Reviews (20)

Very thorough, not well proofread
This book is very thorough, and although it seems a bit alarmist, it's apparent that the information he covers could really become necessary in terms of a major disaster. My primary criticism is the in the editing. The author continually uses the word "loose" when he means "lose," for example, and it's an error that's found throughout the book. It makes me cringe when I see it, but when you get past things like that the information is valuable and it's well presented.
Disaster Preparedness Books
If you're like I was, you're looking through the various disaster preparedness books wondering which one is best. I have worked my way through 7 of the most popular books and offer a shared review of all of them here. I hope this comparison helps you make a decision.
The best?
I picked up this book after having read it some time ago. Reason is I chanced to read these reviews, and I'm stunned. Best book on the subject, perhaps. However, I've yet to read one book, on the subject, worth the price. Please, do yourself a favor and use the price of this book as partial payment for a Red Cross course. Very much of the content is common sense, and more important, time is valuable - don't waste it on this. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Cooking / Wine    2. General    3. Health & Fitness / Safety    4. Disaster relief    5. Emergency preparedness    6. Health & Fitness    7. Safety    8. Safety measures    9. Survival   

Reviews (4)

5 stars does not do this book justice
All the stories are very short 2 to 3 page stories that really touch the heart of animal lovers. Makes a great read.
Mrs. Bauer's efforts come to wonderful fruition for all to share
This book is a major tribute to all K9 Search/Recovery Teams throughout the world and to the many long, long hours of training and hard work preparing for such a grueling service.The content brings forward the various personalities; human and K9 which make a dedicated team who give 120 percent to the community; "bringingthose lost home to their loved ones".It's through the eyes and ears of great authors that the public becomes increasingly aware of the many facets in the lives of K9 search teams. Thank you... Michael, Annie & K9 Boomer

Awesome
Each story gives you a small insight of what it was like to work the mountain of ruble that was once The World Trade Center.There has never been a book like this one to give such honor to Search and Rescue teams. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Disaster Relief & Rescue Operations    2. Dogs - General    3. Essays    4. Pets    5. Photography    6. Rescue dogs    7. Search dogs    8. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001    9. Subjects & Themes - Plants & Animals    10. United States    11. Dogs   

Editorial Review

Bestselling historian Douglas Brinkley, a professor at Tulane University, lived through the destruction of Hurricane Katrina with his fellow New Orleans residents, and now in Read more

Reviews (73)

The Great Deluge--Great but tragic
Having becoming acquainted with Mr. Brinkley via the tv interview--I knew I must read this book. Having read of the overwhelming sorrows and heartbreaks of this storm, I am now very disallusioned with many of our higher ranking government officials, the first being Michael Chertoff and not stopping at his level either. To really get an accurate fix on what happened with katrina, this book is a must read.

Too opinionated!
If you hate President Bush, you'll love this book.But if you are seeking a true historical account (which the book does not contain unfortunately) of a major disaster without all the left-wing editorial padding, skip this book.

CRESENT CITY
Douglas Brinkley loves New Orleans and you can feel his pain for his beloved city in every page.This is a man who wants New Orleans to come back better, as a city that works and where corruption is not rampant and he spells out what went wrong and what can be done to make New Orleans whole again.It is a well written, tough love letter to the city and I hope everyone in New Orleans reads this.I am very familiar with the city and I am very skeptical, especially when they reelected Mayor Nagin, that is old New Orleans, it's really up to the city because if they are not willing to change the culture of corruption and institutional poverty, then the city will end up a Savannah..a quaint strange town of no real national importance..what a fate for one of the great American cities.Come on, New Orleans..look to Houston, Atlanta, and Dallas..those cities work and that is where your middle and upper middle class live now..if you want them back you'll have to change if not..your looking at Galveston, Louisiana... ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Disaster relief    2. Gulf Coast (U.S.)    3. History - U.S.    4. Hurricane Katrina, 2005    5. Hurricanes    6. Louisiana - Local History    7. Natural Disasters    8. Nature    9. Nature/Ecology    10. Rescue work    11. United States - 21st Century    12. United States - State & Local - South    13. History / United States / State & Local / South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)   

Reviews (3)

Introduction to Emergency Management
An excellent introductory book with a good review of the basic components of emergency management

Easy Flowing Read
For a easy flowing read, buy this book.It has plenty of pertinent information mainly from a federal emergency standpoint.

