Dynamics of disaster : lessons on risk, response and recovery / edited by Rachel A. Dowty and Barbara L. Allen ; with a foreword by Alan Irwin.

Includes bibliographical references and index.

Part 1: Environmental, Cultural and Political Concerns 1. Katrina's Contamination: Regulatory Knowledge Gaps in the Making and Unmaking of Environmental Contention 2. Organizational Culture and the Katrina Response in Louisiana 3. Hurricane Katrina as a System Accident 4. Conceptualizing Katrina Reconstructively Part 2: Relocation, Rebuilding and Recovery Concerns 5. Mind Maps, Memory and Relocation after Hurricane Katrina 6. Post-Katrina Neighbourhood Recovery Planning in New Orleans 7. Rebuilding the Historic Treme Neighbourhood: Lessons in the Repatriation of New Orleans Part 3: International Disasters and Katrina Comparisons 8. The 2002 Flood Disaster in the Elbe Region, Germany: A Lack of Context-Sensitive Knowledge 9. Social Dynamics of Unnatural Disasters: Parallels between Hurricane Katrina and the 2003 European Heat Wave 10. After Disasters: Emergences of National In-Security in Sri Lanka 11. Response and Recovery in the Remediation of Contaminated Land in Eastern Germany. Conclusion

Dynamics Of Disaster: Lessons On Risk, Response And Recovery Disasters are the result of complex interactions between social and natural forces, acting at multiple scales from the individual and community to the organisational, national and international level. Effective disaster planning, response and recovery require an understanding of these interacting forces, and the role of power, knowledge and organisations. This book sheds new light on these dynamics, and gives disaster scholars and practitioners new and valuable lessons for management and planning in practice. The authors draw on methods across the social sciences to examine disaster response and recovery as viewed by those in positions of authority (Part I) and the 'recipients' of operations (Part II). These first two sections examine cases from Hurricane Katrina, while Part III compares this to other international disasters to draw out general lessons and practical applications for disaster planning in any context. The authors also offer guidance for shaping institutional structures to better meet the needs of communities and residents