The Evolution and Structure of Natural Hazard Policies

Crises have always played a role in policy formation,' but the entire structure of disaster response was crisisdriven. When a disaster struck, people acted. Society's attitude toward natural disasters was fatalistic: they were part of nature's order, something that had to be accepted as part of life. Consequently, management of such events was not seen as part of the proper role for government. Until 1950, the Red Cross, a largely volunteer organization operating under federal charter, was the primary disaster relief agency. It was also the major source of funds for disaster recovery. Today, a very different system of disaster policy exists. With the passage of the Flood Control Act of 1936, Congress embarked upan a path of natural hazard control that has extended to the present, attempting to use the latest developments in science, engineering, and planning to prevent disasters or lessen their impact should they occur. The Disaster Relief Act of 1950 set in motion the first comprehensive, nationwide system of disaster response and relief. Yet, nearly one-half century after the first permanent disaster legislation was enacted, many basic policy questions remain to be answered: