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The characters seem to come straight out of central casting: the international drug lord, Norwin Meneses; the Contra cocaine broker with a marketing MBA, Danilo Blandon; and the illiterate teenager who grows up to become the king of crack, Freeway Ricky Ross. Yet these people are real and their stories are true. In Dark Alliance, Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist Gary Webb recounts how tons of cocaine were sold to the poor of Los Angeles, and the proceeds then channelled to the CIA-backed Nicaraguan Contras. Meanwhile the Reagan government waged a strident, hypocritical war against drugs . Thi

AbstractThe strategies employed by emergency managers are intended to enhance rather than diminish the ability to meet society's needs and specifically those of vulnerable populations. This study looks at the strategies that emergency management professionals employ to reach and meet the needs of vulnerable populations. Twenty-four interviews were conducted in 2016 with county and city level emergency management professionals from across the Houston – Galveston and Southeast Texas regions. The interview data reveals a common element of control. However, while some do talk about the need to leave disaster management activities to the professionals, the need to bring in volunteers and foster flexibility in a controlled environment are indeed important. The need to build buy-in and understand protocols reveals the need for future research to better understand the extent that emergency management combines discipline with agility to address the challenges of the unexpected and decrease the impact of vulnerability.

Abstract  We use in‐depth interviews, participant observation, and document analysis to examine perceptions of environmental health and justice among Native Americans in a rural Oklahoma community. Residents live near the Continental Carbon Company, which manufactures a rubber compound know as "carbon black." Ponca tribal members believe their respiratory problems and other health concerns are directly related to the black dust emanating from the facility, but they have been unable to validate their health claims through institutional channels. We examine how Native American respondents interpret the environmental pollution as a threat not only to their health and well‐being but also to their sense of community. We address the perceived pattern of institutional denial and highlight the obstacles facing an impoverished Native American community attempting to validate their environmental health claims.

While emergency response actions are known to range from conventional to improvised, less is known about the thinking processes that underlie these actions. This paper presents a statistical analysis of cognition and behaviour reported by police personnel who responded to two significant US disasters: the 1995 bombing of the Murrah Building in Oklahoma City and the 2001 attack on the World Trade Center in New York City. The results suggest the prominence of conventional behaviour coupled with cognitive processes closely tied to recognition, and of improvised behaviours that are linked to more explicit reasoning processes. The results underscore the value of exploring cognitive foundations of both conventional and improvised behaviours to enrich understanding of human response to disaster.

"A definitive resource, the Introduction to Emergency Management and Disaster Science presents the essentials to better understand and manage disasters. The third edition of this popular text has been revised and updated to provide a substantively enriched and evidence-based guide for students and emerging professionals. The new emphasis on disaster science places it at the forefront of a rapidly evolving field. This third edition offers important updates, including: Newly commissioned insights from former students and professional colleagues involved with emergency management practice and disaster science; international policies, programs, and practices; and socially vulnerable populations. Significantly enriched content and coverage of new disasters and recent research, particularly the worldwide implications of climate change and pandemics. Pedagogical features like chapter objectives, key terms and definitions, discussion points and resources. The only textbook authored by three winners of the Blanchard Award for excellence in emergency management instruction. An eResource with instructional videos containing practical information and learning objective for the next generation of emergency managers and disaster scientists. The Introduction to Emergency Management and Disaster Science is a must-have textbook for graduate and undergraduate students and is also an excellent source of information for researchers and professionals"--