Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. Natural Infrastructure -- 2. Our Incredible Shrinking Infrastructure -- 3. System Failures and Fairness Deficits -- 4. Tending Our Gardens -- 5. Backwater Blues -- 6. Disaster Justice -- 7. Winds of Change -- 8. Precaution and Social Welfare -- 9. Mapping Katrina -- 10. Planning Our Futures.

""Beautifully written, powerfully argued, and sweeping in its scope Facing Catastrophe answers the wake-up call for environmental policymakers that was Hurricane Katrina. This is a book that deserves to be read, re-read, and read yet again."D︣ouglas A. Kysar, Yale University" ""Hurricane Katrina was not just a storm; it was also the occasion for a complete governmental debacle. As Rob Verchick trenchantly demonstrates, we can learn much from this tragedy about how to face other major societal risks such as climate change. Let's hope we learn from this experience, and from Verchick's thoughtful analysis without waiting for the lessons to be reinforced by still more disastrous policy failures."D︣aniel A. Farber, University of California, Berkeley" "As Hurricane Katrina vividly revealed, disaster policy in the United States is broken and needs reform. What can we learn from past disasterss︣torms, floods, earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, and wildfiresa︣bout preparing for and responding to future catastrophes? How can these lessons be applied in a future threatened by climate change?" "In this bold contribution to environmental law, Robert Verchick argues for a new perspective on disasterlaw that is based on the principles of environmental protection. His prescription boils down to three simple commands: Go Green, Be Fair, and Keep Safe. "Going green" means minimizing exposure to hazards by preserving natural buffers and integrating those buffers into artificial systems like levees or seawalls. "Being fair" means looking after public health, safety, and the environment without increasing personal and social vulnerabilities. "Keeping safe" means a more cautionary approach when confronting disaster risks." "Verchick argues that government must assume a stronger regulatory role in managing natural infrastructure, distributional fairness, and public risk. He proposes changes to the federal statutes governing environmental impact assessments, wetlands development, air emissions, and flood control, among others. Making a strong case for more transparent governmental decision-making, Verchick offers a new vision of disaster law for the next generation."--BOOK JACKET.