applaud it and beencouraged about the future of disaster research for the next ten years andbeyond.

Dennis E. WengerProgram Director (Retired), Infrastructure

Managementand Extreme Events,National Science Foundation

xii Foreword by Dennis E. Wenger

Foreword by Norma Doneghy Anderson

It is my great pleasure to contribute a Foreword to the Handbook of DisasterResearch, 2nd Edition. As many of you may know, my husband, BillAnderson, wrote a Foreword for the 1st Edition, published in 2006. I havebeen so pleased to realize how many of the hazard and disaster academicsand professionals who were a part of Bill’s professional network find theHandbook to be a tremendous asset in the classroom and for their ownreference.

In reviewing the contributors who are included in this edition, I recognizenames that Bill frequently mentioned as making stellar contributions in termsof publications and their ability to reach out to students to bring them along,in effect assuring that the field of hazards and disaster management wouldcontinue. The new contributors for this edition also bear witness to thedomestic and global growth of this research area.

The inclusion of emerging areas, such as the impacts of disasters onchildren, the enhancement of disaster recovery using changing and enhancedtechnologies, and the need for a willingness to collaborate across culturesreinforces how much we all need to participate in addressing the severesocietal impacts caused by disasters.

I also have tremendous excitement and anticipation regarding the con-tributions to the disaster field to be made by the new scholars that are beingdeveloped and nurtured through the Bill Anderson Fund. I am confident thatthey will be major contributors to the field by the time this volume is readyfor a third edition. It’s my projection that they will bring broadened culturalcomprehension and academic scholarship that will enhance the diversity andrichness of the field of hazards and disaster research.

Norma Doneghy AndersonFounder, The William Averette Anderson Fund

for Hazard and Disaster MitigationResearch & Education,

The Bill Anderson Fund

xiii

Acknowledgements

Putting together a book of this nature is a complex, complicated, and timeconsuming process. However, it is also a very rewarding and gratifyingproject, especially when it is published! Dozens of individuals have con-tributed to this volume and their critical work, feedback, and contributionshave been indispensable in bringing this book to fruition. First and foremost,we want to recognize, express our most sincere gratitude, and honor thelong-term impact and contributions of two of the founding fathers of thedisaster field who have been our friends, mentors, and colleagues, Enrico(Henry) L. Quarantelli and Russell (Russ) R. Dynes. Without them, wewould not be here; without their contributions, research, and activeengagement, the field would definitely not be where it is today; and withouttheir friendship and support, this work would have been much more difficult.Sadly, our dear friend Henry is no longer with us, but his work will liveforever in the work of each of us for generations to come. We also want torecognize and acknowledge the contributions of two other dear friends andcolleagues who are no longer with us, but who made significant impacts tothe disaster research field and the lives of many scholars throughout theworld, William (Bill) A. Anderson and Joseph (Joe) Scanlon. We alsodedicate this book to them; to honor their legacy; and celebrate their impacton this important field of inquiry.

Many of the authors who are part of this book have also been veryfortunate to have received funding for their disaster research work from theNational Science Foundation (NSF). Dennis Wenger (NSF Retired ProgramDirector, Infrastructure Management and Extreme Events) was instrumentalin ensuring that disaster researchers had competitive access to NSF funds tosupport their work, which has had a significant impact on the scientific andscholarly contributions of the disaster field and to the creation of newknowledge in this important area of inquiry. We are eternally grateful toDennis for his ongoing work, commitment, and support, which has impactedseveral generations of disaster researchers.

As the authors of this Handbook, and certainly the co-editors, will readilyacknowledge, this edition of the Handbook would, without a doubt, not bepossible without the leadership, active engagement, commitment, and hardwork of Antonio Paniagua Guzmán. Antonio has become a “householdname” among the contributors of this book. He literally sent hundreds ofreminders about drafts, abstracts, bios, due dates, etc. Most, if not all, authors

xv

were relieved when Antonio’s email finally indicated “After reviewing yourdraft, we are happy to inform you that it is ready to be published in theHandbook of Disaster Research.” As the co-editors of this Handbook, wecannot say enough about Antonio, his diligent work, constant follow-ups,instrumental feedback, and ongoing communication with the authors of thisbook; his work has been outstanding. Without Antonio’s active engagementand constant work in this project, we would not be here today. Antonio: fromthe co-editors and the authors in this Handbook, we say “muchas gracias,”thank you very much, and congratulations on being admitted to the PhDprogram in Sociology at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee!

We also want to thank the authors of the chapters included in theHandbook; we appreciate your patience and understanding and that you tookthe reviewers’ feedback and recommendations (on 2, 3, and even 4 drafts)very seriously. Many of you worked through multiple drafts to reach a finalproduct that will have a significant impact in this field. The Handbook is amuch stronger edition, thanks to all your work and ongoing contributions.

We also want to thank our colleagues at Springer for their support andfeedback throughout the development of this book, especially HendrikjeTuerlings and Esther Otten. Also, thanks to John D. DeLamater at theUniversity of Wisconsin-Madison for inviting us to be part (once again) ofthis very important project. His careful review and constructive feedback andideas on our original book proposal and the final draft chapters was extre-mely important. Also, we extend our most sincere gratitude to Pat Young, theCoordinator at DRC’s E.L. Quarantelli Resource Collection. Her contribu-tions, in more ways than one, were very important in the development of theHandbook. We also extend our appreciation to Marcela (Marcy) de León andClaudia Dole at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley (UTRGV) fortheir administrative help throughout this process, and to Marie Mora, Pro-fessor of Economics at UTRGV, for her excellent feedback and insights.

Finally, we want to thank our families that stood by our side as weworked, day-in and day-out, on this important project, not to mention theother teaching, research, and administrative roles in which we are all activelyengaged in as part of our professional responsibilities.

Once again, thank you for all your contributions, patience, and hard work.Job well done!

