Seeds of Disaster, Roots of Response

By Philip E. Auerswald

Book Overview

In the wake of 9/11 and Hurricane Katrina, executives and policymakers are motivated than ever to reduce the vulnerability of social and economic systems to disasters. Most prior work on "critical infrastructure protection" has focused on the responsibilities and actions of government rather than on those of the private sector firms that provide most vital services. Seeds of Disaster, Roots of Response is the first systematic attempt to understand how private decisions and operations affect public vulnerability. It describes effective and sustainable approaches - both business strategies and public policies - to ensure provision of critical services in the event of disaster. The authors are business leaders from multiple industries and experts in fields as diverse as risk analysis, economics, engineering, organization theory and public policy. The book shows the necessity of deeply rooted collaboration between private and public institutions, and the accountability and leadership required to go from words to action.

• Format: Hardcover
• Language: English
• ISBN: B00D0DQ152
• ISBN13: 9780521857963
• Release Date: September 2006
• Publisher: Cambridge University Press
• Length: 576 Pages
• Weight: 1.96 lbs.
• Dimensions: 1.2" x 6.5" x 9.3"

Customer Reviews

Not a cheerfull title but great book.

This book is a collection of essays discussing security. The overall point is there needs to be a public/private partnership to protect our critical infrastructure. The best sections were written by Brian Lopez from Lawrence Livermore National Lab. Industry should take notice, self regulate or as soon as there is a major incident congress will step in and try to fix everything themselves.