The Big Ones
How Natural Disasters Have Shaped Us (and What We Can Do About Them) by Dr. Lucy Jones (Doubleday, 2018, 224 pages.)
This readable book deserves more attention. If you live in an area that experiences earthquakes or hurricanes, it is a must-read.
Dr. Jones is a well-regarded southern California seismologist. Here, she writes knowledgeably about major historical disasters due to earthquakes, floods, tsunamis, hurricanes, and volcanoes.
She gives easy-to-understand explanations of the geophysics of each disaster, and, importantly, she sketches the historical context to delve into contributing factors. She writes with empathy for the survivors of natural disasters and how they joined together (or not) to avoid (or endure) worse disasters beyond the natural one.
She points out that
“Great catastrophes are never caused by one factor alone.”
She aims to educate and motivate the reader to action. So at the very least, we can learn why we need to think for ourselves should we ever experience a big one. And she suggests ways we can work to protect our communities against future natural disasters.
