Includes bibliographical references and index.

1. An island shattered -- 2. Nature's hazards -- 3. The story of vulnerability -- 4. Vulnerability by choice -- 5. Making the choice -- 6. Making the change.

"Wildfires sweep parts of California and many lose their lives and their homes. Haiti has yet to recover from the devastation of the 2010 earthquake, while work still continues to make safe the Fukushima nuclear plant in Japan, damaged badly by the tsunami of 2011. We point to the powerful forces of nature, but these disasters are not natural, argues Ilan Kelman. They are, to a large degree, created by human choices. What choices? Made by whom? Who is most vulnerable? And what factors play a role in creating those vulnerabilities? These are the questions addressed in this compelling exploration of how 'natural' disasters are made - and how, through forward-looking approaches, they have been, and can be, avoided"--