Facing the unexpected

Kathleen J. Tierney, a sociologist who studies disasters, examines how American government structures disaster planning and response. The book looks at the forces that have shaped federal, state and local arrangements, and asks how well local emergency agencies perform and how professional the emergency management field has become.

Tierney also sets technological disasters against natural ones, showing how the two differ in cause, consequences and the response they demand. A further thread explores how new technologies are changing the way disaster programs operate.

The work suits readers interested in public administration, emergency management and disaster policy, as well as students and practitioners who want a grounded account of how the US system works in practice.