Disasterology

Dispatches from the Frontlines of the Climate Crisis

By: Samantha Montano

Narrated by: Eileen Stevens

Part memoir, part expert analysis, Disasterology is a passionate and personal account of a country in crisis - one unprepared to deal with the disasters of today and those looming in our future.

With temperatures rising and the risk of disasters growing, our world is increasingly vulnerable. Most people see disasters as freak, natural events that are unpredictable and unpreventable. But that simply isn’t the case - disasters are avoidable, but when they do strike, there are strategic ways to manage the fallout.

In Disasterology, Dr. Montano, a disaster researcher, brings readers with her on an eye-opening journey through some of our worst disasters, helping readers make sense of what really happened from a emergency management perspective. She explains why we aren’t doing enough to prevent or prepare for disasters, the critical role of media, and how our approach to recovery was not designed to serve marginalized communities. Now that climate change is contributing to the disruption of ecosystems and worsening disasters, Dr. Montano offers a preview of what will happen to our communities if we don’t take aggressive, immediate action. In a section devoted to the COVID-19 pandemic, what is thus far our generation’s most deadly disaster, she casts light on the many decisions made behind closed doors that failed to protect the public.

A deeply moving and timely narrative that draws on Dr. Montano's first-hand experience in emergency management, Disasterology is essential listening for anyone who wants to understand how our country handles disasters, and how we can better face them together.

©2021 Samantha Montano (P)2021 HarperCollins Publishers

An important book

In the age of climate change and regular disasters its well worth knowing how to deal with disasters.

Professor Montano has written an authoritative, thought provoking and fascinating introduction to “disasterology.” Important and readable!

Great Book

This is a great book. It explains what happens after disasters occur, and how to be better prepared for them. Worth reading.

Emergency management & disaster justice

Dr. Montano's Disasterology presents a comprehensive overview emergency management, disaster justice, and the role of equity in emergency preparedness, mitigation, response, recovery. I appreciate her insight on environmental justice, and how disasters (and capitalistic recovery processes) disproportionately affect the most vulnerable community members. Before Dr. Montano's book, I hadn't considered how an individualistic approach to preparedness isn't the answer to achieving disaster justice. I greatly look forward to applying what I've learned here in my role with public health emergency planning.

We’re in trouble

Very well researched. I highly recommend The author is very knowledgeable and the content is engrossing

A scary but hopeful look at emergencies

this was a lovely read. Montano presents a detailed analysis of our current emergency management system, it's failures, its resources and tactics. along with a mix or stories and policies highlighting the threats that we face. it is scary, yet hopeful.

my only issue is her over belief in electoral politics despite showing jn her book their failures

reality check

I search for stuff like this because we need new language to explain, describe, & deal with overlapping disasters that is our NOW.

Proactive measures to mitigate the needless suffering that previous decisions & mindsets have caught us all up in.

We're in the early stage of climate extremes & we're falling apart already. We can't volunteer our way out of this.

Our communities are not built to withstand these overlapping extreme events and this is what the State & Fed gov is supposed to cover.

FEMA has been hamstrung & is suffering from institutional inertia. Homeland Security continues to make us less safe.

Disaster Capitalism is escalating disparity with gov stamp of approval.

I grew up in the 70's in the Bay Area - lots of eco stuff in grade school curriculum & access to open space beyond my tract housing.

Grew up seeing Love Canal on our console tv...Quakes, drought, & the effects of Reaganomics burn thru the middle class.

That life - stable decent home, robust education, a vehicle or two & savings is but dream of a standard of life (on a single salary!) most won't get to if they slip below 650 credit score.

Now I live rural (priced out & worn out) in a small town. Since 2015, we've been hit with bigger & more extreme wildfires & now pandemic that is far from over.

As a disabled native Californian, I live these frustrations & barriers daily that make things harder than they need to be.

It's adapt or die (badly) time.
No one is coming to save us- we need to save ourselves.

Stick to the title

When I read the reviews I thought she can’t possibly be as bad as some of these reviews say… besides, I’m studying emergency management and I wanted a PhD’s input . Unfortunately, she was so negative towards a particular party it was obvious just the way she would say their name! Disasters are nonpartisan so should subject- yes- it only seems to be important to either party only when it happens on their watch- leave it at that. Funding… she seems to think FEMA’s $ is a bottomless pit - BTW- FEMA was started by President Jimmy Carter (D). Situation awareness should be addressed to citizens as well because funding will dwindle away as disasters increase and intensify.

This should have been a better book

This should have been an excellent book but she filled her narrative with political opinions none of which were favorable to anybody except liberal Democrats. Had she stayed with the topic of disaster preparedness and management and even spent more time on documented and anecdotal disaster experience this would have been a good read.

Unfortunately from the beginning when she talked about racial injustice with Hurricane Katrina, then added her views on the injustice to native Americans in North Dakota over a pipeline passing through reservation property. She proudly proclaimed there is not a protest that she has not participated in ranging from Black Lives Matter to abortion rights.

In Dr. Montano's opinion there is nothing else the State, Federal government should be doing other than lavishly funding for emergency preparedness and ensuring only PhD's who studied disaster management are qualified to lead the effort. She seemed blindly unaware that governments have competing interests including education, public safety, maintenance of the physical infrastructure and for the national government Defense. I do agree with her observation that Homeland Security, as currently operating, is not even close to living up to its promise of an efficient, coordinated and integrated government department. Something that not only disaster management, (e.g. FEMA), but also the Coast Guard have come to understand very well.

first half great last half Trump bashing

for soneone who has been in charge of few responses, the author implies her opinions as fact. also, the Trump and Bush bashing on responses is not totally justified and almost makes the second half unbearable. dontcwaste your mobey on this. btw i am an emergency management professional for 25 years.