An Excellent Intro to Emergency Management
"Introduction to Emergency Management" is a straight-forward and insightful entre into the world of public emergency management.George Haddow and Jane Bullock are former senior FEMA officials that exerienced it first hand. And it shows.Read more

Subjects:  1. Allied Health Services - Emergency Medical Services    2. Emergency management    3. Government - U.S. Government    4. Medical    5. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    6. Politics / Current Events    7. Public Affairs & Administration    8. United States    9. Political Science / Government / National    10. Social impact of disasters   

Editorial Review

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Reviews (136)

Rock solid reporting
Dwyer succeeds in putting together a complicated jigsaw puzzle, piecing together the final minutes of the World Trade Center by conducting hundreds of interviews with those who escaped this tragedy.This book, however, is far more than a page-turner, full of fascinating stories and anecdotes.Dwyer lays out the vast problems and dysfunctional historical relationships between the New York Police and Fire Departments.These problems should have been identified and solved years before, given the fact they were encountered during the 1993 WTC bombing.Not only were the interdepartmental problems not solved, they were exacerbated by Guilliani's insistence on placing an umbrella emergency services department right at the already-targeted ground zero, within one of the WTC buildings.
Memories restored
I read 102 Minutes because I had to bring back *that day*.After five years of politics and posturing, I needed to remember how I really felt on September 11, 2001, not the day after, but on the day itself.Dwyer and Flynn have accomplished that.As so many nowhere near NYC that day, I watched on live television, frozen as I tried to imagine the people inside the Twin Towers.Through interviews and publicly available transcripts, Dwyer and Flynn have created a coherent narrative of precisely that, as they describe what happened both for many of those who survived, as well as for many who did not.I especially found myself returning often to look at the pictures of specific people as I read their stories.We truly do not need fiction.
"If history is to be a tool for the living, it must be unflinchingly candid."Dwyer & Flynn
Jim Dwyer and Kevin Flynn did the Old Grey Lady (NYT) proud with an excellent and very CANDID account of the final 102 minutes of the WTC complex. Some of the stories we are familiar with, many though, were a complete revelation. Obviously the terrorists are completely responsible for the deaths that day, and the bravery of the first responders knows no equal, however once again bureaucracy and lack of official and building communications doomed many hundreds more unnecessarily.I especially appreciate the skill in detailing the horrors witnessed that terrible day without resorting to gratuitous descriptions of many of the victims. The refrain displayed somehow honored the victims. It is hard to imagine that we on the outside looking in knew far more than many of those in the middle of the situation for a variety of reasons. This account, along with Stone's WTC the movie, United Flight 93 and American Experience 'Center of World' all tell the same story from different perspectives, each horrifying in their own way but very important nonetheless. I consider this book a MUST READ. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Buildings    2. Disaster Relief Services    3. Disasters & Disaster Relief    4. Evacuation    5. History    6. History - U.S.    7. History: American    8. New York    9. New York (State)    10. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    11. Political Terrorism    12. September 11 Terrorist Attacks    13. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001    14. United States - 21st Century    15. United States - State & Local - Middle Atlantic    16. Victims of terrorism    17. World Trade Center (New York,    18. History / General    19. Bargain   

Reviews (37)

The Girl In Tower 1
The absolute best book out there on 9/11.I wish they had a volume 2 and 3 and 4, as there were enough photos.
A book that focuses on a powerful event in our country.
I am glad to have this book in my collection on the tragedy that gripped New York City on September 11th. The pictures showed the emotion of that day. It was well worth the money to purchase this book.

Words can not describe...
This book is so special to me that I bought a copy to put away for my two year old son.It is important to me that someday he will fully grasp the enormity of that day and the consequences that he will experience from it throughout his life.
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Subjects:  1. September 11 Terrorist Attacks, 2001    2. Photo Essays    3. Subjects & Themes - Travel - U.S./Mid-Atlantic    4. Photography    5. Photography, Documentary    6. Photoessays & Documentaries    7. United States - State & Local - General    8. Photographic reportage    9. Places & peoples: general interest    10. Social impact of disasters    11. Subjects & Themes - Portraits    12. Exhibitions    13. New York    14. New York (State)    15. Pictorial works   

Reviews (7)

