Table of Contents

Preface to the Paperback Edition vii Acknowledgments xlix Part One: Introduction and Natural Disasters li Chapter 1 Shrink the Targets 1 Chapter 2 "Natural" Disasters? 14 Part Two: Can Government Help? 41 Chapter 3 The Government Response: The First FEMA 43 Chapter 4 The Disaster after 9/11: The Department of Homeland Security and a New FEMA 68 Part Three: The Disastrous Private Sector 131 Chapter 5 Are Terrorists as Dangerous as Management? The Nuclear Plant Threat 133 Chapter 6 Better Vulnerability through Chemistry 174 Chapter 7 Disastrous Concentration in the National Power Grid 211 Chapter 8 Concentration and Terror on the Internet 248 Part Four: What Is to Be Done? 289 Chapter 9 The Enduring Sources of Failure: Organizational, Executive, and Regulatory 291 Appendix A Three Types of Redundancy 327 Appendix B Networks of Small Firms 331 Bibliography 335 Index 355

About the Author

Charles Perrow is professor emeritus of sociology at Yale University. He has worked as a consultant for the U.S. military, the White House, and the nuclear-power industry.

Reviews

One of Choice's Outstanding Academic Titles for 2007 "[Perrow's] 1984 book Normal Accidents and his many publications analyzing how and why technological systems are vulnerable to disaster have achieved iconic status. In The Next Catastrophe, Perrow extends his analysis to incorporate 'natural' disasters and terrorism more fully."--American Prospect "Perrow amply describes the failure of governmental agencies to anticipate, plan for and effectively respond to a whole series of very serious threats to our well being, if not to our very survival... This is a sobering book. If enough people hear Perrow's message, the future might be ever so slightly less catastrophic."--Social Forces "The threefold demographic vulnerabilities to disasters [described by Perrow] are well stated and merit continuing attention from scientists, engineers, emergency management practitioners, and policy makers."--American Journal of Sociology "This book proposes a bold new way of thinking about disaster preparedness...Focusing on three causes of disaster--natural, organizational, and deliberate--he shows that our best hope lies in the deconcentration of high-risk populations, corporate power, and critical infrastructures. He also provides the first comprehensive history of the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) and the Department of Homeland Security (DHS) and examines why these agencies are so ill equipped to protect U.S. citizens."--Natural Hazards Observer "Hurricane Katrina and the 9/11 attacks have exposed the U.S.'s vulnerabilities to natural and unnatural disasters. What should be done to prevent such catastrophes in the future? Acclaimed sociologist and systems analyst Perrow, addresses this question...The book is written in a highly readable prose that is accessible to general audiences. Indispensable for undergraduate/graduate collections in disaster management studies and risk assessment studies, and extremely useful for environmental studies and environmental sociology."--T. Niazi, Choice "The Next Catastrophe is an important and far-reaching book that, in arguing for the reduction of vulnerabilities in critical infrastructure to natural, industrial, and terrorist disasters, tackles issues of high significance to us all. It must be hoped that the readership of this book includes not only researchers and industrial safety practitioners but also executives along with politicians at all levels and that its message is acted upon."--David M. Clarke, Risk Analysis