Focusing on New Jersey, New York and other hard-hit areas, the contributors explore whether Hurricane Sandy has indeed transformed our perceptions of coastal hazards, if we have made radically new plans in response to Sandy and what we think should be done over the long run. Simultaneous. (Natural History)
Taking Chances: The Coast After Hurricane Sandy explores hazard and disaster studies through the case study of Hurricane Sandy, which hit in October of 2012 and affected areas in the United States, the Caribbean, and Canada and killed almost 300 people. The book focuses on the actions and reactions that occurred immediately after the storm, most notably how our Hurricane Sandy experience has affected future disaster planning. It encourages a transformation leading to new developments in science and technology and changes in institutional processes and social behavior in order to lessen human exposure to disasters and hazards like Hurricane Sandy. Annotation ©2016 Ringgold, Inc., Portland, OR (protoview.com)
Humanity is deeply committed to living along the worlds shores, but a catastrophic storm like Sandywhich took hundreds of lives and caused many billions of dollars in damagesshines a bright light at how costly and vulnerable life on a shoreline can be. Taking Chances offers a wide-ranging exploration of the diverse challenges of Sandy and asks if this massive event will really change how coastal living and development is managed.
Bringing together leading researchersincluding biologists, urban planners, utilities experts, and climatologists, among othersTaking Chances illuminates reactions to the dangers revealed by Sandy. Focusing on New Jersey, New York, and other hard-hit areas, the contributors explore whether Hurricane Sandy has indeed transformed our perceptions of coastal hazards, if we have made radically new plans in response to Sandy, and what we think should be done over the long run to improve coastal resilience. Surprisingly, one essay notes that while a large majority of New Jerseyans identified Sandy with climate change and favored carefully assessing the likelihood of damage from future storms before rebuilding the Shore, their political leaders quickly poured millions into reconstruction. Indeed, much here is disquieting. One contributor points out that investors scared off from further investments on the shore are quickly replaced by new investors, sustaining or increasing the overall human exposure to risk. Likewise, a study of the Gowanus Canal area of Brooklyn shows that, even after Sandy swamped the area with toxic flood waters, plans to convert abandoned industrial lots around the canal into high-density condominiums went on undeterred. By contrast, utilities, emergency officials, and others who routinely make long-term plans have changed operations in response to the storm, and provide examples of adaptation in the face of climate change.
Will Sandy be a tipping point in coastal policy debatesor simply dismissed as a once-in-a-century anomaly? This thought-provoking collection of essays inTaking Chances makes an important contribution to this debate.
Bringing together leading researchersincluding biologists, urban planners, utilities experts, and climatologists, among othersTaking Chances illuminates the reactions to the dangers revealed by Hurricane Sandy. Focusing on New Jersey, New York, and other hard-hit areas, the contributors explore whether Sandy has indeed transformed our perceptions of coastal hazards, if we have made radically new plans in response to Sandy, and what we think should be done over the long run.