A history of the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer
SO OTHERS MAY LIVE: SAVINGS LIVES, DEFYING DEATH WITH THE COAST GUARD'S RESCUE SWIMMERS provides a history of the U.S. Coast Guard helicopter rescue swimmer, pairing this history with twelve stories which chronicle maritime rescues. Swimmers tell these stories of perilous rescue and while SO OTHERS MAY LIVE would also qualify to be featured in our 'True Adventure' section, it's featured here for additional value as a history of Coast Guard efforts overall.
Absolutely incredible reality-driven writing!
Her description of the harrowing rescues on rooftops in New Orleans took my breath away. I've been in SAR situations where a person had to be forced to leave a sinking boat, and on law-enforcement sorties where the bad guys had guns, but, in each of those occasions, you knew exactly what to expect - things were straightforward. The deteriorating conditions in New Orleans after Katrina, gave the crew, especially the swimmers, such extraordinary unknowns. The need to adapt to such changing and challenging situations so quickly - and the sheer number of them! -was obviously devastating to both body and psyche. And, the fact that among Coast Guard personnel there were no deaths, no collisions, no serious injury, is just astounding. I'm not sure that this country really appreciates the length to which our little service went in those days following the hurricane.
Stories of rescue and heroism
This book is the story of the Coast Guard rescue swimmers, and some of the absolutely incredible situations they faced and overcame in their determination to save lives.Chapter after chapter is one cliff-hanger after another, as these swimmers selflessly risked their own lives to save those of others they had never met.
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Subjects:  1. Coast Guard    2. Disasters & Disaster Relief    3. Emergency Medicine    4. History    5. Medical    6. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    7. Search and rescue operations    8. Sociology    9. United States.    10. Sports & Recreation / General   

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Reviews (13)

a straightforward book that puts the reader there.
I feel this book gives a unique perspective from someone who has the skills to relay the story in a readable fashion.As a person who is living in Baton Rouge, I can tell you what he says is more straightforward than most of the stories and articles I've read and heard to date.
Reads like a thriller - if only it was.
There are several books out about Hurricane Katrina and the response, but none of them have the tremendously powerful "you are there" feeling of this book.Jed Horne writes the facts from the ground, detailing people who were there and how they survived.
A local's view point!
As a long-time resident of New Orleans and one who stayed for 5 days after the storm and who has read other books about it, I'm telling you this is the best one. It's interesting, carrying the stories of several people thru the mess, and conveying an accurate picture of what happened, and how it's affecting those of us who live here still. This is a great read if you want to get a realistic view. Parts are hard to read, for exp. the chapter on Charity Hospital. But well worth the time and $. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Disasters    2. Disasters & Disaster Relief    3. Government - General    4. Hurricane Katrina, 2005    5. Hurricanes    6. Louisiana    7. Louisiana - Local History    8. Natural Disasters    9. New Orleans    10. Social Science    11. Sociology    12. Sociology - General    13. Sociology - Urban    14. United States - State & Local - General    15. Social Science / Sociology / General   

Reviews (15)

American citizens abandoned by their gov't
Dyson brilliantly explains to us the reasons why those that were left to fend for themselves could not do it on their own and the reasons they got to that point.He explains how the gov't failed purposely or not to come to the aid of its most vulnerable citizens.
Linda Jo Smith, Book Review Editor, Sisters~Nineties Literary Group
Come Hell or High Water is a well-documented account of the events surrounding the failure, or more accurately the refusal, of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), the Department of Homeland Security (DHS), state and local politicians from the State of Louisiana (Governor Kathleen Blanco, Mayor Ray Nagin) and the President of the United States, to take immediate proactive measures to rescue the predominately black residents living in the Ninth ward of New Orleans.
Former NOLA resident
When many of the premises of a book are faulty, I find it impossible to continue reading.Perhaps this will help prospective readers in their decision about this book.
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Subjects:  1. African Americans    2. Disaster Situation Planning    3. Disasters & Disaster Relief    4. Discrimination & Racism    5. Ethnic Issues    6. Ethnic Studies - African American Studies - General    7. Floods    8. Hurricane Katrina, 2005    9. Louisiana    10. Natural Disasters    11. New Orleans    12. Social Science    13. Social conditions    14. Sociology    15. Social & cultural anthropology    16. USA   

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Reviews (1)

Katrina Survivor Reviews This Superior Book

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Subjects:  1. Disasters    2. Disasters & Disaster Relief    3. History - U.S.    4. Hurricane Katrina, 2005    5. Louisiana    6. Natural Disasters    7. New Orleans    8. Pictorial works    9. Social Science    10. Sociology    11. United States - 21st Century    12. United States - State & Local - South    13. Chronological Period/21st Century    14. Geographic Orientation/Louisiana    15. History / U.S.    16. History / United States / State & Local / South (AL, AR, FL, GA, KY, LA, MS, NC, SC, TN, VA, WV)    17. History/United States - 21st Century    18. Locality/New Orleans, Louisiana    19. Nature/Natural Disasters    20. Nature/Weather   