Havidán RodríguezWilliam Donner

Joseph E. Trainor

xvi Acknowledgements

Contents

Part I Perspectives on Disasters

1 Defining Disaster: An Evolving Concept . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3Ronald W. Perry

2 The Crisis Approach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 23Arjen Boin, Paul ‘t Hart and Sanneke Kuipers

3 Contributions of Technological and Natech DisasterResearch to the Social Science Disaster Paradigm . . . . . . . . . 39Duane A. Gill and Liesel A. Ritchie

4 Studying Future Disasters and Crises: A HeuristicApproach . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 61E.L. Quarantelli, Arjen Boin and Patrick Lagadec

Part II Contemporary Issues in Disasters

5 Resilience and Disasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 87James M. Kendra, Lauren A. Clay and Kimberly B. Gill

6 The Cultural Turn in Disaster Research: UnderstandingResilience and Vulnerability Through theLens of Culture . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 109Gary R. Webb

7 Terrorism as Hazard and Disaster . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 123William L. Waugh, Jr.

8 Climate Change and Disasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 145Katherine Hore, Ilan Kelman, Jessica Mercer and JC Gaillard

9 On Bridging Research and Practice in DisasterScience and Management: Unified Systemor Impossible Mission? . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 161Joseph E. Trainor, Eric K. Stern and Tony Subbio

Part III Inequality, Social Stratification, and Disasters

10 Race, Class, Ethnicity, and Disaster Vulnerability . . . . . . . . . 181Bob Bolin and Liza C. Kurtz

xvii

11 Gender and Disaster: Foundations and New Directionsfor Research and Practice . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 205Elaine Enarson, Alice Fothergill and Lori Peek

12 People with Disabilities and Disasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 225Laura M. Stough and Ilan Kelman

13 Children and Disasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 243Lori Peek, David M. Abramson, Robin S. Cox, Alice Fothergilland Jennifer Tobin

14 Social Capital in Disaster Research . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 263Michelle A. Meyer

Part IV Methods and Methodological Issues in DisasterResearch

15 Methodological Issues in Disaster Research. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 289William Donner and Walter Diaz

16 The Role of Geographic Information Science & Technologyin Disaster Management . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 311Deborah S.K. Thomas

17 Computer Simulation and Optimization . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 331Rachel A. Davidson and Linda K. Nozick

18 Morbidity and Mortality Associated with Disasters . . . . . . . . 357Michele M. Wood and Linda B. Bourque

Part V Communities in Disaster

19 Community Innovation and Disasters . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 387Tricia Wachtendorf, James M. Kendra and Sarah E. DeYoung

20 Community-Based Disaster Risk Management . . . . . . . . . . . . 411Dewald Van Niekerk, Livhuwani David Nemakonde,Leandri Kruger and Kylah Forbes-Genade

21 Population/Community Displacement. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 431Ann-Margaret Esnard and Alka Sapat

Part VI Communication and the Mass Media

22 Communicating Imminent Risk . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 449Michael K. Lindell

23 News Media and Disasters: Navigating OldChallenges and New Opportunitiesin the Digital Age. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 479Brian Monahan and Matthew Ettinger

24 Social Media in Disaster Communication . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 497Leysia Palen and Amanda L. Hughes

xviii Contents

Part VII From Coordination to Recovery: Managing Disasters

25 Community Processes: Coordination . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 521Thomas E. Drabek

26 Governmental Response to Disasters: Key Attributes,Expectations, and Implications . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 551Saundra K. Schneider

27 Post-Disaster Sheltering, Temporary Housingand Permanent Housing Recovery . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 569Walter Gillis Peacock, Nicole Dash, Yang Zhang andShannon Van Zandt

28 Disaster Recovery in an Era of Climate Change:The Unrealized Promise of Institutional Resilience . . . . . . . . . 595Gavin Smith, Amanda Martin and Dennis E. Wenger

Contents xix

Editors and Contributors

About the Editors

Havidán Rodríguez is the President of the University at Albany of the State Universityof New York (SUNY). However, most of his work for this Handbook took place in hisprevious role as Founding Provost & Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs, and atenured professor in the Department of Sociology & Anthropology, at the University ofTexas Rio Grande Valley. He also served as director of the Disaster Research Center(DRC) at the University of Delaware. He was the principal investigator for the ResearchExperience for Undergraduates (REU) Program: Training the Next Generation of DisasterResearchers, funded by NSF. Dr. Rodríguez is the co-editor (with Quarantelli and Dynes)of the Handbook of Disaster Research (2006).

William Donner is Associate Professor of Sociology and Disaster Studies M.A. Directorat the University of Texas-Rio Grande Valley. Research interests include hazard warnings,epidemiology, demography, and statistical applications in disaster research.

Joseph E. Trainor is an Associate Professor of Public Policy and Administration at theUniversity of Delaware (UD). He is the current director of the UD Disaster Science andManagement Degree Programs and is a Core Faculty member at the Disaster ResearchCenter (DRC).

Contributors

David Abramson is a Clinical Associate Professor at the New YorkUniversity College of Global Public Health. He is the founding Directorof the Program on Population Impact, Recovery, and Resiliency (PiR2).

Arjen Boin is Professor of Public Institutions and Governance at LeidenUniversity's Department of Political Science. He is also a managing directorof Crisisplan BV. Research interests include strategic crisis management,institutional resilience and political leadership.

xxi

Bob Bolin Professor, Environmental Social Science Doctoral Program,School of Human Evolution and Social Change, Arizona State University,Tempe AZ. Research interests include environmental justice aspects ofhazardous technologies, political ecologies of vulnerability, and urbanpolitical ecology.

Linda B. Bourque Professor, University of California, Los Angeles, Schoolof Public Health, Department of Community Health Science. Researchinterests include natural, technological and human-initiated disasters; inten-tional and unintentional injury; ophthalmic clinical trials (e.g., PRK, LASIK);and research methodology with emphasis on the design, data processing andanalysis of data collected with questionnaires in population-based surveys.

