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September, 2006
Karlene H. Roberts
For: Center for Catastrophic Research Management
HSD Research References – Study 1
Barry, J. M. ( 1997) Rising Tide: The Great Mississippi Flood of 1927 and how it Changed
American New York: Touchstone ( ISBN 0 684- 84002- 2). The story of the Mississippi
River flood of 1927. “ The river inundated the homes of nearly one million people,
helped elect Huey Long governor and made Herbert Hoover president, drove hundreds of
thousands of blacks north, and transformed American society and politics forever ( Will
Haygood, Boston Globe).”
Brinkley, D. ( 2006) The Great Deluge: Hurricane Katrina, New Orleans, and the
Mississippi Gulf Coast. ( ISBN 13: 978- 0- 06- 112423- 5 ISBN 10: 0- 06- 112423- 0) New
York: Harper Collins. [ Brinkley] “ brings us a riveting story of the natural and man- made
disasters that deluged the body, but not the soul, of one of the world’s most intensely
alive cities. And the descriptions of the devastation along the Mississippi Gulf Coast are
down- right heart stopping ( Kokie Roberts).”
Clarke, L. ( 1999) Mission Improbable: Using Fantasy Documents to Tame Disaster
( ISBN: 0- 226- 10942- 9) Chicago: University of Chicago Press. “ An incursion into new
territory written with insight and flair. Clarke’s book achieves a revolution in
understanding plans as an organizational activity – how they come about, why they go
awry, and the often- disastrous disconnect between plans and an organization’s ability to
carry them out. A book that will fascinate general readers, administrators, organizational
theorists, and disaster buffs, Mission Improbable stands as a valuable companion volume
to Pressman and Wildavsky’s Implementation ( Diane Vaughan).”
Cooper, C., and Block, R. ( 2006) Disaster: Hurricane Katrina and the Failure of
Homeland Security ( ISBN 0- 8050- 8130- 5) New York: Times Books. “ When Hurricane
Katrina roared ashore on the morning of August, 29, 2005, federal and state officials
were not prepared for the devastation it would bring – despite all the drills, exercises, and
warnings… … Cooper and Block take readers inside the Federal emergency Management
Agency and the Department of Homeland Security to reveal the inexcusable
mismanagement during Hurricane Katrina… ( dust jacket).”
Farber, D., and Chen, J. ( 2006) Disasters and the Law: Katrina and Beyond ( ISBN: 073-
5562- 288) Boston: Aspen Press. Recent hurricanes and other natural disasters
demonstrate serious gaps in the legal system and its ability to respond to events of this
magnitude. Innovative policies are needed if society is to deal effectively with the
aftermath of these disasters and the risk of future ones. The book studies disaster
response, prevention, and mitigation strategies ( authors).
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Hallowell, C. ( 2001) Holding Back the Sea: The Struggle on the Gulf Coast to Save
America ( ISBN: ) New York: Harper Perennial. “ Incredibly relevant at this
time…. The chapter specifically about New Orleans was so creepy that I re- read it once I
was done ( Amazon review).”
Horne, J. ( 2006) Breach of Faith: Hurricane Katrina and the Near Death of a Great
American City ( ISBN 1- 4000- 6552- 6) New York: Random House. “ In this compelling
and graceful narrative, Jed Horne re- creates Hurricane Katrina and its epic toll with
unflinching reporting and moving storytelling.… Sometimes depressing, sometimes
inspiring, always fascinating, Breach of Faith is the indispensable chronicle of a great
American disaster, reminding us how vulnerable we are and how vigilant we must be.
( Jon Meacham – author of American Gospel)”
Kelley, R. ( 1989) Battling the Inland Sea: Floods, Public Policy, and the Sacramento
Valley ( ISBN 0- 520- 21428- 5) Berkeley: University of California Press. “ Before the
white man arrived, the Sacramento River of California could widen during the flood
seasons into a vast sea a hundred miles long… Today, more than a million people live on
the flood plain, though as the torrents of 1986 suggest, the victory will never be complete.
Robert Kelley tells a good story…. Californians may have won the battle, but what was it
for and what have they lost? ( Donald Worster, The Journal of Economic History)”
Kelman, A. ( 2003) A River and its City ( ISBN: ) Berkeley, University of California
Press. “ Interesting but uneven. This book is by an academic for academics…. The last
part of the book has a rushed feeling ( Amazon review).”
McQuaid, J., and Schleifstein M. ( 2006) The Devastation of New Orleans and the
Coming Age of Superstorms ( ISBN: ) Boston: Little Brown. Outlines the factors
that contributed to the tragedy. “ The U. S. Army Corps of Engineers was more interested
in commerce than safety ( Amazon review.”
Parent, W. ( 2004) Inside the Carnival: Unmasking Louisiana Politics ( ISBN 10: 0- 8071-
3198- 9 ISBN 9: 78- 0- 8071- 3198- 5) Baton Rouge: Louisiana State University Press.
“ With both an entertainer’s eye and a social scientist’s rigor, Wayne Parent subjects
Louisiana’s politics to rational and empirical analysis, seeking and finding coherent
reasons for the state’s well- known unique history… Parent’s main theme is that
Louisiana’s ethnic mix, natural resources, and geography define a culture that in turn
produces its unique political theater…. In a new epilogue, parent discusses how the
hurricane of 2005 will affect state politics and politicians as Louisiana struggles to regain
its footing in the New South ( dust jacket).”
U. S. House of Representatives. ( 2006) A Failure of Initiative: Final Report of the Select
Bipartisan Committee to Investigate the Preparation for, and Response to, Hurricane
Katrina. Washington, DC: U. S. Government Printing Office. This is a sobering account,
based on detailed Congressional Hearings, of the actions taken – and not taken – by
public agencies in response to the hurricane.
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Van Heerden, I., and Bryan, M. ( 2006) The Storm: What Went Wrong and Why During
Hurricane Katrina – The Inside Story from one Louisiana Scientist ( ISBN: ) New
York: Viking. “ This serious, scientific explanation of exactly what happened in the hours
and years leading up to Hurricane Katrina’s devastation of New Orleans brings a fresh
perspective to a tragedy that has generated remarkably similar news accounts over the
last eight months ( Amazon review).”