Large-Scale Disasters: Prediction, Control, and Mitigation

Mohamed Gad-el-Hak

Jun 2008 · Cambridge University Press

About this ebook

'Extreme' events - including climatic events, such as hurricanes, tornadoes, 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 an integrated 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.

About the author

Mohamed Gad-el-Hak is currently the Inez Caudill Eminent Professor of Biomedical Engineering and Chair of Mechanical Engineering at Virginia Commonwealth University. He is a fellow of the American Physical Society, the American Society of Mechanical Engineers, and the American Academy of Mechanics. In 1998, Professor Gad-el-Hak was named the Fourteenth ASME Freeman Scholar. In 1999, he was awarded the prestigious Alexander von Humboldt Prize, Germany's highest research award for senior U.S. scientists and scholars in all disciplines. In 2002, he was named ASME Distinguished Lecturer, as well as inducted into the Johns Hopkins University Society of Scholars.