Hazard Mitigation and Preparedness also provides examples of various tools and techniques available to emergency managers to prevent or lessen property damage and risk to human life caused by disasters. Several chapters are devoted to explaining the role of the federal, state and local governments in developing and carrying out hazard mitigation and preparedness policies, as well as the role that the private sector can play in protecting economic vitality. As illustrated by a number of scenarios based on the Hurricane Katrina disaster of 2005, the focus of the book is to encourage students to think more broadly about the decisions we all make every day that may increase our vulnerability, and how they can apply their knowledge and skills to create communities that are more resilient to the impacts of hazards and more sustainable over the long term.