Natural disasters and their aftermath

The Growth Aftermath of Natural Disasters

The impact of disasters and their aftermath on mental health.

Hurricanes Katrina and Rita were the latest disasters involving trauma to individuals and displacement of significant populations. As a consequence, those of us in health care fields often are affected both as professionals with critical skills and as individuals with families under intense stress. This Commentary, which appears in the January 2006 issue of The Journal of Clinical Psychiatry (2...

Fiscal Storms: Public Spending and Revenues in the Aftermath of Natural Disasters

Recent research in both the social and natural sciences has been devoted to increasing our ability to predict disasters, prepare for them and mitigate their costs. Curiously, we appear to know very little about the fiscal consequences of disasters. The likely fiscal impact of a natural disaster has not been examined before in any comparable or comparative framework. We estimate and quantify the...

Risk Sharing and Mobile Phones: Evidence in the Aftermath of Natural Disasters∗

We provide empirical evidence that Rwandans use the mobile phone network to transfer airtime to those affected by unexpected shocks. Using an extensive dataset on mobile phone activity in Rwanda and exploiting the quasi-random timing and location of natural disasters, we show that individuals make transfers and calls to people affected by disasters. The magnitude of these transfers is small in ...

Fiscal storms: Public spending and revenues in the aftermath of natural disasters

Recent! research! in!both! the! social! and!natural! sciences!has!been!devoted! to! increasing!our! ability!to!predict!disasters,!prepare!for!them!and!mitigate!their!costs.!Curiously,!we!appear!to! know!very!little!about!the!fiscal!consequences!of!disasters.!The!likely!fiscal!impact!of!a!natural! disaster! has! not! been! examined! before! in! any! comparable! or! comparative! framework.! We! e...