Introduction: Special Issue on Natural Disasters and Public Works Management and Policy

Abstract

This article serves as the introduction to a special issue on natural disasters and public works management and policy. The authors note that large-scale natural disasters provide the occasion for public attention turning to the public works infrastructure, as basic necessities for living in a modern society are threatened or interrupted. The recent experience with Hurricane Katrina in the southern United States showed that without the critical infrastructure of water, electricity, and roadways, the most technologically advanced nation can quickly appear to be little different than the least developed countries in the world. The authors consider the concept of resilience as it applies to public works management and policies, then discuss the idea of infrastructure as it refers to not only the physical plant but also the human systems that are required to support the communication, coordination, and cooperation required to handle a disaster. This introductory article concludes with a brief description of each of the five related articles presented in the special issue. They note that the five articles contained in this issue stress the importance of a well-maintained and adequate infrastructure, whether it is the levee system, the communications system, or buildings. Careful planning for disasters and effective leadership during and after them are essential for localities to recover as quickly as possible.