Guy Bell/Alamy
Before I read When the Dust Settles by Lucy Easthope, I hadn’t even realised disaster recovery was a discipline – the aftermath of a tragedy seems too raw to be an object of study. I stand corrected, thanks to her compassionate book.
Over the past 20 years, Easthope, a professor of risk and hazard at Durham University, UK, has been involved with UK disasters (or ones involving its citizens): from terrorism to the Fukushima meltdown and the covid-19 pandemic (the UK’s covid memorial wall is shown above). She details mistakes and triumphs, and how we can do better. Essential reading.…
