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All rights reserved. Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11671.html THE NATIONAL ACADEMIES PRESS 500 Fifth Street, N.W. Washington, DC 20001 NOTICE: The project that is the subject of this report was approved by the Govern- ing Board of the National Research Council, whose members are drawn from the councils of the National Academy of Sciences, the National Academy of Engineering, and the Institute of Medicine. The members of the committee responsible for the report were chosen for their special competences and with regard for appropriate balance. This study was supported by Contract No. CMS-0342225 between the National Research Council and the National Science Foundation. Any opinions, findings, conclusions, or recommendations expressed in this publication are those of the author(s) and do not necessarily reflect the views of the organizations or agencies that provided support for the project. International Standard Book Number 0-309-10178-6 (Book) International Standard Book Number 0-309-65985-X (PDF) Library of Congress Catalog Card Number 2006931516 Copies of this report are available upon request from Byron Mason, the National Academies, Division on Earth and Life Studies, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Keck 610, Washington, DC 20001; (202) 334-3511. Additional copies of this report are available from the National Academies Press, 500 Fifth Street, N.W., Lockbox 285, Washington, DC 20055; (800) 624-6242 or (202) 334-3313 (in the Washington metropolitan area); Internet, http://www.nap.edu. Copyright 2006 by the National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11671.html The National Academy of Sciences is a private, nonprofit, self-perpetuating society of distinguished scholars engaged in scientific and engineering research, dedicated to the furtherance of science and technology and to their use for the general welfare. Upon the authority of the charter granted to it by the Congress in 1863, the Acad- emy has a mandate that requires it to advise the federal government on scientific and technical matters. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone is president of the National Academy of Sciences. The National Academy of Engineering was established in 1964, under the charter of the National Academy of Sciences, as a parallel organization of outstanding engi- neers. It is autonomous in its administration and in the selection of its members, sharing with the National Academy of Sciences the responsibility for advising the federal government. 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The National Research Council was organized by the National Academy of Sciences in 1916 to associate the broad community of science and technology with the Academy’s purposes of furthering knowledge and advising the federal government. Functioning in accordance with general policies determined by the Academy, the Council has become the principal operating agency of both the National Academy of Sciences and the National Academy of Engineering in providing services to the government, the public, and the scientific and engineering communities. The Council is administered jointly by both Academies and the Institute of Medicine. Dr. Ralph J. Cicerone and Dr. Wm. A. Wulf are chair and vice chair, respectively, of the National Research Council. www.national-academies.org Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11671.html Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11671.html COMMITTEE ON DISASTER RESEARCH IN THE SOCIAL SCIENCES: FUTURE CHALLENGES AND OPPORTUNITIES Gary A. Kreps, Chair, College of William and Mary Philip R. Berke, University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill Thomas A. Birkland, University at Albany, State University of New York (until December 31, 2005) Stephanie E. Chang, University of British Columbia Susan L. Cutter, University of South Carolina Michael K. Lindell, Texas A&M University Robert A. Olson, Robert Olson Associates, Inc. Juan M. Ortiz, Tarrant County, Texas Office of Emergency Management Kimberly I. Shoaf, University of California, Los Angeles John H. Sorensen, Oak Ridge National Laboratory Kathleen J. Tierney, University of Colorado at Boulder William A. Wallace, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute Anthony M. Yezer, George Washington University National Research Council Staff William A. Anderson, Study Director, Division on Earth and Life Studies Byron Mason, Program Associate, Division on Earth and Life Studies Patricia Jones Kershaw, Senior Program Associate, Division on Earth and Life Studies (until December 2004) v Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11671.html Copyright © National Academy of Sciences. All rights reserved. Facing Hazards and Disasters: Understanding Human Dimensions http://www.nap.edu/catalog/11671.html Preface he United States and many other countries throughout the world are vulnerable to a wide variety of natural, technological, and willful Thazards and disasters. In this nation, while local decision makers and other stakeholders have the final responsibility for coping with disaster threats, federal agencies have developed science-based activities, including research and applications programs that are intended to further the under- standing of such threats and provide a basis for more effective risk reduction efforts in vulnerable communities throughout the country. The National Science Foundation (NSF), sponsor of this study, has been in the forefront in providing support for social science hazards and disaster research, including research carried out through the National Earthquake Hazards Reduction Program (NEHRP), which was established in 1977. Since the creation of the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) in response to the September 11, 2001 terrorist attacks, that agency also has emerged as a potential major sponsor of social science hazards and disaster research. Given the changing hazards and disasters landscape in recent years, brought on by such factors as new demographic trends and settlement patterns and the emergence of new kinds of disaster threats discussed in this report, NSF requested that the National Research Council (NRC) conduct an analysis of hazards and disaster research in the social sciences, a research community that is vital to understanding societal responses to natural, technological, and willful threats. In particular, NSF asked the NRC to provide the agency and