Strategies for Coordinating Disaster Responses

Strategies for Coordinating Disaster Responses. By Thomas E. Drabek; published by the Natural Hazards Research and Applications Information Center at the University of Denver, 303/492-6819 (phone), Janet.Kroeckel@Colorado.edu (e-mail); 255 pages; $20.

Security professionals involved in disaster planning or response should recognize the name Thomas Drabek. For decades, he has been among the preeminent scholars in disaster management. With Drabek's upcoming retirement from the University of Denver, this may be the professor's last major publication, and it updates his thinking on how emergency managers operate.

Drabek distills procedures and practices for creating effective disaster management in a multijurisdictional or multiagency environment. The wisdom is compiled from more than 150 interviews with emergency managers, agency executives, and emergency management team members.

This book is a fitting capstone to a distinguished career, combining theory and methods with practical strategies. It will appeal to an audience beyond government officials: Security professionals will find much of benefit here.

Reviewer: Mayer Nudell, CSC, is a North Hollywood, California-based independent consultant on crisis management, contingency planning, terrorism, travel security, and related matters. He is a member of ASIS International.