Lauren Clay Assistant Professor of Public Health in the Health ServicesAdministration Department, D’Youville College and Affiliated AssistantProfessor, Disaster Research Center, University of Delaware. Researchinterests include health disparities, family health and well-beingpost-disaster, community influences on household recovery, and geospatialand epidemiologic approaches to disaster research.

Robin S. Cox is Professor in the School of Humanitarian Studies andDirector of the ResilienceByDesign Research Lab at Royal Roads Universityin Victoria, British Columbia, Canada. She is an applied and participatoryresearcher whose work focuses on youth and community resilience in thecontext of disasters and climate change.

Nicole Dash University of North Texas, Department of Emergency Man-agement and Disaster Science, Denton, Texas. Professional interests includeevacuation decision-making, sheltering, and how social vulnerability relatesto disaster impact, preparedness, and recovery.

Rachel A. Davidson Professor, Department of Civil and EnvironmentalEngineering, and Core Faculty Member, Disaster Research Center, Univer-sity of Delaware, Newark, Delaware. Research interests include naturaldisaster risk modeling, particularly for spatially distributed civil infrastructuresystems and regional decision support, especially for earthquakes and hur-ricanes.

Sarah DeYoung Assistant Professor, Institute for Disaster Management,University of Georgia. Research interests include community innovation indisaster mitigation, maternal and infant health in evacuation settings, infantfeeding in emergencies, policy change after disasters, and psychosocialaspects of protective action throughout the hazard cycle.

xxii Editors and Contributors

Walter Díaz is the Dean of the College of Liberal Arts and a Professor ofPolitical Science at the University of Texas Rio Grande Valley. His researchinterests include social vulnerability and resilience and the development ofinterdisciplinary methodologies to address larger scale research questions.

Thomas E. Drabek Professor Emeritus and John Evans Professor,University of Denver, Department of Sociology and Criminology, Denver,Colorado. Professional interests include emergency management educationalmaterials and disaster response research.

Elaine Enarson is a Colorado-based independent scholar whose researchand teaching focus on gender and social justice in disasters anddisaster-responsive disaster management. Her monograph Women Con-fronting Natural Disaster: From Vulnerability to Resilience examines theseissues in the United States. She co-edited four international readers on genderand disaster, most recently Men, Masculinities and Disaster.

Ann-Margaret Esnard is a Distinguished University Professor in theAndrew Young School of Policy Studies at Georgia State University. Herexpertise includes urban and regional planning, disaster planning, vulnera-bility assessment and GIS analysis. NSF-funded research projects havefocused on population displacement from catastrophic disasters, long-termrecovery, and the role of diaspora groups in disasters with transnationalimpacts.

Matthew Ettinger Graduate of Marywood University holding both aBachelor of Art and a Master of Science in Criminal Justice. A prospectivelaw student whose research interests include the root causes of crime and therelationship between crime and the media in contemporary society.

Kylah Forbes-Genade Post-Doctoral Research Fellow, African Unit forTransdisciplinary Health Research (AUTHeR), Health Sciences, North-WestUniversity, Potchefstroom, South Africa. Research interests include under-standing the intersectionality of gender and age in the context of disasters(particularly women and children), community-based disaster risk reduction,local engagement and the implications of disasters on human health.

Alice Fothergill is Associate Professor in the Department of Sociology atthe University of Vermont. She is author of Heads Above Water: Gender,Class, and Family in the Grand Forks Flood, an editor of both editions ofSocial Vulnerability to Disasters, and co-author of Children of Katrina.

Editors and Contributors xxiii

J.C. Gaillard is Associate Professor at The University of Auckland. Hiswork focuses on developing participatory tools for engaging minority groupsin disaster risk reduction with an emphasis on ethnic and gender minorities,prisoners and homeless people. More details from: https://jcgaillard.wordpress.com/.

Duane A. Gill Director of the Center for the Study of Disasters and ExtremeEvents and Professor of Sociology, Oklahoma State University. Researchinterests include technological hazards, risks, and disasters, communityresilience, and disaster impact assessment.

Kimberly Gill Research Scientist, Disaster Research Center, University ofDelaware. Research interests include public health emergency preparednessand response, community resilience, and the impacts of natural and envi-ronmental hazards on social determinants of health.

Paul’t Hart is professor of public administration at Utrecht University andthe Netherlands School of Public Administration, as well as a core facultymember at the Australia New Zealand School of Government. His researchfocuses on successful governance, public leadership and crisis management.

Katherine Hore is a Ph.D. Candidate at The University of Auckland. Hermain research interest is people’s participation in disaster risk reduction andwater management in New Zealand, Asia and the Pacific, with a particularfocus on children’s participation.

Amanda L. Hughes Assistant Professor, Utah State University, ComputerScience Department, Logan, Utah. Research interests include crisis infor-matics, human-computer interaction, social computing, and software engi-neering.

Ilan Kelman at http://www.ilankelman.org and Twitter @IlanKelman is aReader in Risk, Resilience and Global Health at the University CollegeLondon, England. His overall research interest is linking disasters and health,including the integration of climate change into disaster research and healthresearch.

James M. Kendra is a professor in the School of Public Policy andAdministration and Director of the Disaster Research Center at the Universityof Delaware. His research interests focus on individual and organizationalresponses to risk, improvisation and creativity during crisis, and disasterresearch methods.

xxiv Editors and Contributors

Leandri Kruger Researcher and Lecturer of the African Centre for DisasterStudies, North-West University, South Africa, Unit for Environmental Sci-ences and Management. School of Geo- and Spatial Sciences. Researchinterests include disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, socialimpact assessment, environmental management, socio-ecological resilience,and sustainable development.

