ABSTRACT
T he devastatio n brough t abou t by catastrophes , whethe r the y are the produc t of natura l forces , the work of a grou p or indi-vidual , or rando m an d unforesee n events , is no t confine d to the moder n world . Fo r a s long a s humankin d ha s inhabite d the planet , we hav e fallen victim to suc h incidents . Yet eve n in the moder n world ordinar y peopl e an d thos e who represen t the m hav e continue d to view catastrophe s a s rar e or in som e wa y ofte n unavoidable . This wa s neve r wholly true befor e the moder n ag e an d is no t s o today .
