Disasters both natural and human-induced are leading to spiralling costs in terms of human lives, lost livelihoods and damaged assets and businesses. Yet these consequences and the financial and human crises that follow catastrophes can often be traced to policies unsuited to the emerging scales of the problems they confront, and the lack of institutional capacity to implement planning and prevention or to manage disasters.

The great earthquake and tsunami of 26 December 2004, and the resulting tragic loss of life across the Indian Ocean, created global awareness of the tsunami phenomenon and it's unpredictability. Conceived as a definitive reference work, this comprehensive volume addresses the following topics: Seismology, Geology and Geophysics; Tsunami Field Surveys and Analyses; Performance of Structures and Lifelines; Preparedness; Societal Impacts; and Recovery and Reconstruction.