The Human Side of Disaster

Citation

(2010), "The Human Side of Disaster", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 19 No. 2, pp. 276-276. https://doi.org/10.1108/dpm.2010.19.2.276.5

In his preface, Thomas Drabek says that he never felt he had the right textbook during the 30 years he taught the class on “Community Responses to Natural Disasters” at the University of Denver. So, after retiring, then being called back to teach again, he wrote this one. It is an entertaining case‐based look at human response to disaster –puncturing myths, pointing out truths, and exploring the progress of disaster from warnings to “why me?”

A more careful narrative style could have helped tell the stories, though. The footnote on page one says, “The events described in this chapter are real. The stories, actions, and names used are fictional.” This makes it difficult to figure out how much of what follows is true. If the stories and actions are fictional, what's left?

(Extracted from Natural Hazards Observer, January 2010 25. No reviewers ascribed)