"O'Neill and Van Abs examine Sandy's impacts through the perspectives of urban planners, ecologists, climatologists, policy makers, and emergency managers to assess the vulnerabilities of the northeastern coast and to help better plan for and mitigate future disasters … The essays argue for a more thoughtful, planned response to coastal rebuilding and development ... Recommended. Upper-division undergraduates through professionals and ... Read morepractitioners."
Choice
"Taking Chances raises important questions about the long-term viability of coastal communities. It does so without proposing reductive solutions that ignore the attachment residents may feel to their homes. Together, these essays provide nuance to very complex problems that we will continue to face with increasing frequency in the future, making for a timely contribution to the literature. While each essay stands alone, they also work in tandem to explore how different entities (residents, businesses, government agencies, infrastructure, etc.) responded to Hurricane Sandy. Though the book focuses on Sandy, the findings speak to broader societal trends of risk perceptions and disaster response."
Vanessa Parks, Lousiana State University
Rural Sociology
"Highly accessible and interdisciplinary in its approach, Taking Chances would be a fine contribution to any undergraduate or graduate course with a concentration on disaster studies, or climate change."
City & Community
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Scientific American
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