Disaster preparedness and social capital

Abstract

The first decade of the 21st century has pushed the field of disaster preparedness to the forefront of public health. In a few short years, the world has witnessed the far-ranging ramifications of 9/11 and anthrax (2001), SARS (2003), the Indian Ocean tsunami (2004), Hurricane Katrina (2005) and the looming threat of pandemic influenza. Societies everywhere are responding to these developments with new policies that commit added resources for protection against future disasters. © 2008 Springer New York.