Acts of God: The Unnatural History of Natural Disaster in America
Steinberg has an unabashedly political agenda in this work, but that does not interfere with him making a powerful point concerning the economics of disaster preparation and recovery. He examines how many of America's worst natural disasters were made more devastating through economic decision making. Most of the time these decisions protect the wealthy and commercial interests while leaving the poor and minorities vulnerable. He shows how newspapers and even scientific publications after the 1906 San Francisco earthquake played up the fire to convince businesses interested in moving into the area that it wasn't earthquake prone. He points to how dikes that were constructed to protect towns like Hannibal, Missouri, were made more "cost effective" by being placed where they could prevent damage to landmarks, while leaving the poor and black sections of the town to the mercy of flood waters. This is an insightful work that raises serious questions about who really directs our philosophy of disaster preparedness.Eric RobbinsCopyright © American Library Association. All rights reserved--This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.