Sanneke Kuipers Associate Professor, Institute of Security and GlobalAffairs, Leiden University, and Director, Leiden University Crisis ResearchCenter. She is also senior researcher-consultant at Crisisplan BV. Researchinterests include strategic leadership in crisis management, evaluation andaccountability after a crisis, risk governance, crisis rhetoric and institutionalreform in public organizations.

Liza C. Kurtz Ph.D. student, Global Health, School of Human Evolutionand Social Change, Arizona State University. Research interests includerelationships between disaster risk reduction scholarship and practice,applied concepts of resilience and vulnerability in emergency management,decision-making processes in disaster management, and cascading disasters.

Patrick Lagadec Senior research scientist at the Ecole polytechnique inFrance [retired]; analyst in the field of crisis intelligence and leadership involatile contexts, systemic meltdown situations and unknown territories.

Michael K. Lindell Emeritus Professor, Texas A&M University, CollegeStation; Affiliate Professor, University of Washington, Seattle. Researchinterests include organizational emergency preparedness and response,training/exercises, warning systems, evacuation modeling, household disasterpreparedness, risk communication, risk perception, household disasterresponse, disaster impact models, cognitive processing of visual displays,and survey research methods.

Amanda W. Martin AICP, Ph.D. Candidate, Department of City &Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. Researchand professional interests include long-term disaster recovery, communityand economic development, coastal resilience, and social equity in planning,policy, and implementation.

Jessica Mercer is currently an independent consultant (www.secure-futures.net). She has worked with NGOs, academia, UN agencies andother international organizations across Asia, Africa and the South Pacificpredominantly in disaster risk reduction including climate change adaptation.

Editors and Contributors xxv

Michelle A. Meyer Associate Director of Research, Stephenson DisasterManagement Institute, and Assistant Professor, Louisiana State University,Department of Sociology. Research interests include disaster resilience andmitigation, social vulnerability and stratification in disaster, nonprofits indisaster settings, social capital and social networks, environmental sociology,community and organizational sustainability, citizen science and communityengagement, and environmental justice.

Brian Monahan Baldwin Wallace University, Department of Sociology,Berea, Ohio. Research interests include how various institutional, cultural,and political factors shape media content, particularly mediated representa-tions of crime and other social problems.

Livhuwani David Nemakonde is a Lecturer and Researcher at the AfricanCentre for Disaster Studies in the School of Geo- and Spatial Sciences at theNorth-West University. Research interests include disaster risk governance,disaster risk reduction, climate change adaptation, climate-smart agriculture,natural resource management.

Linda Nozick Professor and Director of the School of Civil and Environ-mental Engineering, Ithaca, New York. Her research interests focus ontransportation systems modeling and more broadly, the modeling of civilinfrastructure systems with a particular emphasis on natural and man-madedisaster mitigation and response.

Leysia Palen Professor of Computer Science and Professor and FoundingChair of the Department of Information Science, University of ColoradoBoulder, Boulder, Colorado. Research interests include crisis informatics,human-computer interaction, computer-supported cooperative work andsocial computing.

Walter Gillis Peacock Director, Hazard Reduction and Recovery Centerand Professor of Urban Planning, Department of Landscape Architecture andUrban Planning, Texas A&M University. His research interests includedisaster resilience with a focus on inequalities in disaster impact, populationdisplacement and dislocation, disaster recovery, housing recovery, disasterresiliency metrics, social vulnerability, hazard mitigation/adaptation, andhurricane evacuation.

Lori Peek is Professor in the Department of Sociology and Director of theNatural Hazards Center at the University of Colorado at Boulder. She studies

xxvi Editors and Contributors

vulnerable populations in disaster and is author of Behind the Backlash:Muslim Americans after 9/11, co-editor of Displaced: Life in the KatrinaDiaspora, and co-author of Children of Katrina.

Ronald W. Perry Professor Emeritus, Arizona State University, Tempe,Arizona. Dr. Perry has authored, co-authored or edited 20 books and morethan 125 referred articles. He is past president of the International Socio-logical Association Research Committee on Disasters. Research interestsinclude emergency planning in multi-hazard environments.

E.L. (Henry) Quarantelli was one of the founding fathers (along withRussell—Russ—R. Dynes) of the Disaster Research Center. His most recentfaculty appointment was in the Department of Sociology and Criminal Jus-tice at the University of Delaware. His contributions and impact in the fieldof disaster studies have been significant and extensive.

Liesel A. Ritchie Associate Director, Natural Hazards Center and AssociateResearch Professor, University of Colorado Boulder, Institute of BehavioralScience and Environmental Studies Program. Research interests includesocietal responses to natural and technological hazards and disasters, theconceptualization and measurement of social capital, and the evaluation ofdisaster resilience programs and initiatives.

Alka Sapat is a Professor and BPSA Program Coordinator in the School ofPublic Administration at Florida Atlantic University. Her expertise includesdisaster and crisis management, environmental policy, and social networkanalysis. Her NSF-funded research projects include work on populationdisplacement, the role of NGOs and diaspora organizations as transboundaryactors, disaster recovery, and building code adoption.

Saundra K. Schneider Professor, Department of Political Science, Michi-gan State University, East Lansing, Michigan, and Director, ICPSR SummerProgram in Quantitative Methods of Social Research, University of Michi-gan, Ann Arbor. Current research focuses on the governmental response todisasters, the policy priorities of the American states, and the role ofadministrative forces in crisis management, health care, and welfare policy.

Gavin Smith Director of the Department of Homeland Security’s CoastalResilience Center of Excellence and Research Professor, Department of Cityand Regional Planning, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.

Editors and Contributors xxvii

Currently serving as the State of North Carolina’s Senior Disaster RecoveryAdvisor/Chief of Hurricane Matthew Disaster Recovery and Resilience Ini-tiative. Interests include hazard mitigation, disaster recovery and climatechange adaptation.

