Large-Scale Disasters: Prediction, Control and Mitigation

"Extreme" events - including climatic events, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, and drought - can cause massive disruption to society, including large death tolls and property damage in the billions of dollars. Events in recent years have shown the importance of being prepared and that countries need to work together to help alleviate the resulting pain and suffering. This volume presents a review of the broad research field of large-scale disasters. It establishes a common framework for predicting, controlling and managing both manmade and natural disasters. There is a particular focus on events caused by weather and climate change. Other topics include air pollution, tsunamis, disaster modeling, the use of remote sensing and the logistics of disaster management. It will appeal to scientists, engineers, first responders and health-care professionals, in addition to graduate students and researchers who have an interest in the prediction, prevention or mitigation of large-scale disasters.

A review volume presenting research into the prediction, prevention or mitigation of large-scale disasters.

Mohamed Gad-el-Hak is currently the Inez Caudill Eminent Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University in Richmond, USA. In 1998, Gad-el-Hak was named the Fourteenth ASME Freeman Scholar. In 1999, he was awarded the German Alexander von Humboldt Prize as well as the Japanese Government Research Award for Foreign Scholars. In 2002, he was named ASME Distinguished Lecturer, as well as inducted into the Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars. He is the author of Flow Control: Passive, Active, and Reactive Flow Management, first published by Cambridge University Press in 2000.