Earthquake Protection Second Edition

Abstract

During the past ten years, since publication of the first edition of Earthquake Protection, the world has experienced many catastrophic earthquakes. These earthquakes have been in developed and developing countries and they have impacted urban as well as rural communities. Tens of thousands of lives and billions of dollars of economic losses have occurred due to these events. With every passing decade, the level of losses is increasing dramatically. Even in countries which are supposed to be at the cutting edge of science and technology in earthquake-related disciplines, we have seen devastating life and economic losses. It is then natural to inquire as to why our societies have not been able to mitigate the effects of such events. The answer to such a query is very complex. The socio-economic conditions together with education and awareness of earthquake risk of the population at large play an important role in shaping the way an affected community will respond to an earthquake. Even amongst experts from seismology, geology, architecture, engineering and other technical disciplines related to earthquakes, there is relatively small appreciation of the complexities of earthquake risk mitigation issues. A holistic understanding and the application of strategies based on such an understanding are very urgently needed. The second edition of Earthquake Protection by Coburn and Spence provides an excellent introduction to this complex problem. The book treats the problem of earthquakes from seismological, geological, architectural, engineering, social, and economic perspectives. The book provides a superb explanation about the role of insurance/reinsurance in earthquake risk management. It is important for all the earthquake risk management professionals to appreciate and understand the interactions of various disciplines to develop sustainable earthquake risk reduction strategies. This book by Coburn and Spence should be required reading for all these professionals. Since the publication of the first edition of Earthquake Protection in 1992, the two authors have continued to build their reputations in this field, both in academic research and in commercial application. Their treatment of financial implications related to earthquakes is unique and provides state of the art knowledge to readers in the financial services industry. This book is also invaluable t