Eric K. Stern is Professor at the College of Emergency Preparedness,Homeland Security, and Cyber-Security at the University at Albany (SUNY).He is also affiliated with the Swedish National Center for Crisis ManagementResearch and Training (CRISMART, where he served as Director from 2004to 2011) at the Swedish Defense University and the Disaster Research Centerat the University of Delaware. He has published extensively in the fields ofcrisis and emergency management, security studies, and executive leader-ship. In addition to his scholarly work, Professor Stern has collaborated witha wide range of government agencies and international organizations on awide range of applied research and educational projects.

Laura M. Stough’s current research investigates the psychological andsocial effects of disaster on individuals with disabilities. Dr. Stough serves asthe Assistant Director of the Center on Disability and Development at TexasA&M University and is Director of Project REDD or Research and Evalu-ation on Disability and Disaster, which investigates the effects of disasters onindividuals with disabilities and conducts evaluation studies on disasterrecovery organizations.

Tony Subbio CEM is an Emergency Management Specialist for Tetra Tech,Inc. He spent several years as the emergency planner for Dauphin County,Pennsylvania, and currently works with public- and private-sector clients toenhance their comprehensive emergency management programs.

Deborah S.K. Thomas Professor and Chair, Department of Geography andEnvironmental Sciences, University of Colorado Denver. Research interestsfocus on issues of social vulnerability/resilience in relation to disasters andhealth outcomes, commonly emphasizing the role of technology, particularlyGIS, in assessing and evaluating the intersection of human-physical systemsand the built environment.

Jennifer Tobin is a Ph.D. Candidate in the Department of Sociology atColorado State University (CSU) and a Research Associate at the NaturalHazards Center, University of Colorado–Boulder. Jennifer’s master’s thesisresearch drew on qualitative interviews with local disaster recovery workersand single mothers who were displaced to Colorado after Hurricane Katrina.Her dissertation research focuses on school continuity following the 2013floods in Colorado.

xxviii Editors and Contributors

Dewald Van Niekerk Director of the African Centre for Disaster Studies,North-West University, South Africa, Unit for Environmental Sciences andManagement, School of Geo- and Spatial Sciences. Research interestsinclude disaster risk governance, socio-ecological resilience, anticipation,climate change adaptation, eco-systems based disaster risk reduction, andcommunity-based disaster risk management.

Shannon Van Zandt Interim Head, Department of Landscape Architecture& Urban Planning, Texas A&M University, College Station, Texas. Researchinterests include housing issues for vulnerable populations, with particularemphasis on social vulnerability to disaster and outcomes from the spatialdistribution of affordable housing.

Tricia Wachtendorf Director, Disaster Research Center and Professor,University of Delaware Department of Sociology and Criminal Justice.Research interests include multi-organizational coordination during crisis,improvisation and emergence, convergence, disaster donations,decision-making, transnational disasters, and social vulnerability to disasters.

William L. Waugh, Jr. Professor Emeritus, Department of Public Man-agement and Policy, Andrew Young school of Policy Studies, Georgia StateUniversity. Research interests include local and regional capacity-buildingfor disaster management, governance issues in disaster response, long-termrecovery, and managing terrorism-related risks.

Gary R. Webb Professor and Chair, Department of Emergency Manage-ment and Disaster Science, University of North Texas, Denton, Texas.Research interests include flexibility in disaster response, the impacts ofdisasters on the private sector, and the cultural dimensions of disasters.

Dennis E. Wenger Retired from the National Science Foundation(NSF) where he was director of the Infrastructure Management and ExtremeEvents program. Previously, he served as the director of the HazardReduction & Recovery Center at Texas A&M University and co-directorof the Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware. He hasundertaken multidisciplinary research on disasters for 50 years.

Michele M. Wood Associate Professor, California State University,Fullerton, Department of Health Science. Research interests include riskcommunication for disasters, including preparedness and alerts and warnings,HIV/AIDS among high-risk populations, questionnaire design, and programevaluation.

Editors and Contributors xxix

Yang Zhang Associate Professor, Associate Chair, Urban Affairs andPlanning Program, School of Public and International Affairs, VirginiaPolytechnic Institute and State University (Virginia Tech). Founding Mem-ber, Interdisciplinary Graduate Program in Disaster Resilience and RiskManagement (DRRM). Professional interests include conceptualization andquantification of disaster recovery/resilience, social process of disasterrecovery, disaster recovery planning, and international comparative researchon disaster governance.

xxx Editors and Contributors

Editors’ Introduction

Since the “inception” of the disaster research field, disaster scholars havefocused their attention on the social and economic impact of hazard eventsand disasters at the local, regional, national, and international level. Whetherstudying, among other hazard events, the devastating earthquakes in Haiti,Iran, Italy, Japan or Turkey; the Exxon Valdez oil spill (1989); the IndianOcean Tsunami (2004); Hurricanes Katrina (2005) and Sandy (2012); 9/11;the Fukushima Prefecture nuclear plant accident (2011); or recent terroristattacks, disaster researchers have made significant contributions to ourunderstanding of disaster prevention, mitigation, preparedness, response,recovery, and vulnerability. These scholars have provided a comprehensiveand holistic approach to disasters that has deeply influenced how policy-makers, emergency managers, and organizations craft risk reduction andmanagement policies. Furthermore, their contributions to substantive,theoretical, and methodological aspects in disaster research and across otherdisciplines (e.g., sociology, political science, geography, public administra-tion, engineering, etc.) have been significant.

Increasingly in the modern era, dynamic pressures such as populationgrowth, composition, and distribution, as well as income inequality,stratification, and poverty, have exacerbated disaster vulnerability amongcommunities in unprecedented and profound ways. Previous disasters, suchas the Indian Ocean Tsunami and Hurricane Katrina, brought to light thedifferential impacts of disasters on certain communities, particularly thosethat did not have the necessary resources to cope with and recover from suchdevastating events. Disasters are socially constructed events that need to bestudied from a social science perspective. Nevertheless, an interdisciplinaryperspective, which includes other sciences and engineering, is also necessaryto capture the deep state of complexity that defines interactions between anincreasingly hazardous environment and a rapidly changing society.

