Disaster hits home
Subtitle: new policy for urban housing recovery
By: Mary Comerio.
Publisher: University of California Press
Published: 1998
Place of publication: Berkeley
Language: eng
Number of pages: 300
Subjects: Disaster relief -- United States; Housing policy -- United States; Buildings -- Natural disaster effects -- United States; Earthquakes -- United States; Hurricanes -- United States; Floods -- United States
Description: 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.
Notes: Includes bibliographical references (p. 267-291) and index.