Reviews (1)

Find a better book
(Note:I had to enter a number of stars for this review.Actually, this book deserves NO STARS!)Unfortunately, I had to purchase this book for a class on private sector issues.This is a horrible book.I do not recommend this book to anyone.The author cannot write.The author cannot communicate.If you have to explain in parenthesis what you just said, face it -- you're not communicating.This book is disorganized, redundant and much of the text unnecessary.The terminology used is cumbersome.But what really concerned me were the grammatical errors.I wonder if Wiley employs any copyeditors!You find sentences like:"Many of this ilk are potential problems are in the realm..." (pg. 119); "If a is plan is in place..." (pg. 122); " ...as low as -- or in the same manner as -- as sprinkler systems..." (277); "The forth domain..." (pg. 283 - shouldn't that be fourth?).There are so many other examples, I don't have space to list them all.Suffice it to say, this book is bad.If you need a book on facility management in a crisis, get it from FEMA and the American Red Cross.Theirs is actually useful. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Business & Economics    2. Business / Economics / Finance    3. Business Decision Making    4. Business/Economics    5. Crisis management    6. Decision Making & Problem Solving    7. Emergency management    8. Facility management    9. Human Resources & Personnel Management    10. Leadership    11. Management - General    12. Risk management    13. Business & Economics / Leadership    14. Emergency services    15. Management of real estate, property & plant    16. Social impact of disasters   

Subjects:  1. Developmental - Child    2. Disasters    3. Emotions    4. Mental Health    5. Psychic trauma in children    6. Psychological aspects    7. Psychology    8. Psychotherapy - Child & Adolescent    9. Terrorism    10. Adolescents    11. Aid & relief programmes    12. Children    13. Paediatric medicine    14. Psychotherapy   

Subjects:  1. Appraisal of archival material    2. Appraisal of archival materials    3. Disasters & Disaster Relief    4. Library & Information Science    5. Reference    6. Social Science    7. Sociology    8. Social Science / Disasters & Disaster Relief    9. Social impact of disasters   

Reviews (1)

That day
The hurricane and flood occurred on August 29, 2005 NOT the 31st. Am anxious to read and review this book as I live in New Orleans and was here to experience this country's worst manmade disaster.And we are still living it. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Disaster Relief & Rescue Operations    2. Government - National    3. Government - U.S. Government    4. History    5. History: American    6. Louisiana - Local History    7. Natural Disasters    8. Politics - Current Events    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Public Policy - General    11. United States - 21st Century    12. Political Science / Government / National   

Subjects:  1. True Crime    2. African history: postwar, from c 1945 -    3. English    4. Genocide    5. Rwanda    6. Social impact of disasters    7. c 1990 to c 2000   

Reviews (19)

the book that started my addiction...
All that I can say is that Sean Flynn wrote this book about a horrific true event in such a way that I feel as if I lost my friends in the blaze. I can only imagine how the true friends of these 6 men felt and continue to feel each time they see a family member of one of their perished brothers. I'm not a crying man, but I cried at some points in this story b/c they hit so close to home for one, but for two you get so wrapped up in the lives of these men that you feel the stinging pain of realizing they have died.It's a sad story, that I actually remembered hearing about after i read the book, but it's also very motivating to anybody that has thought of becoming a FF. It's almost as its a test of your heart to be a FF. Like the beginning of initiation (hazing) to become a part of a fraternity. I know two other people that read it, that upon completion(one wasn't even able to finish) withdrew from the FF applicant process in which we all signed up together. Weeds out the weak...well kinda. :o)
Realistic and compassionate.
I really enjoyed this book.My dad was a firefighter and I thought the writer portrayed the firefighters with a tough realisim without taking away their compassion for what they do.The families stories seemed to convey not only the day to day fears that all firefighters families have but, a small sense of what they went through when the unimaginable happened to them.Overall a great read by a writer who seemed to care about the subject.

