Disaster hits home

Mary C. Comerio provides detailed case studies of housing losses and rebuilding efforts in six recent urban disasters: Hurricane Hugo in South Carolina, Hurricane Andrew in Florida, the Loma Prieta and Northridge earthquakes in California, and the recent major earthquakes in Mexico City and Kobe, Japan. Through these six case studies, Comerio demonstrates that a number of fundamental factors have changed in contemporary urban disasters. Considering the enormous economic risks posed by contemporary disasters in urban areas, Comerio develops a catastrophe index for assessing when a natural disaster causes a housing crisis. Further, she proposes a thorough revision of the government's role in disaster recovery, suggesting that policies should aim to create a better-functioning insurance system and provide incentives for mitigation of existing building hazards.