Urban Emergency Management

Urban Emergency Management: Planning and Response for the 21st Century takes the concepts and practices of emergency management and places them in the context of the complex challenges faced by the contemporary city. Cities provide unique challenges to emergency managers. The concentrated population and often dense layering of infrastructure can be particularly susceptible to disasters—both natural and human-caused. The book provides guidance across all phases of emergency management, including prevention and all-hazards approaches. Presents an all-hazards and all-phases approach to emergency management, including natural hazards and human-caused disasters Covers the human capital and political and leadership qualities needed by urban emergency managers Targets the needs of emergency management in urban settings

Urban areas face daunting environmental, economic and social challenges that have increased in scope in recent years, especially given climate change and globalization. At the same time, cities provide exciting opportunities for growth and revitalization of local and national economies. The interplay of these challenges and opportunities create important tasks for policymakers and researchers. This book provides a new horizon for exploring solutions to urban problems, especially water-related disasters in urban areas. It is of a cross-disciplinary nature offering both new concepts and practices that will help to promote communication between urban planning communities and water management professionals in order to integrate water-related disaster management into spatial planning.

The Routledge Handbook of Urban Disaster Resilience emphasizes the intersection of urban planning and hazard mitigation as critical for community resilience, considering the interaction of social, environmental, and physical systems with disasters. The Handbook introduces and discusses the phases of disaster – mitigation, preparedness/response, and recovery – as well as each of the federal, state, and local players that address these phases from a planning and policy perspective. Part I provides an overview of hazard vulnerability that begins with an explanation of what it means to be vulnerable to hazards, especially for socially vulnerable population segments. Part II discusses the politics of hazard mitigation; the failures of smart growth placed in hazardous areas; the wide range of land development policies and their associated risk; the connection between hazards and climate adaptation; and the role of structural and non-structural mitigation in planning for disasters. Part III covers emergency preparedness and response planning, the unmet needs people experience and community service planning; evacuation planning; and increasing community capacity and emergency response in developing countries. Part IV addresses recovery from and adaption to disasters, with topics such as the National Disaster Recovery Framework, long-term housing recovery; population displacement; business recovery; and designs in disasters. Finally, Part V demonstrates how disaster research is interpreted in practice – how to incorporate mitigation into the comprehensive planning process; how states respond to recovery; how cities undertake recovery planning; and how to effectively engage the whole community in disaster planning. The Routledge Handbook of Urban Disaster Resilience offers the most authoritative and comprehensive coverage of cutting-edge research at the intersection of urban planning and disasters from a U.S. perspective. This book serves as an invaluable guide for undergraduate and postgraduate students, future professionals, and practitioners interested in urban planning, sustainability, development response planning, emergency planning, recovery planning, hazard mitigation planning, land use planning, housing and community development as well as urban sociology, sociology of the community, public administration, homeland security, climate change, and related fields.

Urban Planning for Disaster Recovery focuses on disaster recovery from the perspective of urban planning, an underutilized tactic that can significantly reduce disaster risks. The book examines disaster risk reduction (DRR), in particular, the recovery stage of what is widely known as the disaster cycle. The theoretical underpinning of the book derives from a number of sources in urban planning and disaster management literature, and is illustrated by a series of case studies. It consists of five sections, each of which opens with a conceptual framework that is followed by a series of supporting and illustrative cases as practical examples. These examples both complement and critique the theoretical base provided, demonstrating the need to apply the concepts in location-specific ways. Examines disaster recovery from an urban planning perspective Illustrates key concepts with real-world case studies Explores the contributions of experts, urban planners, NGOs, and community members

This edited book investigates the interrelations of disaster impacts, resilience and security in an urban context. Urban as a term captures megacities, cities, and generally, human settlements, that are characterised by concentration of quantifiable and non-quantifiable subjects, objects and value attributions to them. The scope is to narrow down resilience from an all-encompassing concept to applied ways of scientifically attempting to ‚measure’ this type of disaster related resilience. 28 chapters in this book reflect opportunities and doubts of the disaster risk science community regarding this ‚measurability’. Therefore, examples utilising both quantitative and qualitative approaches are juxtaposed. This book concentrates on features that are distinct characteristics of resilience, how they can be measured and in what sense they are different to vulnerability and risk parameters. Case studies in 11 countries either use a hypothetical pre-event estimation of resilience or are addressing a ‘revealed resilience’ evident and documented after an event. Such information can be helpful to identify benchmarks or margins of impact magnitudes and related recovery times, volumes and qualities of affected populations and infrastructure.