The past decade has seen a new awareness of catastrophes that haveprofoundly reshaped and challenged the field’s historical perspectives on thegenesis, impact, and consequences of how we organize societies and the risksassociated with those decisions. Resulting from a massive earthquake andtsunami, the Fukushima Dai-Ichi nuclear plant accident, stands out as anexample of this. This was an event that will have impacts that will reverberatefor decades to come. Six years later, its devastating impacts on people’slivelihoods, their health and well-being, as well as on the economy, continueto persist. Tens of thousands of individuals and their families lost loved ones,witnessed their communities decimated, saw livelihoods vanish, and watched

xxxi

as the environment suffered adverse consequences. The same can be said,increasingly and sadly, for other major disaster events throughout the world.Moreover, new technological and “natech” disasters, as well a terroristevents, continue to emerge with significant impacts in terms of the loss of lifeand its deleterious effects on global communities, taking a disproportionatetoll on vulnerable populations, including children. Recent terroristic events,such as the Orlando nightclub shootings (June 2016); the Istanbul “airportattack” (July 2016); the terror attacks in Nice, France (July 2016); the use ofnerve gas in Syria (April 2017); the “truck attack” in Amsterdam (April2017); and the Manchester Arena bombing attack (at the Ariana Grandeconcert; May, 2017) are constant reminders regarding how these types ofevents continue to impact societies across the globe and the fear and concernsthey generate among different population groups.

It is of critical importance to highlight another series of devastating hazardand human-induced events that transpired as we were finalizing this editionof the Handbook, from hurricanes to earthquakes, to wildfires, to yet anothershooting massacre, all of which became the most devastating events of theirkind in recent recorded history. For example, within two weeks of each other,during the month of September 2017, Mexico experienced two monumen-tally powerful earthquakes (7.1 and 8.1 on the Richter Scale), which resultedin the deaths of hundreds of individuals as well as significant destruction ofbuildings and other critical infrastructure. Combined, these two earthquakeswere described as perhaps the costliest “natural” hazard events in recentMexican history. We should note that the second earthquake struck Mexico(September 19, 2017) on the anniversary of Mexico City’s deadliest disaster,the 1985 earthquake (September 19, 1985) that killed more than 10,000people and destroyed integral parts of the city.

Also around the same time, in late August 2017, Hurricane Harveyemerged as a ferocious Category 4 event on the Saffir-Simpson scale beforemaking landfall near Rockport, Texas. Counteracting pressure systemsessentially “trapped” Harvey, resulting in devastating consequences for manycities throughout the Gulf Coast primarily due to unprecedented rainfall (insome cases, 40 to 60 inches of rain) within a few days. The impacts of theseevents were especially catastrophic for Houston, which was essentiallyparalyzed for weeks. In the aftermath, Hurricane Harvey resulted in over 80deaths with an estimated economic impact of over $190 billion in Texasalone, figures that would surpass the economic impact of Hurricane Katrina(The final figures might be higher, as the events were still unfolding as thisHandbook went to press).

About two weeks later, Hurricane Irma formed over the Caribbean,reaching the catastrophic Category 5 (with sustained wind speeds of 185miles per hour, equivalent to an Enhanced Fujita (EF) 4 tornado), andbecoming the second most intense hurricane/tropical cyclone in recordedhistory in the region. However, its ferocious power would be surpassed byHurricane Maria just a few days later. Hurricane Irma effectively decimatedmany islands in the Caribbean (many of which have yet to recover as thisbook went to press); it also impacted Puerto Rico, Haiti, and Cuba, amongothers, outside of the direct path of the eye of the storm. Moreover, HurricaneIrma made landfall in Florida as a Category 3 hurricane. Hurricane Irma to

xxxii Editors’ Introduction

date has resulted in over 130 deaths across the Caribbean and Florida, and anestimated economic impact of over $100 billion in Florida alone, not tomention the economic impacts throughout the Caribbean.

Hurricane Maria, which also became a Category 5 Hurricane, followedalmost immediately after Hurricane Irma, and completely demolished anumber of Caribbean islands, including Dominica, Puerto Rico, and theVirgin Islands, among others. Hurricane Maria became one of the mostpowerful and most destructive hurricanes on record. In Puerto Rico alone, thenumber of casualties, as we finalize this section, is thought to be around 50,although some reports expect the death toll to be in the hundreds in lightof the humanitarian crisis that escalated from slow recovery and relief efforts.The estimated economic impact ranges from $30 to over $90 billion in anisland, which was already confronting the crippling effects of a $74 billionbudget deficit, $49 billion in unfunded pensions, and massive net migrationto the U.S. mainland.

Described by island residents as a “monster hurricane,” Hurricane Mariaranks highest among the most devastating hurricanes in the last 80 years inPuerto Rico. The island’s infrastructure was fundamentally destroyed, with100% of its residents losing electrical power and the overwhelming majorityleft with no running water, no landline or cellular phone service, andpractically no access to gasoline to power the generators (among those“fortunate” few that owned them). As we write this section, over 80% ofPuerto Rico residents still do not have electricity in their homes—over onemonth after Hurricane Maria struck the island—and largely remain withoutany modern form of communication throughout many sectors of the island.Nearly a third remain without reliable drinking water, and 90% of the publicschools remain closed. This catastrophic event will have social, economic,and environmental impacts on Puerto Rico and its inhabitants for decades tocome, and it will become known as one of the most destructive and costliestdisasters in U.S. history.

