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Not very many years ago, most people assumed that the disasters associated with earthquakes, hurricanes, floods and other natural hazards were themselves natural disasters." It was accepted that their impact could be reduced (through attempts at preparedness, mitigation and post-eventhumanitarian action), but the emphasis–even in much academic and policy work–was on the maturalness of disaster events. There had long been an awareness that some disasters, which may resemble those usually blamed on nature, are inherently caused by human action (as with famines triggered by war). But this perception was limited, and it seemed difficult for people to extend such explanations to other types of disaster (especially those linked with sudden-onset hazards like earthquakes) which might have less obvious, more complex, but just as significant links with human causes" Much disaster policy still puts emphasis …