Preface

The United Nations has designated the 1990s as the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction, and many member states have established national committees to consider how best to reduce hazards and disasters. While many countries experience hazards and disasters which are no doubt more severe than in Britain, the general lack of interest here perhaps typifies our response to hazard and emergency management. The recent spate of accidents and disasters affecting Britain has clearly demonstrated that we are far from immune from hazards ourselves.

The world appears to be becoming a more hazardous place in which to live and work, and Britain is no exception. The media and the public are becoming increasingly concerned about the dangers we face. There is an entirely understandable and justifiable expectation amongst those living and working in Britain, as well as those travelling to and from these shores, that all feasible steps should be taken by government to ensure that conditions are such that life, property and the ‘natural’ environment are adequately protected from hazards, accidents and disasters.

This volume has four inter-related aims. The first aim is to assess critically the extent to which the British approach to hazard management and emergency planning matches the perceived level of threat posed by hazards, accidents and disasters as recently experienced and as pessimistically anticipated. A second and related aim is to identify the principal legal, organisational and cultural impediments to more effective hazard management and emergency planning. The third aim is to postulate explanations for the current British approach and thereby to identify further shortcomings. The final aim is to examine a number of promising avenues for improved hazard management and emergency planning. International perspectives and crosscountry comparisons are introduced by a number of authors. The overall hazard and emergency management approach currently adopted in Britain appears to be inadequate and current standards of protection appear to be insufficient for the 1990s and beyond.

This volume is the result of a small international workshop held at the Flood Hazard Research Centre, Middlesex Polytechnic, London. The workshop took place in September 1989 and was the third in a series which has already generated two edited volumes, the last of which was published in 1990 and was edited by John Handmer and Edmund Penning-Rowsell and was entitled ‘Hazard and the Communication of Risk’ (Gower Technical Press). The production of this latest volume depended upon the contributions of many people. Celine Ottmann, Josie Difrancesco and Kathy Ingrey in the Flood Hazard Research Centre assisted with the administration of the workshop and the production of the volume, while Linda Brockhurst word processed the text. Steve Chilton and Ian Slavin ensured that the diagrams were drawn to a high standard.

The editors are particularly indebted to John A. Mck Hollo way for his participation, encouragement and assistance in helping us to understand better the workings of emergency planning in Britain, and to many within the emergency planning profession who have assisted us. However, the responsibility for any errors and omissions remains entirely with us.

We hope that this volume will further inform people about hazard and disaster management, particularly about emergency planning and management in Britain, and will form a significant contribution to the debate about the future of hazard management and emergency planning.

Dennis J. Parker
Head of School of Geography and Planning
Flood Hazard Research Centre
Middlesex Polytechnic
London

John W. Handmer
Centre for Resource and Environmental Studies
The Australian National University
Canberra