ABSTRACT
Disasters are often preceded by hazardous conditions or hazards, and many people prepare for disasters by addressing hazards. This can be accomplished through remediation or through safety and risk assessments to reduce the potential of disasters and possibly ameliorate their affects. There are many examples of this hazard reduction work worldwide, including efforts on weather, food and water security, and tsunamis events that seek to develop understanding of the issues and hazards before they become disasters (American Society of Mechanical Engineers [ASME] 2008; Thenkabail et al. 2009).
