Disaster hits home : new policy for urban housing recovery.

Includes bibliographical references (p. 267-291) and index

Provides detailed case studies of housing losses and rebuilding efforts in six recent urban disasters: Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina; Hurricane Andrew in Florida; the Loma Prieta and Northridge earthquakes in California; and the recent major earthquakes in Mexico City and Kobe, Japan. Through these six case studies, it is demonstrated that a number of fundamental factors have changed in contemporary urban disasters. Considering the enormous economic risks posed by contemporary disasters in urban areas, the author develops a catastrophe index for assessing when a natural disaster causes a housing crisis. Further, she proposes a thorough revision of the government's role in disaster recovery, suggesting that policies should aim to create a better-functioning insurance system and provide incentives for mitigation of existing building hazards