WORCESTER not WORCHESTER - Keep the H out of it
Note to who ever wrote the Publishers Weekly review. Get a map. The second largest city in New England is Worcester Mass. not WorcHester. Those of us born and raised there pronounce the city to rhyme with mister. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Disaster Relief & Rescue Operations    2. Fire Science    3. Firefighting Tactics And Strategy    4. History    5. History - General History    6. History - U.S.    7. History: American    8. Sociology    9. United States - State & Local - General    10. History / United States / State & Local   

Reviews (2)

Required reading for anyone inthe Mississippi Valley
The dangerous propensities of the midcontinental earthquake zone known by the name of the New Madrid fault system are part and parcel of life in the area where the Ohio River joins the Mississippi river system.In 1811 and 1812, a bone-shattering series of earthquakes took place here, three of which are estimated at over 8.3 on the Richter scale, devastating this region, creating new lakes, making the Mississippi run backwards for a time, raising hills, and changing river courses.If such a series of events took place today, the consequences would be almost unimaginable.
The Need for Earthquake Preparedness
This book does an excellent job of describing the recent history of theNew Madrid fault, and the impact of recorded earthquakes in thatarea.Read more

Subjects:  1. Disaster relief    2. Earth Sciences - Geology    3. Earthquakes    4. Missouri    5. New Madrid Region    6. Science    7. Science/Mathematics    8. Vulcanology & seismology   

Reviews (3)

Be Afraid, be very afraid....
Worst Cases pulls readers in two directions.First, it encourages us to embrace worst cases.Hard thinking about worst cases, we are told, opens new possibilties.Envisioning worst case scenarios may allow us to reduce the probability of their emergence, reduce the time to recovery or both.It is the thesis of this book that, even in th is very nervous world, insufficient thought is being given to the possibility of worst cases.Second, in the other direction, this is a book that convinces you that no how matter bad you thought things could get, they can get a lot worse.Professor Clarke does this in two ways. First, he revisits every notable modern historical disaster, sans Katrina.The familiar are all here:the Titanic, 9/11, the San Francisco earthquake and others.Also present are historical catastrophes that have been eclipsed by more recent events, like the Triangle Shirtwaist factory fire.Second, and this is key, it is not the past but the future that adds to the anxiety.My particular favorite, of which I would otherwise have been blissfully ignorant (thank you Professor Clarke) is the near earth object (asteroids, meteors, and the like).NEOs, Clarke tells us, are tracked by NASA.No easy task since there are hundreds of them! A recent example: XF11, a mile in diamter, it would have released the equivalent of a million megatons of of energy (think nuclear).XF11 drifted safely by ( in the late 90s), but there are more pleny more where it came from; indeed, as Clarke warns, "it may only be a matter of time."
Grave Diggers as Critical Infrastructure
Great book for emergency planners. A professor who teaches disaster management once said, "think big, really big". He is right. This book explores the realm of low-probability, high consequence events and realistic planning for them or the futility of planning. Lee Clark talks about critical infrastructure, how it relates to the social fabric of society and once a disaster strikes, critical infrastructure changes, hence, grave diggers, may be very important in the recovery phase. This book is a must in every emergency planners professional library.

Changed my attitude about disaster planning
I'm responsible for disaster recovery in my organization.We had typically used what Clarke calls _probabilistic_ thinking: focusing our plans on recovering from the most likely disasters.
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Subjects:  1. Disasters    2. Disasters & Disaster Relief    3. Emergency management    4. Psychological aspects    5. Public Policy - General    6. Risk assessment    7. Social Science    8. Sociology    9. Terrorism    10. Popular culture    11. Social Science / Disasters & Disaster Relief    12. Sociology, Social Studies    13. Terrorism, freedom fighters, armed struggle   

Editorial Review

Just when you've stopped worrying and learned to love the bomb, alongcomes Sir Martin Rees, Britain's Astronomer Royal, with teeming armiesof deadly viruses, nanobots, and armed fanatics. Beyond the hazards mostof us know about--smallpox, terrorists, global warming--Rees introducesthe new threats of the 21st century and the unholy political andscientific alliances that have made them possible. Read more

Reviews (19)