Editorial Review

The history of civil engineering may sound boring, but in David McCullough's hands it is, well, riveting. His award-winning histories of the Brooklyn Bridge and the Panama Canal were preceded by this account of the disastrous dam failure that drowned Johnstown, Pennsylvania, in 1889. Written while the last survivors of the flood were still alive, McCullough's narrative weaves the stories of the town, the wealthy men who owned the dam, and the forces of nature into a seamless whole. His account is unforgettable: "The wave kept on coming straight toward him, heading for the very heart of the city. Stores, houses, trees, everything was going down in front of it, and the closer it came, the bigger it seemed to grow.... The height of the wall of water was at least thirty-six feet at the center.... The drowning and devastation of the city took just about ten minutes." A powerful, definitive book, and a tribute to the thousands who died in America's worst inland flood. Read more

Reviews (60)

Splendid narrative of a horrific catastrophe
This is a true McCullough masterpiece. Written in his usual flowing prose, he recounts the events leading up to possibly the most catastrophic natural disaster to date in American history.
One of History's Lessons
David McCullough tells the story of one of the most horrendous floods to occur in the US history in his forthright book, THE JOHNSTOWN FLOOD. In his eloquent style of prose that reads like a novel, McCullough tells the unfortunate tale of Johnstown, Pennsylvania, a small mill and fishing town, which was hit on May 30, 1889, Memorial Day.Six to eight inches of rain fell on this small working class town, which was comprised of a microcosm of ethnicities who emigrated from Europe and the United Kingdom as well as a few Negroes.
McMullough is a Master
I admit to a total bias where McCullough's work is concerned.This account made be feel it, hear it, smell it.And it scared the bejesus out of me.More topical now with the gulf coat problems and the reliance on our government officials to do the right thing. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. 19th century    2. Disasters & Disaster Relief    3. Floods    4. General    5. History    6. History - General History    7. History - U.S.    8. History: World    9. Johnstown    10. Johnstown (Cambria County)    11. Johnstown (Pa.)    12. Pennsylvania    13. United States - 19th Century/Gilded Age    14. United States - State & Local - General    15. United States - State & Local - Middle Atlantic    16. American history: c 1800 to c 1900    17. History / General    18. USA    19. c 1800 to c 1900   

Reviews (8)

Eye-Opening
Get your dictionary out for acronyms... very confusing at times.Great storytelling in the first half of the book, but much finger pointing at the end.Van Heerden is very passionate about his work and point of view.Story matches reality I guess in relation to this catastrophic, horrible event.Very eye-opening, as our government continues down the same road, levee's ...FEMA... wars..... cover-up after cover-up.... Etc...

The Sad Truth
As a former emergency management planner, I found this book to be an excellent analysis of what really went wrong in New Orleans.It is a treatise for government officials to learn what not to do and an outline of what we as citizens should demand from our government leaders.It presents very technical information and scientific analysis in a manner that even an elected official can understand.But, beyond presenting the scientific basis of why New Orleans flooded, it presents an outline of solutions that should and must be considered. It is an great testament to the fact that some issues should be above everyday politics and that some important decisions that a government may be asked to make should be based upon science and not political considerations. This is a must read for every citizen and should be a mandatory read for every elected official.
Follow this recipe, Dammit!
Katrina was the "medium one", not the "big one". For those who are not on the gulf coast, it wiped out an area about 5 miles deep by 100 miles wide. The damage was mostly to middle class suburbs, but also include alot of very wealthy beach front neighborhoods, working neighborhoods, and a poorer neighborhood (the Lower 9). I personally owned 2 houses whose slabs were 10 feet above sea level, and were 10 miles from the "normal" coast, that took 9 feet of water from the surge. There are "below sea level" areas, but Katrina's surge wiped out high ground too.
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Subjects:  1. Disaster Relief Services    2. Disaster relief    3. Disasters & Disaster Relief    4. Emergency management    5. Gulf States    6. Hurricane Katrina, 2005    7. Hurricanes    8. Natural Disasters    9. Nature    10. Nature/Ecology    11. Sociology    12. Weather    13. Political Science / Economic Conditions   

Reviews (1)

Great read- but the elites will not listen
Excellent book- well documented. The author's arguments are furthered bolstered by other writers that have exposed the corrupt, hypocritical, self-serving "aid" industry and their cynical collaboration with the kleptocrats and dictators of the world's vampire states. These other authors include:Read more

