As the scale, frequency, and intensity of crises faced by the world have dramatically increased over the last decade, there is a critical need for a careful stocktaking on the knowledge of managing disasters.

This book presents the experience of emergency management from a continental perspective by focusing on the emergency response systems, processes and actors in the context of the United States and Europe.

The book approaches subject from a social rather than natural phenomenon perception, putting the main emphasis on the vulnerability aspect of disasters instead of hazard as done by their more conventional understanding.

The exploration of institutional, socio-cultural and political characteristics of how to respond to crises more effectively forms the basis of discussions in this book.