This book is the second in a series that examines how geographic information te- nologies (GIT) are being implemented to improve our understanding of a variety of hazard and disaster situations. The main types of technologies covered under the umbrella of GIT, as used in this volume, are geographic information systems, remote sensing (not including ground-penetrating or underwater systems), and global po- tioning systems. Our focus is on urban areas, broadly de ned in order to encompass rapidly growing and densely populated areas that may not be considered “urban” in the conventional sense. The material presented here is also unabashedly applied – our goal is to provide GIT tools to those seeking more ef cient ways to respond to, recover from, mitigate, prevent, and/or model hazard and disaster events in urban settings. Therefore, this book was created not only with our colleagues in the academic world in mind, but also for hazards professionals and practitioners. We also believe graduate students will nd the material presented here of interest, as may upper division undergraduate students.

As levels of urbanization increase around the world, the growing concentrations of population and economic activity increases vulnerability to natural disasters. Interdependencies among urban populations mean that damage to the built environment, including water, sewer and energy infrastructure, can affect millions. Even if there is no change in the rate of occurrence of natural disasters (an unlikely prospect in the face of ongoing climate change) the potential for human and economic loss will continue to increase, along with the time required to recover. How do cities prepare for and recover from natural disasters? In this book, the authors provide a broad overview of the issues related to the impacts of disasters on cities around the world, from assessing risks to accounting for damages. The comparative approach across different types of disasters in a range of urban locations is useful in identifying opportunities for policy transfer. While there is no ’one size fits all’ solution to hazard mitigation, valuable lessons can be learned from the experiences of others. The chapters emphasize different modes for assessing hazard risk, as well as strategies for increasing the resiliency of vulnerable populations.

New Release "Urban Resilience" – Your Ultimate Guide to Surviving and Thriving in the Concrete Jungle! When the unexpected strikes in the urban sprawl – are you prepared? The new must-have eBook, "Urban Resilience," is the definitive compendium for anyone looking to fortify themselves against the array of challenges a city can throw at them. This essential guide is designed to equip you with the know-how to navigate, endure, and emerge from urban calamities with confidence and skill. Dive headfirst into an enlightening journey through the urban landscape and discover the sophisticated dance between city infrastructure and potential survival risks. Explore the psychological complexities that disasters breed in dense populations, and arm yourself with a prepared mind, ready to face any emergency. "Urban Resilience" seamlessly guides you through building your personalized urban survival kit, filled with critical everyday carry items and knowledge to help you secure communication and maintain safety. Learn about securing shelter amid steel and stone, and find out how to turn the city's overlooked nooks into lifesaving resources. Unearth the secrets to sourcing water in a concrete desert, and become an expert in identifying what's good to eat when it seems like all hope is lost. Adapt your navigation skills to a chaotic cityscape, and ensure you can find your path to safety when traditional routes are untenable. Self-defense is not just a skill, but a necessity. This eBook will help you pinpoint dangers, harness improvised weapons, and defend yourself amidst ruin. From the echoes of empty streets, discover how to signal for help, and make crucial contact when it's needed most. Prepare to address the pressing reality of fires, explosions, and medical emergencies when help isn’t on the horizon. Learn to power through blackouts and understand how to protect your personal data amidst the digital dangers that surface during a crisis. But that's not all – "Urban Resilience" also brings you ingenious strategies for urban evacuation, the importance of community collaboration, and insights from past urban survival stories. Enhance your preparedness with practical exercises, checklists for both short-term and extended survival, and streamline communication with authorities. Tackle the trials of transportation when systems fail, safeguard your finances amidst turmoil, and even learn urban gardening for self-sustenance. Address challenges unique to urban pet owners, uphold hygiene standards without city services, and know how to utilize modern technology as a lifeline in dire times. Keep your family safe, informed, and ready for anything. "Urban Resilience" isn’t just a book – it’s your lifeline in the asphalt jungle. Whether you're a seasoned city dweller or a concerned newcomer, this guide stands as an invaluable resource for anyone determined to stand strong against the odds. Unlock the secrets to urban survival. Secure your copy of "Urban Resilience" today – and step up to meet any challenge the city has in store!