ABSTRACT
Introduction ............................................................................................................ 110 Social Vulnerability ............................................................................................... 111 Natural Hazard Issues for Social Scientists ........................................................... 112
Risk ................................................................................................................... 112 Microeconomic Questions ................................................................................ 112 Mitigation .......................................................................................................... 112 Private Mitigation.............................................................................................. 113 Public Mitigation ............................................................................................... 114
Land Use Restrictions .................................................................................. 114 Building Codes ............................................................................................. 115
Evacuation ......................................................................................................... 116 Tax Incentives ................................................................................................... 117 Direct Subsidies ................................................................................................ 117 Warning Systems .............................................................................................. 118 Macroeconomic Questions ................................................................................ 118 Inflation ............................................................................................................. 119
Gross Domestic Product ............................................................................... 121 Unemployment .................................................................................................. 122 Migration ........................................................................................................... 123
Financial Markets ..................................................................................................124 Insurance ...........................................................................................................124 Banking ............................................................................................................. 125 Real Estate ........................................................................................................ 126
Conclusion .............................................................................................................. 127 Discussion Questions ............................................................................................. 127
Land Restrictions .............................................................................................. 127 Building Codes .................................................................................................. 127 General Public Mitigation ................................................................................. 127
INTRODUCTION
Disasters can grab the attention of the public for days and in some cases weeks. Pictures of the devastation fill the airwaves as the horrifying sight of tornadoes, hurricanes, and other events show the world how powerful nature can be. But a natural disaster has impacts that extend well beyond the onset of the event. Cities can be severely damaged. Homes can be destroyed. Families can be left without a place to live or a job to sustain them. By the time the long term extent of the disaster’s impact can be assessed, the cameras may be gone and residents have to put their lives and their community back together without the larger public aware of what that effort requires. It is in this area that social scientists can make a contribution to the understanding of these awful events.
