Amin, S. & Goldstein, M. P. (2008). Data Against Natural Disasters: Establishing Effective Systems for Relief, Recovery, and Reconstruction. Washington, DC: World Bank Publication.
Amin and Goldstein (2008) inform that “natural disasters have become a constant feature of the global landscape” (p. 1) from the very beginning. Their main purpose is to inform the reader about the dangers of natural disasters and the support that is usually provided by the government to those, who suffered from these disasters.
The idea of policy makers is also described in this book and helps to realize that numerous steps are already taken to improve the situation and properly arrange disaster management.
Casale, R & Margottini, C. (2004). Natural Disasters and Sustainable Development. New York, NY: Springer.
This source is a unique collection of the material about natural disasters, their outcomes, and impacts on human lives. The authors inform that “during the period 1965-1999, a total of 1 995 000 mortal casualties due to violent natural disasters were recorded in the world, according to data from cited sources” (Casale & Margottini, 2004, p. 274).
People live in constant conflict with the environment, and natural disasters are considered to be the most terrible outcome of this conflict that cannot be still solved.
Cherry, K.E. (2009). Lifespan Perspectives on Natural Disasters: Coping with Katrina, Rita, and Other Storms. New York, NY: Springer.
The author of this book represents a collection of the works which evaluate natural disasters and their outcomes from different perspectives. The lives of many individuals are under a threat of disasters because of impossibility to prevent them or reduce (Cherry, 2009). Such disasters like Katrina or Rita are characterized by serious outcomes, and these results have to be evaluated thoroughly to make the necessary conclusions.
Hyndman, D. & Hyndman, D. (2009). Natural Hazards and Disasters. Belmont, MA: Cengage Learning.
The team of famous geologists introduces a powerful source of information where all important points concerning natural disasters, their reasons, and outcomes are described. Humans cannot even comprehend that they put themselves in danger living at the tops of the cliffs just in order to have a magnificent view from the window (Hyndman & Hyndman, 2009). It is obligatory to prevent them against such mistakes, and these authors make this attempt in their book.
Pan American Health Organization. (2000). Natural Disaster: Protecting the Public’s Health. Washington, DC: Pan American Health Organization.
The authors of this book underline the fact that natural disaster can be hardly prevented, however, it is still possible to reduce their impact on human lives. This is why it is very important to manage the necessary activities and evaluate all types of natural disasters.
Though “many mistaken assumptions are associated with the impact of disasters on public health” (Pan American Health Organization, 2000, p. 9), it is better to differentiate the existed myths and realities, and this source provides the necessary grounds.
Officer, C. & Page, J. (2009). When the Planet Rages: Natural Disasters, Global Warming and the Future of the Earth. New York, NY: Oxford University Press.
Weather conditions and human impact on environment are the burning topics to discuss. Each year, the total cost caused by natural disasters increases considerably (Officer & Page, 2009), this is why it is better to spend more money to analyze and prevent the most terrible outcomes of natural disasters than wait for them and believe that this time everything will be better than the previous time. These writers evaluate the idea of global warming and its influence on the development of disasters in order to be ready to prevent people.
Pelling, M. (2003). Natural Disasters and Development in a Globalizing World. New York, NY: Routledge.
The author of this book represents a captivating collection of ideas offered by different people. It is very important to connect global processes with natural disasters and define whether it is possible to prevent or reduce disasters or not.
“There is no lower limit of loss for events that can be classified as catastrophic” (Pelling, 2003, p. 4), and world’s development promotes this impossibility to set one concrete limit. The process of globalization plays a very important role in investigations of natural disasters, this is why the author pays certain attention to these issues as well.
Prophet, E.C. (2008). Is Mother Nature Mad?: How to Work with Nature Spirits to Mitigate Natural Disasters. Gardiner, MT: Summit University Press.
There is a great variety of natural disasters that have to be evaluated and studied by people. In this book, the author touches upon such question like why Mother Nature is so mad at people and what the causes of her madness are.
A proper division of chapters allows to understand the essence of each disaster and the outcomes that can and cannot predict. “Natural disasters have resulted in a tremendous loss of life and resources” (Prophet, 2008, p.6), and this book helps to study all these items and losses deeper.
Stern, G. (2007). Can God Intervene?: How Religion Explains Natural Disasters. Westport, CT: Greenwood Publishing Group, Inc.
The question concerning the role of God in human lives and the conditions under which they have to live is regarded as one of the most discussed issues for a long period of time (Stern, 2007).
The author of this book makes a wonderful attempt to evaluate God’s position in respect to all those natural disasters which disturb people. It is not enough say whether it is better to rely on God or personal powers, and the author represents a captivating evaluation of the events that have to be considered while studying natural disasters.
Viegas, J. (2007). Critical Perspectives on Natural Disasters. New York, NY: The Rosen Publishing Group, Inc.
The peculiar feature of this informative book is its collection of different articles about natural disasters and their effects. Ideas of different people from different backgrounds are represented in one source and evaluate the positions under which humans live day by day.
Viegas (2007) properly admits that “we like to think that we have complete control over our lives, but nature is a powerful ever-present force that we almost take for granted” (p. 5).