When the forces that give our planet life exceed our ability to



withstand them, they become disasters. Together they have shaped our



cities and architecture, elevated leaders and toppled governments, influenced



the way we think, feel, fight, unite and pray.  The history of natural



disasters is a history of ourselves. 



 

The Big Ones investigates some of the most impactful natural



disasters, and how their reverberations are still felt today.  From a volcanic



eruption in Pompeii challenging and reinforcing prevailing views of religion,



through the California floods of 1862 and the limitations of memory, to what



Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami can tell us about governance and



globalisation.  With temperatures rising around the world, natural



disasters are striking with ever greater frequency. 



 



More than just history or science, The Big Ones is a



call to action.  Natural hazards are inevitable; human catastrophes are



not.  With this energising and richly-researched book, Jones offers a look



at our past, readying us to face down the Big Ones in our future.



Dr Lucy Jones is a world-renowned



seismologist. A research associate at Caltech, she



holds a PhD in geophysics from MIT.  For decades, she has provided



scientific information to the public, and has appeared on every major network's



Nightly News Broadcast as well as every major morning television show, Conan and

Larry King Now, among others.  She lives in Southern California.