Storms (Vol.1 and 2)
This publication is part of the series Hazards and Disasters that marks the conclusion of the International Decade for Natural Disaster Reduction (IDNDR) (1990-2000). Storms are fundamental to life on Earth. But their impacts on society (and environment) are not always welcome. While they bring the rains which make life possible, when extreme, they can take life as well. Worldwide, the societal impacts of storms as measured by lives lost and economic damages have yet to be tabulated on a systematic basis. As a result of these impacts societies around the world have sought to reduce their vulnerability to storms. The overarching objective of this volume is to provide an overview of important themes in this spectrum. The volume contains also a number of case studies of forecasts, impacts and responses to a range of phenomena around the world. They focus on tropical cyclones, extratropical cyclones, and on mesoscale convective systems. Cross-cutting themes such as vulnerability, forecasting and insurance are also presented.