Introduction to International Disaster Management

"Damon Coppola's massive effort to present disaster management as an international endeavor from a practitioner's perspective combines the classic framework espoused by disaster researchers with the reality of the field. Yet the book incorporates basic information that has evolved in the field of nbsp;disaster management and places it within easy grasp for practitioners." --Alan Kirschenbaum, Journal of Homeland Security and Emergency Management, Volume 4, Issue 3 (2007)

"Damon Coppola's Introduction to international disaster management is a single volume sourcebook that makes excellent use of full colour graphics and has numerous inset boxes highlighting aspects of the topics under discussion. The book follows a logical progression starting with the history of disasters and ending with details of disaster management agencies (governments, NGOs, multilateral organisations), where they are located within national government structures, and what they do. The bulk of the book is given over to consideration of hazards, risks and vulnerability, and the four stages of traditional disaster management namely: mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. A final chapter deals briefly with special considerations in relation to disasters covering such diverse topics as the media, political will, donor fatigue, state sovereignty, climate change, terrorism, and pandemics. This book is an excellent starting point for the study of disaster planning providing both global perspective and local detail." --Colin Perry, The Brunei Times

"Disaster management is a discipline and a profession that is growing and evolving rapidly; and international disaster management is a subdiscipline. This text is intended as a guide and reference for students and practitioners involved at any level. The specifics of all facets of mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery are covered clearly and in detail, beginning with general background and proceeding to the various types of hazards, assessment of vulnerability and risk (and disparities among countries), forms of structural and nonstructural mitigation, the practicalities of preparedness (communications, training, animal care, public warning), the complexities of international response, and the recovery period. Three chapters discuss the players: government agencies, nongovernmental organizations, and multilateral and international financial institutions. The concluding chapter covers special issues (sovereignty, distribution of relief, emerging epidemics, among other topics). Coppola is a well-seasoned practitioner and works now as a systems engineer with a disaster management consulting firm." --SciTechBookNews

"This monograph provides practitioners, educators and students with a comprehensive overview of the players, processes and special issues involved in the management of large-scale natural and technological disasters. The book discusses special issues encountered in ...

Damon P. Coppola is the founder of Shoreline Risk LLC and a Partner with Bullock & Haddow LLC. He has extensive experience in disaster management capacity development, disaster risk management, and planning through his work with the United Nations; the World Bank Group; The US Federal Emergency Management Agency; and the US Army Corps of Engineers, among others. Mr. Coppola serves as a Senior Disaster Management Specialist at the Hawaii-based Pacific Disaster Center and is a faculty member at Loma Linda University and the University of Hawaii. He holds an M.E.M in Crisis, Emergency, and Risk Management from George Washington University and an A.R.M. from the American Institute for Chartered Property Casualty Underwriters.

1. The Management of Disasters2. Hazards3. Risk and Vulnerability4. Mitigation5. Preparedness6. Response7. Recovery8. Participants - Governmental Disaster Management Agencies9. Participants - Nongovernmental Organizations10. Participants - Multilateral Organizations and the International Financial Institutions11. Special Considerations