Normally the earth slowly releases energy stored from its formation and from on-going radioactive decay, but sometimes the releases are very rapid. Such releases create disasters catastrophic to humans--landslides, volcanic eruptions, earthquakes, tsunamis, tornadoes, hurricanes, droughts and floods. In this talk, she will describe some recent events and their causes and a possible way forward for coexisting with these natural processes.
 

Reviews of Dynamics of Disaster

” This [impressive] book ought to be placed in the hands of politicians, engineers, insurance assessors and, frankly, anyone who sees sense in understanding the processes and systems that guide our planet." -- Jonathan Wright, Geographical, December, 2013

"A study on natural disasters [that] puts fizz into the physics."-- Roger Bilham, Nature, October 23, 2013

Susan Kieffer was the CAS Resident Associate 2006-007 in charge of the CAS Initiative on Mega-Disasters: Science, Policy and Human Behavior