"June 1 is the traditional start of the hurricane season. For 2006, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) predicts an 80 percent chance of an above-normal hurricane season—an outlook that calls for 4-5 major hurricanes. The word from NOAA is 'prepare.' And preparation is the byword in the Fifth Circuit, especially in the districts hit hardest by Katrina in 2005—the Eastern, Middle, and Western Districts of Louisiana, the Southern District of Mississippi—and in the Eleventh Circuit's Southern District of Alabama and the Northern, Middle and Southern Districts of Florida."
This special issue features articles on the economic loss impact of Hurricane Katrina. Contents include: Bradley T. Ewing, Jamie Brown Kruse & Daniel Sutter, An Overview of Hurricane Katrina and Economic Loss; William A. Carden, Sound and Fury: Rhetoric and Rebound after Katrina; Kivanc Kirgiz, Michelle Burtis & David A. Lunin, Petroleum-Refining Industry Business Interruption Losses due to Hurricane Katrina; Mark J. Kaiser, David E. Dismukes & Yunke Yu, The Value of Lost Production from the 2004-2005 Hurricane Seasons in the Gulf of Mexico; Mark A. Thompson, Hurricane Katrina and Economic Loss: An Alternative Measure of Economic Activity; Benjamin Kleidt, Dirk Schiereck & Christof Sigl-Grueb, Rationality at the Eve of Destruction: Insurance Stocks and Huge Catastrophic Events; Ron S. Jarmin & Javier Miranda, The Impact of Hurricanes Katrina, Rita and Wilma on Business Establishments; Mark A. Yanochik & Risa Kumazawa, Interest Rate Manipulation, Environmental Damage, and Loss Valuation; Douglas M. Walker & John D. Jackson, Katrina and the Gulf States Casino Industry; and Apoorv Dabral & Bradley T. Ewing, Analysis of Wind-Induced Economic Losses Resulting from Roof Damage to a Metal Building.
The Time Line Series website features recent and historic disaster events and their outcomes. The four timelines include: Terrorism Time Line: Major Focusing Events and U.S. Outcomes (2001-2006); Disaster Time Line: Major Focusing Events and U.S. Outcomes (1979-2006); Century Time Line, 1900-2005; and Disaster Time Line for B.C. and Canada: Major Focusing Events and Outcomes (1917-2007).
"After viewing the destruction wrought by the eruption of Mt. St. Helens in Washington State in May 1980, President Carter became concerned about the impacts of a similar event of low probability but high damage potential, namely a catastrophic earthquake in California, and the state of readiness to cope with the impacts of such an event.
"As a result of the President's concern, an ad hoc committee of the National Security Council was formed to conduct a government review of the consequences of, and preparation for such an event. In addition to the FEMA, the Committee included representatives from the Office of Science and Technology Policy, the United States Geological Survey of the Dept. of the Interior, the Dept. of Defense, the Dept. of Transportation, and the National Communications System, at the Federal level; State of California agencies and California local governments at the State and local levels; and consultants from the private sector." —Executive Summary.
"Ample evidence is at hand that a national disaster response protocol is urgently needed if we are to ensure that irreplaceable cultural collections are not needlessly lost. This protocol must be able to be activated quickly to deliver appropriate assistance to affected institutions and, accordingly, be unencumbered by day-to-day bureaucracies that historically have delayed response time and increased collection damage. This essay describes two recent large institutional catastrophes as well as the damage wrought by Hurricane Katrina, an unprecedented U.S. regional disaster, in an effort to underscore the importance of creating a nonprofit entity—the National Disaster Center for Cultural Property (NDC)—capable of implementing an effective response in situations where local resources and expertise are overwhelmed and cultural property is at risk."