Widespread criticism and disappointment continues to follow the U.S.response to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico, which, by any standard, hasresulted in a prolonged humanitarian crisis on an island that is part of theUnited States with 3.4 million American citizens (more than in 21 states orDC). Making matters worse, the response, already of questionable adequacy,faces challenges from the sheer scope and devastation of Maria, PuertoRico’s distance to the U.S. mainland, as well as its massive economic debt.Initially, the U.S./federal response was extremely slow. Moreover, muchof the disaster relief that arrived to the island sat in ports or in trucks withoutdrivers, and was not being delivered to those most in need. Theoverwhelming majority of Puerto Ricans on the island, and especially thoseoutside the San Juan area, for days if not weeks after this catastrophic event,not only lacked access to electricity and telecommunications, but also lackedbasic survival goods, such as food and water, and adequate healthcare. PuertoRico is certainly showing all the signs of a full-blown humanitarian crisis.That said, the strong response and support (through disaster relief aid) that iscoming to Puerto Rico from many states on the U.S. mainland raises somedegree of hope. For example, the States of New York and Florida, amongothers, have embarked on massive humanitarian responses to provide many

Editors’ Introduction xxxiii

of the emergency goods to island residents in desperate need, which iscommendable. However, Hurricane Maria brought to the forefront seriousconcerns regarding what seemed to be an extremely slow response by federalofficials; the lack of adequate and coordinated disaster relief efforts; thesocial, economic, and healthcare impacts of this event on a highly vulnerablepopulation of U.S. citizens; and the specter of differential treatment due to alack of adequate and expedient response efforts to an island with 3.4 millioninhabitants regularly referred to as “second class” U.S. citizens.

Following these hazard events, in October 2017, the U.S. experienced ashooting massacre in Las Vegas, Nevada, which resulted in 58 fatalities andclose to 490 wounded. The Las Vegas shootings have already been called the“deadliest mass shooting” in modern U.S. history, and the third worldwide inrecent history. Further, California recently (October 2017) experienced whathas been called its “most destructive wildfire.” It is estimated that the totalcosts to the economy as a result of this event will be in the range of about $85to $100 billion. Moreover, about 40 deaths have been associated with thiswildfire with dozens of individuals still missing.

These hazard and human-induced events and catastrophes stand outbecause they occurred within a relatively short period of time (August–October, 2017) and they were devastating to the communities impacted.Further, these events highlight critical issues regarding disaster mitigation,preparedness, response, recovery, and reconstruction. They also serve toremind us how historical, social, and economic factors impact disastervulnerability. These events brought to the forefront (as Hurricane Katrinadid) how impoverished groups, including traditionally marginalizedethnic/racial minority groups, disproportionately suffer the impacts of thesedevastating events. Finally, these catastrophic events highlight the criticalrole that local, state, and federal agencies, as well as elected officials, play indisaster preparedness, response, and recovery. The lack of effective andexpedient responses can be construed as a major contributor to the creation,longevity, and severity of humanitarian crises, as clearly demonstrated by thecase of Hurricane Maria and Puerto Rico.

As stated by Quarantelli, Boin, and Lagadec in this Handbook, “Disastersand crises are as old as when human beings started to live in groups. Throughthe centuries, new types have emerged while older ones did not disappear…The newer disasters and crises are additions to older forms; they recombineelements of old threats and new vulnerabilities.” One of our goals in thisHandbook is to focus on the old, new, and emerging disasters from a socialscience perspective with a focus on the genesis, impact, and outcomes ofsuch events. The second edition of the Handbook of Disaster Researchfocuses on these and a number of other important issues in the field ofdisaster studies. This edited volume pays specific attention to:

• The growth and development of the field of disaster studies, from a socialscience/sociological perspective, especially since the 1st Edition waspublished over 10 years ago (2006);

• The theoretical, methodological, and public policy contributions of thefield of disaster studies at the national and international level;

xxxiv Editors’ Introduction

• Lessons learned and best practices that have emerged in the field;• And, new trajectories and opportunities for social science research in

disasters.

A key development of disaster research, as of the last two decades or so, hasbeen its interdisciplinary focus, which has routinely contributed to thedevelopment of research teams composed of engineers, geologists, geographers,sociologists, political scientists, urban planners, psychologists, oceanographers,and the list goes on. Similar to the 1st Edition, this 2nd Edition continues toexplore interdisciplinary as well as international aspects of disasters.

Given the increasing focus on emerging and cutting-edge disasterresearch; the growth of interdisciplinary research initiatives; and theexpansion of academic programs focusing on disaster research, risk andcrisis, climate change, new technologies, homeland security, and emergencymanagement, we anticipate there will be significant demand for a revisedHandbook of Disaster Research, and there are increasing expectations andexcitement among the disaster research community regarding this 2ndEdition and the topics and research areas it will explore. The 1st Edition ofthis Handbook was very well received and is being widely used and cited notonly in the United States, but throughout the world. The previous editionof the Handbook received extremely favorable reviews, having beendescribed as “the most important publication of its type during this decade;”a volume that focuses on “articulating and unpacking the many socialcomplexities of modern disasters and catastrophes;” “a ‘must have’ foranyone who wants to know the cutting edges of disaster research;” and “avaluable reference for social scientists.” Thus, the co-editors (and theauthors) are presented with a significant task and a great challenge, but alsowith excellent opportunities to enhance and strengthen this Handbook; toreflect the significant changes that have occurred in the field during the pastdecade with a focus on new and emerging disasters; and to introduceinnovative and exciting perspectives from new scholars in the field.

We anticipate that the 2nd Edition, with the significant revisions from the1st Edition, will be extensively used not only by social scientists, but byengineers, geologists and other researchers/scholars, as well as practitioners,students, and policy makers. Given the increased focus on disasters,homeland security, and emergency management, we anticipate that emer-gency managers, and agencies such as FEMA, NOAA, and HomelandSecurity will also be important users of this 2nd Edition. As with the 1stEdition of this Handbook, the expectation is that it will be extensively usednot only nationally, but at the international level as well, especially byinstitutions of higher education.

