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Books on natural, and man-made disasters
Disaster Compendiums —
Fires —
Hurricane, Tornados, and Floods — Recommended titles
 "This fascinating reference book provides detailed case studies of more than 100 significant failures of modern technology. The incidents covered represent a variety of fields, ranging from transportation to civil engineering to the environment and include notable disasters involving aircraft and other vehicles, bridges and buildings, chemical facilities, medicine, spacecraft, and nuclear power. Arranged by broad subject categories and often accompanied by photos, charts, and diagrams, the 1000- to 1500-word entries are written by experts who discuss the background, details, and impact of the event. Each entry concludes with a list of sources for further study. This work offers an interesting perspective on our technological failures and valuable insight into their background, causes, and effects. Recommended for most libraries." --Library Journal, Joe Accardi, Northeastern Illinois Univ. Lib.
"With the growing realization that controlling fire and flood can unintentionally exacerbate the fire or flood that inevitably occurs ... Biologist Reice calls this model "non-equilibrium dynamics," which in plain English means let the fire burn, the river flood, and the wind blow, because such disturbances promote biodiversity. In this pithy, nontechnical work filled with interesting examples, Reice discusses how populations such as fish, insects, and trees respond to changing environments on a microscale and why without regular change the richness of species fades. His clear discussion of how a disturbed area is recolonized will engage the ecology-minded reader ... A well-presented combination of science and advocacy." --Booklist
"Today it is common knowledge that the dinosaurs were wiped out by a meteorite impact 65 million years ago that killed half of all species then living. Far less well-known is a much greater catastrophe that took place at the end of the Permian period 251 million years ago: 90 percent of life was destroyed, including saber-toothed reptiles and their rhinoceros-sized prey on land, as well as vast numbers of fish and other species in the sea. This book documents not only what happened during this gigantic mass extinction but also the recent rekindling of the idea of catastrophism. ... " --book description
"...In his introduction to these 13 essays, Biel argues that "disasters generate meanings and that these meanings... constitute an inseparable... part of the disasters' histories." Covering disasters both natural (hurricanes in colonial America, the 1906 San Francisco earthquake) and mechanical (the Challenger explosion, Chicago's deadly 1977 el train crash), these essays use contemporary media and political responses to explicate the cultural ramifications of the events. ... Some writers use these events to mark consequential moments of cultural change ... or to mark journalistic biases ... Biel, the director of studies in history and literature at Harvard, has assembled a provocative and illuminating collection." --Publishers Weekly
"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." --Booklist
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Furious Earth: The Science and Nature of Earthquakes, Volcanoes, and Tsunamis
Perils of a Restless Planet: Scientific Perspectives on Natural Disasters
When Technology Fails: Significant Technological Disasters, Accidents, and Failures of the Twentieth Century
Silver Lining: The Benefits of Natural Disasters
When Life Nearly Died: The Greatest Mass Extinction of All Time
American Disasters
Acts of God: The Unnatural History of Natural Disasters in America