Natural Disasters

This book is an overview of the complex and multifaceted topic of natural disasters impact. Several possible approaches can be undertaken to assess economic, psychological, societal or environmental damage caused by natural disasters, aiming to reduce the effects of future events on the whole of these sectors. This book proposes a range of studies realized in different continents, showing various aspects from which natural disasters can be view, thus giving a measure of the complexity and multidisciplinary of the topic. It starts with a paper presenting a possible strategy to either avoid or reduce the vulnerability of concrete buildings during floods. Then, it continues with an insight into the communication during post-disaster emergency phase and with two chapters concerning the assessment of two different kinds of impact on people everyday life. The book ends with an analysis of the role of stakeholder participation in post-disaster reconstruction.