Fascinating look at threats to our future....
I'm frankly interested in natural disasters such as tornados, floods, and hurricanes. I find it fascinating how the human spirit can remain strong despite an environment which might at any time become deadly. "Our Final Hour" contains a scientists warnings about spectacular disasters we as human beings might one day have to face, and what if anything can be done to prevent/overcome these unforseen disasters. From flooding, to terrorist threat, this book plays out many scenarios with stunning and interesting outcomes.
Things we all need to think about
A short but very thought-provoking book, this is not a 'doom and gloom' pessimistic view of the future, but an invitation to the reader to seriously think about humanity's long-term survival prospects. A good selection of both natural and human-caused dangers are considered here, though not in a great deal of depth.
A sobering assessment
An important thing to realize when reading this book is that we will indeed have a "final hour."Whether it comes through extinction or self destruction or through our becoming "posthuman" is entirely uncertain, but come it will.
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Subjects:  1. Disasters    2. End of the world    3. Environmental Engineering & Technology    4. Forecasting    5. Forecasts    6. Future Studies    7. Philosophy & Social Aspects    8. Science    9. Science/Mathematics    10. Technology    11. Twenty-first century    12. Environmental impact of natural disasters & phenomena    13. Popular science    14. Social impact of disasters   

Subjects:  1. Disaster Relief & Rescue Operations    2. Disaster relief    3. Emergency management    4. General    5. Handbooks & Manuals    6. Humanitarian assistance    7. Politics / Current Events    8. Reference    9. Aid & relief programmes    10. Social Science / Disasters & Disaster Relief   

Subjects:  1. Development - Economic Development    2. Disaster Relief Services    3. Human Services    4. International Relations - General    5. Politics - Current Events    6. Politics/International Relations    7. Social Policy    8. Social Science    9. Social Science / Third World Development   

Subjects:  1. Disaster Relief & Rescue Operations    2. Disaster relief    3. Health Care Policy    4. Health Policy    5. Humanitarian assistance    6. International Cooperation    7. International relief    8. Medical    9. Medical / Nursing    10. Medical assistance    11. Public Health    12. Public Policy - General    13. Aid & relief programmes    14. Civil service & public sector    15. Health systems & services    16. Management & management techniques    17. Medical / General   

Reviews (6)

An Inspirational Pararescue
The book really gave me an idea of the training and gratification that goes along with military rescue forces.Perhaps if you are not very interested in military, you will not find the same respect as I did for "Pararescue."If you are a military buff, read it!!I've been on the phones with the 106th talking about a flight slot!

Gripping true adventure superbly told
This true story of a single adventure raised my concepts of courage and heroism to new levels. As a former journalist myself, I marveled at the author's attention to detail in exposing the gritty work of a group of men who dedicate themselves to saving lives through airborne rescue missions. The description of their elite training is worth the price of admission alone.But the tale of the rescue that is the focus of this book takes it over the top; it rivals the best adventure fiction you'll ever experience. Sunken Ship - Culture Clash
Great Read!Read more

Subjects:  1. Disaster Relief & Rescue Operations    2. Helicopters in search and rescue operations    3. History    4. History - Military / War    5. History: World    6. Military - Other    7. Military - United States    8. North Atlantic Ocean    9. Sailing - Narratives    10. Search and rescue operations    11. Shipwrecks    12. History / Military / United States   

Subjects:  1. Civil defense    2. Disaster Relief & Rescue Operations    3. Disaster relief    4. Emergency management    5. General    6. Government - U.S. Government    7. Political Freedom & Security - General    8. Political Science    9. Politics / Current Events    10. Politics/International Relations    11. United States    12. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT    13. Police & security services    14. Political Science / General    15. Social impact of disasters    16. USA   

Subjects:  1. Disaster Relief & Rescue Operations    2. Emergency management    3. General    4. Politics / Current Events    5. Social Science    6. Sociology    7. United States    8. Aid & relief programmes    9. Social Science / General   

Reviews (11)

A bit misleading.Still pretty good.
I bought this book in tandem with Michael Hirsh's None Braver.In truth, I preferred the latter, however that opinion lies mostly in differing expectations.I had anticipated a more in-depth account of PJ training and missions.While this book contains a fair amount of that, Brehm and his co-author use it mostly to lace together what is more aptly described as an auto-biography.You are looking at mostly the personal aspect of the job: family life, stress, emotions, tough decisions, etc.Not nearly as gripping or action-packed, if you will.The disappointment notwithstanding, I found it enjoyable and a decent read, with just enough "adventure" to pull me in.If you are more interested in the technical aspects or more detail about combat missions and life during a war (Brehm served mostly in the U.S.), I advise Hirsh's book.However, Brehm's heart-felt stories are still worth a look.It's just another side of the coin - the rest of the story, so to speak.

