Title: Disaster hits home : new policy for urban housing recovery /
Authors: Comerio, Mary C.
Publisher: University of California Press,
Year: 1998
Subjects: Disaster relief United States; Housing policy United States.; Buildings Natural disaster effects United States.; Earthquakes United States; Hurricanes United States.; Floods United States
Abstract: "Mary C. Comerio provides detailed case studies of housing losses and rebuilding efforts in six recent urban disasters: Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina, Hurricane Andrew in Florida, the Loma Prieta and Northridge earthquakes in California, and the recent major earthquakes in Mexico City and Kobe, Japan. Through these six case studies, Comerio demonstrates that a number of fundamental factors have changed in contemporary urban disasters." "Considering the enormous economic risks posed by contemporary disasters in urban areas, Comerio develops a catastrophe index for assessing when a natural disaster causes a housing crisis. Further, she proposes a thorough revision of the government's role in disaster recovery, suggesting that policies should aim to create a better-functioning insurance system and provide incentives for mitigation of existing building hazards."--BOOK JACKET.
Contents: Thinking about siasters and housing -- Measuring housing loss and recovery in recent American disasters -- Evaluating American disaster recovery in the global context -- Catastrophe index: When is a natural disaster a housing crisis? -- Currnet policies, current problems -- Rethinking urban disaster recovery policy.