The Big Ones: How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Us (and What We Can Do About Them)

From China to California, Iceland to Indonesia, seismologist Jones describes the devastating effects of volcanoes, earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes over the past few hundred years. For all her impressive expertise, Jones delivers a very accessible book—without sacrificing the scientific content, the text is sprinkled with relatable analogies to help readers better understand some of the more technical geological processes. More importantly, Jones keeps the focus on the human side of natural disasters, for better—such as the complete rebuilding of Lisbon after the 1755 earthquake—or worse, as in the case of the failed American response to 2005's Hurricane Katrina or the poor communication from the Japanese government in the aftermath of the 2011 tsunami-induced Fukushima nuclear disaster. Overall, this book is less about natural disasters themselves and more about how to minimize their destructive impact on human civilization. Jones offers plenty of advice for city planners, architects, and other organizations, but also provides recommendations that anyone can use to make themselves and their communities more resilient to risk.