Disaster Law
Disaster law includes all issues in the "cycle" of emergency management: mitigation, preparedness, response, & recovery
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Nate Delmar
National Security Law Librarian
Books
Reserve and Course Reserve texts may be borrowed from the Reserve Collection at the Law Library's Circulation Desk for up to 2 hours. Older editions are found in the Law Library stacks.
Crisis Lawyering: Effective legal advocacy in emergency situations by Call Number: SL3 KF300 .C75 2021Publication Date: 2021Shines a light on the emerging field of law dedicated to responding to and resolving the complex crises of the twenty-first century.
Meeting the Legal Needs of Disaster Survivors: Third responders by Call Number: SL3 KF3750.A75 M44 2021Publication Date: 2021Ten essays range from the need for pro bono disaster legal assistance and the roles of the organized bar and civil legal services providers in meeting it to informative, nut-and-bolts guides to specific issues in disaster legal aid-such as insurance, housing, tax, and the needs of vulnerable populations.
The Community Resilience Handbook by Call Number: SL2 K1980 .C66 2020Publication Date: 2020Chapters present perspectives on: Recommended approaches and resources; Resilient infrastructure; Avoiding legal challenges to higher standards for development and redevelopment; Organizational resilience and business continuity; Resilient agriculture and environmental considerations; Financial considerations; Measuring and assessing risk; The role of lawyers in promoting resilience; Government leadership in promoting resilience; Collaboration and building a culture of continuity; and International standards on resilience.
Disaster Law by Call Number: SL2 K1980 .L38 2015Publication Date: 2015Considers the role of law in disasters and in particular the regulation of disaster response and the allocation of responsibility in the aftermath of disasters.
Disaster Law and Policy, Third Edition by Call Number: SL3 KF3750 .F37 2015Publication Date: 2015Examines the growing field concerned with disaster prevention, emergency response, compensation and insurance, human rights, and community recovery.
Disaster Resilience by Call Number: SL2 HV551.3 .D57 2012Publication Date: 2012Confronts the topic of how to increase the nation's resilience to disasters through a vision of the characteristics of a resilient nation in the year 2030.
Emergencies in Public Law by Call Number: Available online via Cambridge BooksPublication Date: 2016Debates about emergency powers traditionally focus on whether law can or should constrain officials in emergencies. Emergencies in Public Law moves beyond this narrow lens, focusing instead on how law structures the response to emergencies and what kind of legal and political dynamics this relation gives rise to.
Emergency Management: Concepts and strategies for effective programs, 2d by Call Number: Available online via ProQuest Ebook CentralPublication Date: 2019Provides a comprehensive examination of emergency management and offers concepts and strategies for creating effective programs.
Homeland Security and Emergency Management, 3d by Call Number: SL3 KF4850 .L44 2018Publication Date: 2018Provides practical insight and guidance to help legal counsel for state, tribal, and local governments, as well as businesses and citizens to protect lives, property, public safety, and the public welfare.
How to Think About Homeland Security: Imperfect Intersection of National Security and Public Safety by Call Number: SL2 HV551.3 .M35 2020Publication Date: 2020"Explains homeland security as a struggle to meet new national security threats with traditional public safety practices."
How to Think about Homeland Security: Risks, Threats, and the New Normal by Call Number: SL2 HV551.3 .M352 2020Publication Date: 2020"Traces the development of and competition between national preparedness (focused on people and property), and civil defense / security (focused on the defense of systems and infrastructure) since the latter days of World War I."
Law and the Management of Disasters by Call Number: SL2 K1980 .L395 2017Publication Date: 2017Analyzes the contribution of law to resilience building by looking at law's role in the different phases of the disaster regulatory process: risk assessment, risk management, emergency intervention, and recovery.
The Law of Emergencies: Public health and disaster management, 2d by Call Number: SL3 KF5900 .H86 2018Publication Date: 2018Introduces the American legal system as it interacts with disaster management, public health and civil unrest issues.
Related Subjects
Search the Law Library's catalog, JACOB, using subject headings: advanced search
Also search the GW Libraries catalog: advanced search
Disaster relief -- Law and legislation -- United States
Natural disasters -- Law and legislation -- United States
Disaster insurance -- Law and legislation -- United States
Emergency management -- Law and legislation -- United States
Environmental risk assessment
Hurricane protection -- Government policy -- United States
Hazard mitigation -- Law and legislation -- United States
Disasters -- Law and legislation -- United States
Disasters -- Social aspects
Specialized Journals
Search these specialized journals for articles, or use an index source such as LegalTrac or Legal Source to locate others.
See our Journal Articles Research guide for more information.
