"As one of the volumes in the Wiley Blackwell series entitled, Communicating Science in Times of Crises, this and the following fourteen chapters take up the issue of Catastrophes and how these events are manifested and eventually managed through strategic risk and crisis management. In Chapter One, the conceptual groundwork is laid for understanding the semantical properties and implications of the term, Catastrophes. An associated field of study is risk and crisis management and is discussed from a theoretical perspective with some practical observations thrown in from time to time. In the last section of the chapter, a brief synopsis is offered for the remaining fourteen chapters of the book. Catastrophic conditions explored in the book are varied but represent a nice sampling of these events as they have unfolded quite recently"-- Provided by publisher.