This is a book about the management of catastrophe at a National level. The aftermath of the 2010-2012 Christchurch earthquakes in New Zealand offered the author a rare opportunity to examine the national policies and effectiveness of Government funding and management of catastrophe on a national scale. Her findings are both surprising and disturbing. This is not a book about idealistic sociological concepts, but a revelation of actual Government administrative failure and financial risk-taking, in concert with corporate malfeasance. It is a book every policy-maker, politician, local-government official, Treasury official and economist, should read. The book discloses the failures and fallacies of current disaster management strategies, not only in terms of the huge financial implications but also the management of the 'recovery' phase. The Author examines international experiences of catastrophe from the viewpoint of government policies and funding strategies. She points to a fundamental conflict of interest between corporatism and the need for rapid recovery in the interests of both the affected public, business interests and the economy. She discusses the tensions between National and Local government objectives and the unheard voice of the local population. She makes comment on the limited efficacy of Civil Law and associated means of redress as protection against systematic corporate breach-of-contract and bad-faith, both in New Zealand and overseas. A need for fundamental change in disaster management is obvious from the findings of this work and the Author proposes a viable, efficient revision of the means to achieve that objective - one which eliminates the current state of financial risk and susceptibility to Corporate subversion.
About the Author: Sarah-Alice Miles is a multidisciplinary professional with an arts degree in Modern Languages and Linguistics (Mandarin Chinese and Italian). She also holds a Law degree from Otago University, New Zealand. At Otago she was awarded a scholarship to pursue postgraduate studies in comparative private international law at the International Court of Justice in The Hague, The Netherlands. Always interested in the human condition she also holds degrees in Psychology and Psychotherapy (Gestalt) and has worked in this field for the past ten years in Christchurch. She also is qualified with a Bachelor of Commerce in Dispute Resolution (Mediation) and utilizes these skills in mediation set-tings within the clinical environment. She was an active participant in a specialized community 'Flying Squad' after the February 2011 earthquakes, a team of professionals specializing in psychological triage for the most seriously traumatically affected citizens. Prior to her return from the Netherlands to New Zealand in 2004, she worked in the investment banking industry for ING Bank as a lawyer in both London and The Netherlands. Sarah-Alice has lived in Italy (5 years), Spain (4 years), The Netherlands (8 years), Ghana in West Africa (3 years) and the United Kingdom (2 years) and for the last 12 years in New Zealand. Sarah-Alice is author of The Insurance Aftershock: the Christchurch Fiasco Post-Earthquake 2010-2016 and a dedicated reporter and social commentator and her post-earthquake Blog - the Christchurch Fiasco has proved popular and pivotal in the exposure of the many anomalies and idiosyncrasies of the post-earthquake recovery situation in Christchurch. Website: www.theinsuranceanalyst.com Gmail: theinsuranceanalyst@gmail.com Blog: http: //thechristchurchfiasco.wordpress.com/ Facebook: https: //www.facebook.com/RealSarahMiles Twitter: https: //twitter.com/InsurancAnalyst LinkedIn: https: //nz.linkedin.com/in/theinsuranceanalys