Organization of the Handbook

The co-editors had extensive planning conversations about the 2nd Editionof the Handbook of Disaster Research. Indeed, it may be a misnomer to callthis publication a 2nd Edition. Typically, 2nd editions have minor to

Editors’ Introduction xxxv

moderate changes or “tweaks,” but they generally have the same (updated)content relative to previous editions. However, this is certainly not the casefor this new version of the Handbook, quite the contrary. As shown below,there were significant modifications to this edition relative to the 1st Editionof the Handbook, as follows:

• First of all, we have two new co-editors Joseph (Joe) Trainor from theUniversity of Delaware and the DRC and William (Bill) Donner at theUniversity of Texas Rio Grande Valley. Henry Quarantelli and RussDynes (co-editors with Havidán Rodríguez) of the 1st Edition establisheda strong and excellent foundation for this new edition of the Handbook.However, the new co-editors bring new ideas, insights, and researchinterests that helped shape, expand, and strengthen this new edition.

• We also engaged a large group of authors of the first edition in significantrevisions and updates to their chapters, which were also included in thisversion of the Handbook. Several of the authors significantly edited andrestructured their chapters and emerged with almost new chapters.Through a thorough peer-review process, we asked for major revisions ofa number of existing chapters that have had significant appeal, as mea-sured by the extensive number of citations since the publication of the 1stEdition. There are also chapters, such as “What is a Disaster;” “Race,Class, and Disaster Vulnerability;” and “Gender and Disasters,” amongothers, that are at the core of our field. These, and other chapters, arefoundational readings in the disaster field, which are also included in therevised Handbook, but with significant revisions.

• We added a number of new chapters with emerging themes and importantsubstantive, theoretical or methodological contributions that are gener-ating significant interest in the disaster studies field. For example, thefocus on disasters and children, climate change, social media, publichealth, and computer simulation raise important issues in the disasterstudies field that are increasingly relevant to contemporary society andthis field. These chapters provide new and innovative approaches todisaster research/scholarship. Some of these chapters also resulted in theinclusion, in this Handbook, of new and emerging scholars in the field ofdisaster studies.

• We also asked the authors to emphasize the importance of criticalresearch questions and new areas of inquiry for emerging generations ofdisaster scholars to pursue. Many authors attempted to develop a concretevision for future research in their corresponding areas addressing someof the following questions, among others. What are some of the criticalissues in the disaster field that scholars/researchers should pay particularattention to? What are some of the major research questions that need tobe addressed? What research areas do we need to continue to focus on tohave a better understanding regarding disasters, their impacts, outcomes,and consequences? How do societies and communities prepare for,respond to, and recover from disaster events?

• Finally, the Handbook was organized around several thematic areas,including Perspectives on Disasters; Contemporary Issues and Disasters;

xxxvi Editors’ Introduction

Inequality, Social Stratification, and Disasters; Methods and Method-ological Issues in Disaster Research; Communities in Disaster; Commu-nication and the Mass Media; and From Coordination to Recovery:Managing Disasters. After a careful review of each chapter, the co-editorsdetermined how they would be distributed among these thematic areas.While a number of chapters could have fallen in multiple areas, we madean “executive” decision regarding where they should be located.

The decision on which chapters to include in the final volume of theHandbook was not an easy one. This volume reflects a rigorous process thatincluded many meetings and extensive discussions that appraised the fieldand its current directions. Further, the proposal we submitted to Springerindicated “It is important to highlight that the inclusion of the proposedchapters and authors in the final version of this Handbook is subject tosubstantive revisions of existing chapters by current or new authors; theavailability of authors to commit to this work…” We really did not know norcould we anticipate how this statement would turn into reality until we startedthe development of this important project. We soon found out (notsurprisingly) that the disaster research community is a microcosm of societyat large and that emergencies happen, life gets really busy, people get sick,some of our dear and esteemed colleagues are no longer with us, and othersexperience “disasters” of their own. Consequently, the final version of the2nd Edition of the Handbook is also a result of the issues and circumstanceswe all confront as we go about our daily lives.

That said, our goal was to maintain a very high level of scholarship byincluding prominent researchers in the field while also adding new and risingscholars to provide a good balance of previous, ongoing, and emerging workin the field of disaster research. The authors of the chapters included in thisHandbook represent some of the most distinguished scholars in the field ofdisaster studies. The authors come from very diverse research backgrounds,representing a variety of disciplinary fields, from a broad array of socialsciences to engineering, among others. The authors include scholars,researchers, and practitioners from throughout the United States and anumber of countries around the world.

Each of the chapters contained herein were extensively reviewed at leasttwice (some three or four times) by the reviewers. The final list of chaptersfor the 2nd Edition of the Handbook of Disaster Research was a result ofextensive conversations (e.g., emails and phone calls) and deliberationsbetween the co-editors and ongoing exchanges with the authors. The finaloutcome reflects some of the past and foundational topics for disasterresearch; current substantive, methodological or theoretical topics of interest;as well as new and emerging topics in the field. Again, many of the chaptersincluded in this edition have both an interdisciplinary approach and aninternational focus, with a strong sociological/social science foundation.

We certainly hope and expect that the 2nd Edition of the Handbook willcontinue to inform the field of disaster studies for years to come; that it willexpand our knowledge in this important field of inquiry, but that it will alsogenerate new questions and research ideas; that it will continue to positivelyimpact the growth, development, and expansion of this field and our growing

Editors’ Introduction xxxvii

community; and that it will continue to raise awareness regarding the onsetand impact of these events in societies throughout the world, and that, in turn,this can have a significant and positive impact on disaster mitigation,preparedness, response, and recovery.

Havidán RodríguezWilliam Donner

Joseph E. Trainor

xxxviii Editors’ Introduction