Notes that deaths from natural and technological disasters are increasing in United States. Reviews key findings in areas of vulnerability to natural hazards, disaster behavior and risk perception, societal concern over technological hazard, and social-psychological effects of disasters. Calls for research examining the role of media and measuring…

Discusses, in the context of southern California's severe earthquake in January 1994, attitudes to technology and the information superhighway. Argues that technology should not be worshipped as a solution. (SR)

Identifies, evaluates, and ranks disaster-preparedness planning in school districts nationally. Findings reveal great diversity in disaster planning, from no plans whatsoever to action planning covering before, during, and in the aftermath of a disaster. (GR)

Recounts the experience of East Carolina University (North Carolina) in responding to the disaster of Hurricane Floyd in 1999. Identifies 10 operational lessons such as ensuring that the institution's emergency response team is prepared for quick decisions and planning with the assumption that all vital utilities will be lost for not less than a…

Disasters happen all the time; yet despite this, many organizations are caught unprepared or make unrealistic assumptions. These factors create environments that will fail during a disaster. Most information technology (IT) curricula do not cover disaster recovery (DR) plans and strategies in depth. The unfortunate result is that most new computer…

Probably the most reported and unforgettable story in 2005, in addition to the ongoing War in Iraq, was Hurricane Katrina, which devastated the Gulf Coast region of the United States at the end of August. The hurricane's aftermath is still affecting the lives of hundreds of thousands of people. In the higher education community, thousands of…

Hurricane Katrina, the disastrous storm that struck the Gulf Coast in late August of 2006, displaced an estimated 1 million people. Historians are already calling the resulting exodus of families from hard-hit communities in Louisiana and Mississippi the greatest mass migration in the United States since the Civil War. The diaspora extended north…

A school devastated by Hurricane Katrina, which struck southeastern Louisiana on August 29, reopens--but for teachers, the real work is just beginning. First, there was the storm. Roofing was ripped off some of the beige, block like buildings that make up Bonnabel High's nondescript campus nestled in a suburban neighborhood near the New Orleans…

Global warming is the progressive, gradual rise of the earth's average surface temperature, thought to be caused in part by increased concentrations of "greenhouse" gases (GHGs) in the atmosphere. According to the National Academy of Sciences, the Earth's temperature has risen by about one degree Fahrenheit in the past century, with accelerated…

Hurricane Ivan struck the Gulf Coast of Florida on September 16, 2004, destroying waterfront homes, and damaging properties for miles. Pensacola Junior College (PJC), a two-year college with three campuses and a student population of approximately 26,000, was hit hard. In the Pensacola Campus Learning Resources Center (LRC), water and mold ruined…

Nearly five months after Hurricane Katrina swept them off their campuses in and around New Orleans, thousands of college administrators, faculty members, and students began a new semester in January 2006. Students came back with a new spirit of determination to adapt to the new realities of New Orleans, and to campuses that are forever changed,…

Eighteen months after Hurricane Katrina devastated the Mississippi coastal community of Hancock County on August 29, 2005, volunteers and organizations assisting with recovery in the area found chaos, confusion, and a desperate need for leadership. This qualitative study reflects the efforts of two University of Southern Mississippi professors as…

The greater New Orleans area has yet to fully recover from the effects of Hurricane Katrina, which made landfall on August 29, 2005. One issue of concern in the recovery is the availability of mental health services for children. It is estimated that in 2008 about 187,000 children were living in the greater New Orleans area. Many children in the…

Being prepared with accurate, credible, and timely information during a disaster can help individuals make informed decisions about taking appropriate actions. Unfortunately, many people have difficulty understanding health and risk-related resources. This exploratory, mixed methods study assessed disaster information seeking behaviors and…

The authors describe their individual and collective experiences reconstructing their New Orleans-based university composition program in the aftermath of Hurricane Katrina. They emphasize how the concept of "floating foundations" helps account for changes in their students' interests, and they suggest that this idea is applicable to the…