Storms.

Includes bibliographical references and index

Storms are fundamental to life on earth, but their impacts on society and the environment are not always welcome. They bring rain to sustain life, but extreme precipitation and wind can have a huge detrimental effect on lives by destroying homes, livelihoods, food supplies, communications and, in the worst cases, by taking lives. As a result of these impacts, societies around the world have sought to reduce their vulnerability to storms, through different levels of planning and legislation. However, sometimes these societal responses to storm impacts can serve to exacerbate vulnerability. This broad spectrum of events, vulnerability and responses provides a rich body ot theory and experience from which future decision-makers might learn. This book explores the important themes in this spectrum through a collection of papers from leading worldwide academics in the field, arranged into sections devoted to storm science and social vulnerability, tropical cyclones, extratropical cyclones, mesoscale convective systems, and other storms. Detailed accounts of storms and their implications include incidents in the USA, Canada, Cuba, China, Australia, India, Russia, Vietnam, Brazil and Mexico. This is a definitive collection of both newly written and previously published material which provides a broad-reaching and thought-provoking account of storms and their environmental and societal impact