Planning for Emergencies and Disasters

The consequences of disastrous events are escalating across the world, for example, in terms of lives lost, injuries, adverse social conditions, economic costs, and environmental destruction. Furthermore, the rapidity of action required when an emergency arises poses unique challenges to traditional planning and the provision of public services. This course provides students with the capacity to develop planning and public service approaches to understanding, diagnosing and addressing causes, consequences, mitigation and adaptation measures particularly for natural disasters using U.S.-based and global disaster and recovery instances as sites for analyses. The course also includes knowledge of social and individual behaviors that serve as a foundation for understanding how people act in disasters, how behavioral changes may save lives and property, and how risks are or should be communicated at every stage.