- DisastersA peer-reviewed quarterly journal reporting on all aspects of disaster studies, policy and management
- Journal of International Humanitarian Legal StudiesA peer-reviewed journal aimed at promoting the rule of law in humanitarian emergency situations.
- Disaster Prevention and ManagementA peer-reviewed journal that advances available knowledge in the fields of disaster prevention and management; integrates extant methodologies and activities relating to disaster emergency and crisis management.
CRS & GAO Reports on Disaster Relief
- FEMA Has Taken Steps toward Better Supporting Individuals Who Are Older or Have Disabilities, July 23, 2019
- FEMA Has Made Progress, but Challenges and Future Risks Highlight Imperative for Further Improvements, June 25, 2019
- Hurricane Harvey and Army Corps: Background for Flood Response and Recovery, CRS Insight, August 29, 2017
- Oil and Chemical Spills: Federal Emergency Response Framework, August 29, 2017, Updated March 6, 2023
- Introduction to the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), April 1, 2019, Updated April 2, 2024
- Federal Disaster Assistance Response and Recovery Programs: Brief Summaries, June 20, 2018
- Private Flood Insurance in the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP), CRS Insight, August 1, 2019, Updated November 26, 2019
- Federal Disaster Assistance: The National Flood Insurance Program and Other Federal Disaster Assistance Programs ... July 31, 2018
- Major Disaster Assistance from the Disaster Relief Fund: State Profiles, March 29, 2017
- Dam Safety: Federal Programs and Authorities, CRS In Focus, February 23, 2017, Updated December 13, 2021
- Congressional Primer on Responding to Major Disasters and Emergencies, September 13, 2018, Updated June 12, 2023
Online Resources
- Construction and Application of Robert T. Stafford Disaster Relief and Emergency Assistance Act (Stafford Act), 42 U.S.C.A. §§ 5121 et seq.14 A.L.R. Fed. 2d 173
- Congressional Primer on Responding to Major Disasters and EmergenciesCRS Report R41981, Sept. 13, 2018, Updated June 12, 2023
- Domestic Disaster Response 2017, Hurricanes Harvey, Irma, And MariaSubtitled: Lessons Learned for Judge Advocates. Published by the Center for Law and Military Operations (CLAMO),
The Judge Advocate General’s Legal Center and School. - Legal Planet blogLegal Planet, a collaboration between faculty at UC Berkeley School of Law and UCLA School of Law, provides insight and analysis on energy and environmental law and policy. Blog topics include disasters and disaster law.
- Legal Planet blog: How Disaster Response Works (8/29/17)"It’s a complex process involving many federal agencies and state government."
- Legal Planet blog: Disaster Law and Hurricane Harvey (8/26/17)"The legal system plays a central role in disaster prevention, response, and management. But despite improvements since Katrina, the law continues to struggle to handle disasters."
- Disaster Law Commons: scholarly articles
- Catastrophe losses of the insurance industryFrom Statista. This dossier provides statistical information on the catastrophe losses of the insurance industry.
- Most expensive terrorist attacks worldwide as of 2019, by insured property lossesFrom Statista, Oct. 30, 2019.
- Cost of natural disaster losses worldwide from 2000 to 2023, by type of lossFrom Statista, Feb 2024.
COVID-19 Resources
- CRS: COVID-19 ReportsReports to congressional requestors from Congressional Research Service
- DHS: Department of Homeland Security Coronavirus (COVID-19) resources
- FAS: Coronavirus PublicationsFrom the Federation of American Scientists. Links to government documents are included.
- FEMA: COVID-19 ResponseFEMA's historic disaster page detailing COVID-19.
- GAO: COVID-19 reportsReports from the Government Accountability Office
- OSHA: COVID-19 ResourcesThe information includes links to interim guidance and other resources for preventing exposures to, and infection with, the novel coronavirus—now officially named COVID-19.
- Global Coronavirus ToolkitThe Global Coronavirus Toolkit is a collection of resources to assist counsel working across jurisdictions through Practical Law's global coronavirus, COVID-19, pandemics and business interruption content. The Practice Notes, Standard Documents, Checklists and other resources in this collection cover a range of public health emergency and disaster preparedness topics applicable to attorneys and professionals located in the UK, US, China, Australia, Canada and New Zealand.
- In Focus: Coronavirus ResourcesThis page includes legal and business news from Bloomberg Law and other sources as well as guidance for employers and lawyers. Includes State Quarantine and Public Health Laws, Bloomberg Law Tracker.
- News sources: COVIDGlobal news sources reported in English and many other major languages.
- EDGAR Risk Factor SearchSEC forms filed, mostly 10-Ks and 10-Qs, containing "coronavirus" OR "covid-19"
- American Bar Association (ABA) Resources for Lawyers & Law Firms
- Library of Congress: Coronavirus Resource Guide