Wow
I thought this was a fantastic story, I simply couldn't put it down.The tales of adventure are truly compelling, and I particularly enjoyed the way the author contrasted stories of Jack Brehm "Family Man" with Jack Brehm "Action Man".These guys are true heroes, but they're also people - they have families, feelings, and petty squabbles just like everybody else. Decent book, some errors
On the whole, I thought this was an excellent view into the lives and mindset of PJs, as well as their families--and let's face it, family is important.Stress destroys relationships, and there's enough stress in this job for a dozen ordinary people.Read more

Subjects:  1. Air Force    2. Biography    3. Biography & Autobiography    4. Biography / Autobiography    5. Biography/Autobiography    6. Brehm, Jack    7. Disaster Relief & Rescue Operations    8. Military    9. Parachute troops    10. Special forces (Military science)    11. United States    12. Biography & Autobiography / Military   

Reviews (1)

A well earned tribute

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Subjects:  1. Disaster Relief & Rescue Operations    2. Dogs - Breeds - Working & Herding Dogs    3. Essays    4. Pets    5. Photo Essays    6. Photography   

Reviews (5)

fact-filled, but overwritten.
I'm halfway through, and it's getting harder to choke down sentences such as:
Disjointed, not very compelling book.
After reading the above reviews, I choose this 1906 book over several others I had been looking at.This book is rather disjointed, nor does it capture the horror of that day in San Francisco.It does deal with the politics of the time, but this too skips about.I got to the end of the book without realizing the book was coming to a close, it just stopped.Overall, a boring overview of a national disaster.

Among the best and most thorough on the subject
I have nearly a complete degree in geology and one of my favorite topics was earthquakes and volcanoes.Like most individuals who enjoy studying this subject, the earthquake of 1906 is a must since it is one of the most heavily documented, particularly in photographic history, of any such event.I've read a number of books on the San Francisco quake, but this has got to be the best of its kind.
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Subjects:  1. Earthquakes & Volcanoes    2. General    3. History    4. History - General History    5. History - U.S.    6. History: World    7. Natural Disasters    8. United States - General    9. United States - State & Local - General    10. United States - State & Local - West    11. American history: from c 1900 -    12. California    13. History / General    14. Social impact of disasters    15. c 1900 - c 1914   

Subjects:  1. 2001-2010    2. Disaster Relief & Rescue Operations    3. General    4. Genres & Styles - Jazz    5. History & Criticism - General    6. History and criticism    7. Hurricane Katrina, 2005    8. Jazz    9. Jazz musicians    10. Louisiana    11. Music    12. Music/Songbooks    13. New Orleans    14. Popular Culture - General    15. Music / General   

Reviews (3)

good read
This is a great book!I recomend it to anyone who likes learning new things and to people who enjoy nonfiction.

A Town is Sacrificed to Politics
As a native of industrialized Pennsylvania I'm perplexed by how little is known of the tragedy of Centralia. I was unfamiliar myself until some years ago when I innocently passed through the area on route 61. I found a ghost town with an orderly street grid, with city blocks completely devoid of all but one or two lonely buildings, and vast abandoned fields covering what could have been orderly neighborhoods. I thought, what in the world is this? I also witnessed what I thought was a natural hot spring emitting steam from a hillside. Only over time did I learn that the hot spring was really smoke from the underground mine fire that wiped out what was once a normal small town. GRIPPING TALE OF REAL WOE
This is a fascinating book, and a very easy read for one that delves into the mires of local and state government officials dropping the ball. DeKok's attention to detail paints a picture comparable to a Stephen Soderburg film. And despite the clarity he brings to a tragic situation, he never strays far from the real story: Real everyday folks caught in a quagmire of safety issues, home ownership, health and politics. ... Read more

Subjects:  1. Current Affairs    2. Disaster Relief & Rescue Operations    3. General    4. History - U.S.    5. Political History    6. Politics/International Relations    7. United States - State & Local - General    8. History of specific subjects    9. POLITICS & GOVERNMENT