NATURAL DISASTERS

Catalog description

This course will involve the study of the science of natural disasters including such recent events as the 2004 Asian Tsunami, Hurricane Katrina, and the 2003 earthquake in Bam, Iran. The role of population growth, development, and engineering practices, as well as the human decision to take risk which lead to an act of nature becoming a major disaster will be explored. Students will research a disaster scenario for a specific city, evaluate the existing disaster management plan for that location for weaknesses and suggest improvements.