This Article Full Text (PDF) References Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Alert me to new issues of the journal Add to Saved Citations Download to citation manager Request Permissions Request Reprints Add to My Marked Citations Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Citing Articles via Scopus Google Scholar Articles by Alagona, P. S. Search for Related Content Social Bookmarking                         What's this?

What Makes a Disaster "Natural"?

University of California, Los Angeles

Natural disasters differ from unnatural disasters not so much in their causes or in their effects but primarily in our reaction to them. In natural disasters nature plays the role of a catalyst. Yet nature does not provide a convenient enemy to rally against and attack in retribution. This in part explains why, unlike the social and political unity that followed the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, violence and political turmoil ensued in the immediate aftermath of Hurricane Katrina.

Key Words: New Orleans • Hurricane Katrina • natural disasters • ideas of nature

Space and Culture, Vol. 9, No. 1, 77-79 (2006)
DOI: 10.1177/1206331205283727


CiteULike    Complore    Connotea    Del.icio.us    Digg    Reddit    Technorati    Twitter    What's this?