Reducing disaster losses through better information / Board on Natural Disasters, Commission on Geosciences, Environment, and Resources, National Research Council.

Format:

Book

Contributor:

National Research Council (U.S.). Board on Natural Disasters.

Series:

Compass series (Washington, D.C.)

Compass series

Language:

English

Subjects (All):

Emergency management--United States.

Emergency management.

Emergency management--United States--Information resources.

Natural disaster warning systems--United States.

Natural disaster warning systems.

Physical Description:

1 online resource (72 p.)

Edition:

1st ed.

Place of Publication:

Washington, D.C. : National Academy Press, 1999.

Language Note:

English

Summary:

Losses of life and property from natural disasters in the United States-and throughout the world-have been enormous and the potential for substantially greater future losses looms. It is clearly in the public interest to reduce these impacts and to encourage the development of communities that are resilient to disasters. This goal can be achieved through wise and sustained efforts involving mitigation, preparedness, response, and recovery. Implementing such efforts, particularly in the face of limited resources and competing priorities, requires accurate information that is presented in a timely and appropriate manner to facilitate informed decisions. Substantial information already exists that could be used to this end, but there are numerous obstacles to accessing this information, and methods for integrating information from a variety of sources for decision-making are presently inadequate. Implementation of an improved national or international network for making better information available in a more timely manner could substantially improve the situation. As noted in the Preface, a federal transition team is considering the issues and needs associated with implementing a global or national disaster information network as described in the report by the Disaster Information Task Force (1997). This National Research Council report was commissioned by the transition team to provide advice on how a disaster information network could best make information available to improve decision making, with the ultimate goal of reducing losses from natural disasters. The report is intended to provide the basis for a better appreciation of which types of data and information should be generated in an information program and how this information could best be disseminated to decision makers.

Contents:

""Front Matter""; ""Preface""; ""Contents""; ""Executive Summary""; ""1 Introduction""; ""2 Information for Decision Making""; ""3 Benefits and Challenges of an Integrated Disaster Information Network""; ""4 Conclusions and Recommendations""; ""APPENDIX A Workshop Agenda""; ""APPENDIX B Federal Disaster Information Centers*""; ""APPENDIX C Biographies of BOND Members""

Notes:

Description based upon print version of record.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 45).

ISBN:

9786612082061

9780309173452

0309173450

9781282082069

128208206X

9780309521123

0309521122

9780585144832

0585144834

OCLC:

923257231