Radford Byerly Jr., now retired, was chief of staff of the Science, Space, and Technology Committee of the U.S. House of Representatives. I and II, edited by Roger A. Pielke Jr. and Roger A. Pielke Sr. Routledge Hazards and Disasters Series. This two-volume work gathers current thinking from 74 researchers around the world on societal vulnerability to storms. The challenges storms pose to societies include destruction of property and loss of life, livelihood, food supplies, and communications.
Storms explores a broad spectrum of events, vulnerability, and responses.
Chapters are organized into sections on Storm Science and Societal Vulnerability, Tropical Cyclones, Extratropical Cyclones, Mesoscale Convective Systems, and Other Storms, including polar lows, dust storms, and space weather. Overviews of storm types, challenges to forecasting, warning and response strategies, and specific hazards from flooding, winds, hail, tornadoes, and other phenomena are examined. Detailed accounts of storms and their implications include events in Australia, Brazil, Canada, China, Cuba, India, Mexico, Russia, the United States, and Vietnam. Roger A. Pielke Jr. is a political scientist in NCAR's Environmental and Societal Impacts Group. Roger A. Pielke Sr. is a professor in the Department of Atmospheric Science, Colorado State University, and is Colorado's state climatologist.