Introduction to Natural Disasters

Introduction to Natural Disasters provides a thorough understanding of the various natural disasters that occur around the world. The book emphasizes real-world examples and case studies from different regions and time periods. By examining past disasters and their aftermath, it offers insight into the measures taken to mitigate future risks. This textbook covers a wide range of disasters, including earthquakes, hurricanes, floods, tsunamis, wildfires, and volcanic eruptions. It encompasses the scientific aspects of natural disasters as well as their societal, economic, and environmental impacts. Each chapter delves into the causes, characteristics, and effects of a specific disaster, offering a holistic view.Initial chapters of the book explore the concept and classification of natural hazards and disasters and then describe hydro-meteorologic disasters, wildland fires, climate change, and natural and man-made hazards. The closing chapters focus on risk assessment and modeling, disaster preparedness, emergency response and recovery and reconstruction. This is a useful resource for undergraduate and graduate students and researchers in the fields of geology, meteorology, emergency management, environmental sciences, geography, civil engineering, water resources and natural resources.

Saeid Eslamian received his PhD in Civil and Environmental Engineering from University of New South Wales, Australia in 1998. Saeid was Visiting Professor in Princeton University and ETH Zurich in 2005 and 2008 respectively. He has contributed to more than 1K publications in journals, conferences, books. Eslamian has been appointed as 2-Percent Top Researcher by Stanford University for several years. Currently, he is full professor of Hydrology and Water Resources and Director of Excellence Center in Risk Management and Natural Hazards. Isfahan University of Technology, His scientific interests are Floods, Droughts, Water Reuse, Climate Change Adaptation, Sustainability and Resilience Mr. Mousa Maleki is a Water Science and Engineering PhD student specializing in Resources Engineering having over 25 published book chapters and 16 citations. Mousa possesses 10 years of teaching experience and has received some awards for his contributions to academia. He has also demonstrated the leadership skills through administrative roles, including serving on policy level committees. Mousa's organizational abilities are evident in his successful coordination of national and international conferences. Additionally, he has made notable innovations in mitigating water scarcity, addressing a critical global challenge. Overall, Mousa's biography exemplifies a distinguished career dedicated to advancing Civil and Water Science and Engineering, teaching, research, and creating sustainable solutions for water scarcity. Faezeh Eslamian is a PhD holder of bioresource engineering from McGill University. Her research focuses on the development of a novel lime-based product to mitigate phosphorus loss from agricultural fields. Faezeh completed her bachelor’s and master’s degrees in civil and environmental engineering from Isfahan University of Technology, Iran, where she evaluated natural and low-cost absorb bents for the removal of pollutants such as textile dyes and heavy metals. Furthermore, she has conducted research on the worldwide water quality standards and wastewater reuse guidelines. Faezeh is an experienced multidisciplinary researcher with research interests in soil and water quality, environmental remediation, water reuse, and drought management.