Abstract:

This paper addresses three questions about possible differences between disasters and their implications for planning.  First, for planning purposes, are disasters best approached generically or in agent-specific terms? (The answer, based mostly on research, is that the generic approach is more valid.  This does not mean there are no meaningful differences between disasters.) Second, along what lines might disasters be usefully differentiated? (Eight dimensions significant for emergency responses are discussed.) Third, what distinctions are made, and do they apply equally in all phases of the disaster planning cycle: mitigation or prevention, emergency preparedness, emergency response, and recovery? (It appears that the generic approach is most applicable in the emergency phases and somewhat less so in the mitigation phase.  Recovery falls somewhere in between.) Answering these questions is a useful way to discuss the institutional and organizational behavior appropriate for disaster planning in different situations.

Paper Requests:

The full-text of this article is available for $5.00 All publication orders must be PREPAID in U.S. DOLLARS ONLY. A proforma invoice is available upon request. Orders submitted without prepayment will be returned, unfilled, to the sender. 

                                       DOMESTIC: Add 10% to all orders for postage and
                                       handling. All items are sent Third-class mail. If you require
                                       First Class service, add an additional $1.00 per publication
                                       ordered. 

                                       FOREIGN: A 20% surcharge must be added to the total
                                       cost of the order. All items are sent Third-class mail. If air
                                       mail service is desired, add $2.00 per publication ordered
 

Please make checks payable to University of Delaware. Send inquiries, orders and payments to: 

                          Disaster Research Center--Publications 
                          University of Delaware
                          Newark, DE 19716
                           (302)831-6618:Phone 
                           (302)831-2091:Fax
                          castelli@udel.edu:Email