Crises occur in all societies across world and can be natural (such as hurricanes flooding
and earthquakes) man-made (such as wars and economic downturns) or often a combination of
both (such as famines the flooding of New Orleans in 2005 after Hurricane Katrina and
subsequent levy failures and the earthquake tsunami and nuclear disaster in Japan in 2011).
Crises cause fatalities injuries and property damages as well as introduce uncertainty and
challenges for individuals societies and polities. Yet we see individuals and communities
rebounding effectively from crises all the time. How do communities go about returning to
normalcy and beginning again the mundane life of every day affairs?This edited volume looks at
bottom-up responses to crises. The chapters in this volume will highlight the ingenuity and
persistence of individuals and private organizations as well as discuss the possibilities
limitations and adaptability of bottom-up responses. It argues that there are many ways that
local leaders entrepreneurs and community members can play a role in their own recovery by
examining the capabilities feedback mechanisms and network effects of decentralized crisis
response and recovery efforts. Chapters will focus on the role of local emergency managers in
the disaster management process and offer suggestions for reform and the role of businesses
citizens and children in providing crisis response and recovery. This book will also consider
theories of self-governance and nonviolent action in encouraging and sustaining bottom-up
recovery.