Subjects:  1. Case studies    2. Disasters & Disaster Relief    3. Humanitarian assistance    4. International Relations - General    5. International cooperation    6. Political Freedom & Security - Human Rights    7. Political aspects    8. Politics / Current Events    9. Refugee camps    10. Refugees    11. Social Science    12. Sociology    13. Aid & relief programmes    14. International institutions   

Subjects:  1. Civil defense    2. Disaster Situation Planning    3. Disasters & Disaster Relief    4. Emergency management    5. General    6. Personal & Practical Guides    7. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    8. Prevention    9. Reference    10. Terrorism    11. United States    12. Reference / General   

Reviews (4)

An Urgent Need for Government Preparedness Spelled Out in Foreboding, Realistic Terms
The coming Armageddon is quite realistically covered by author Irwin Redlener, the Director of the National Center for Disaster Preparedness at Columbia University, in a variety of forms in his foreboding tome. In meticulous, sometimes bitingly dramatic detail, he paints five fatalistic scenarios - an avian flu outbreak in New York City; a major earthquake in Seattle; a nuclear attack; a train wreck that causes the release of toxic chemicals; and a terrorist attack that targets elementary schools in Arizona. Within each scenario, we see a chaotic morass of bureaucracy, and Redlener points out real-life examples of such deficient actions that make the aftermath he describes of such disasters feel palpable.
Redlener showing the right stuff
>This provocative and often disturbing book reveals that Dr. Redlener has certainly acquired an impressive grasp of the potential horrific catastrophic events that
A must read for all concerned citizens
Dr. Redlener talks about the following five megadisasters and what can be done to improve our response to them: an outbreak of avian flu in New York City; and earthquake in Seattle and the Puget Sound; the detonation of a nuclear bomb in a major city;an accidental chlorine release in a tornado-risk zone; and, finally, the targeting of American children by terrorists.After the interesting discussion of each megadisaster, Dr. Redlener points out the many things we can do to improve our response to them.
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Subjects:  1. Disaster Relief & Rescue Operations    2. Disaster Situation Planning    3. Disaster relief    4. Disasters & Disaster Relief    5. Emergency Medicine    6. Emergency management    7. Political Freedom & Security - Terrorism    8. Political Science    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Prevention    12. Terrorism    13. United States    14. Current Events / American   

Reviews (3)

Good Start
I am a former Army intelligence officer and I think that this was a good first cut at the topic.I was enrolled in a Homeland Security class that used this text.We studied the system and response of DHS and then the following week Katrina hit followed by Rita.What should have happened and what actually happened leave much to be fixed.The description of terrorism was so lacking that the instructor allowed me to teach the class.The information on chemical and biological agents looked like it came out of a Hazmat class manual.To be a better book it needs to be updated and revised.FEMA has free online classes which the authors should consider in their update. This book was great as no other book attempted to put together the area of homeland security under the new DHS.

Professor
This is an excellent book talking about the policies, organization, and functions of the Department of Homeland Security. The author's provide an historical overview of the terrorist threat which is concise and highlights the September 11 timeline. The life cycle of emergency managment is presented by introducing several case studies which provide incite into failures of preparedness and response to terrorist incidents worldwide. The importance of communications and technology is discussed to help prevent and deter terrorism in security organizations. It is a book that everyone in security management should read.

The dynamic that is Homeland Security
Introduction to Homeland Security provides a comprehensive view of the dynamics of homeland security in the United States from the view of experienced emergency management facilitators.This is accomplished by providing a historical overview of the terrorist threat which culminates with the September 11th terrorist attacks and thereafter the various legislative, executive orders and organizational actions which lead to the largest re-organization of the federal government in recent history which results in the formation and creation of the United States Department of Homeland Security (DHS).An in-depth discussion and view of the pre-Katrina DHS are provided with applicable questions regarding the functionality and capabilities of this new department.Homeland security hazards are discussed with emphasis also placed on the safety and security of various aspects of the infrastructure of our society.The text also discusses the addition of prevention to the comprehensive emergency management life cycle of mitigation, preparedness, response and recovery.The book concludes with a discussion of the importance of effective communications with special emphasis placed on risk communications; the various types of technology being employed and various technology players and their activities; and, provides a discussion of the future of homeland security.
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Subjects:  1. Civil defense    2. Government - National    3. Government - U.S. Government    4. Government policy    5. National security    6. Political Freedom & Security - International Secur    7. Political Freedom & Security - Law Enforcement    8. Political Science    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics/International Relations    11. Prevention    12. Public Policy - Regional Planning    13. Terrorism    14. United States    15. Political Science / Regional Planning    16. Social impact of disasters