Disaster Hits Home: New Policy for Urban Housing Recovery

Disaster Hits Home: New Policy for Urban Housing Recovery

Whenever a major earthquake strikes or a hurricane unleashes its fury, the devastating results fill our television screens and newspapers. Mary C. Comerio is interested in what happens in the weeks and months after such disasters, particularly in the recovery of damaged housing. Through case studies of six recent urban disasters―Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina, Hurricane Andrew in Florida, the Loma Prieta and Northridge earthquakes in California, as well as earthquakes in Mexico City and Kobe, Japan―Comerio demonstrates that several fundamental factors have changed in contemporary urban disasters. The foremost change is in scale, and as more Americans move to the two coasts, future losses will continue to be formidable because of increased development in these high-hazard areas. Moreover, the visibility of disasters in the news media will assure that response efforts remain highly politicized. And finally, the federal government is now expected to be on the scene with personnel, programs, and financial assistance even as private insurance companies are withdrawing disaster coverage from homeowners in earthquake- and hurricane-prone regions. Demonstrating ways that existing recovery systems are inadequate, Comerio proposes a rethinking of what recovery means, a comprehensive revision of the government's role, and more equitable programs for construction financing. She offers new criteria for a housing recovery policy as well as real financial incentives for preparedness, for limiting damage before disasters occur, and for providing a climate where private insurance can work. Her careful analysis makes this book important reading for policymakers, property owners, and anyone involved in disaster mitigation. "With so many people crowding into the nation's most hazardous earthquake, hurricane, and wildfire zones, future disasters are going to take a fearful economic as well as human toll. Mary Comerio's illuminating and sobering book shows what's in store—and how unprepared we are."—Marc Reisner, author of Cadillac Desert "Comerio provides an exceptional analysis of disaster recovery that highlights the impacts of urban disasters on housing and addresses the policy challenges they pose. The lucid writing style makes this a highly accessible work."—Peter J. May, coauthor of Environmental Management and Governance "As an exposé of the acute problems involved in reconstruction after large disasters, this book provides a rationale for effective housing and economic measures. It is not only a commentary on present response deficiencies, but also provides a basic framework for significant improvement."—Bruce Bolt, author of Earthquakes "With so many people crowding into the nation's most hazardous earthquake, hurricane, and wildfire zones, future disasters are going to take a fearful economic as well as human toll. Mary Comerio's illuminating and sobering book shows what's in store―and how unprepared we are."―Marc Reisner, author of Cadillac Desert "Comerio provides an exceptional analysis of disaster recovery that highlights the impacts of urban disasters on housing and addresses the policy challenges they pose. The lucid writing style makes this a highly accessible work."―Peter J. May, coauthor of Environmental Management and Governance "As an exposé of the acute problems involved in reconstruction after large disasters, this book provides a rationale for effective housing and economic measures. It is not only a commentary on present response deficiencies, but also provides a basic framework for significant improvement."―Bruce Bolt, author of Earthquakes Mary C. Comerio is Professor and Vice-Chair in the Department of Architecture at the University of California, Berkeley. She is an internationally recognized expert on postdisaster reconstruction issues. Disaster Hits Home: New Policy for Urban Housing Recovery By Mary C. Comerio University of California Press Copyright 1998 Mary C. Comerio All right reserved. ISBN: 0520207807 Chapter One Thinking about Disasters and Housing Large Asteroid May Hit Earth in Million Years or So . . . One consolation, an expert says, is that "we have some time to prepare." New York Times, 25 April 1996 Since 1989 there has been trouble in paradise: hurricanes in Florida and Hawaii and earthquakes, wildfires, drought, and flooding in California have devastated American households and transformed the formerly placid sunshine states into symbols of nature's destructive forces. What people think about disasters depends on whether they have been in one. Most people think hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and earthquakes are unfortunate events that happen to somebody else, somewhere else. What they see on CNN is what they knowmother nature is wreaking havoc, people have been killed, buildings have been d