Publisher's Synopsis
Communities in ever increasing numbers are facing the ravages of a modern form of calamity, the chronic technical disaster. Unlike natural disasters that strike quickly and disappear, chronic technical disasters, such as chemical or radiation contamination, slowly unfold, trapping communities in seemingly never ending cycles of threat and disorganization. The articles comprising this volume analyze community responses to a type of aversive agent for which there is neither tradition nor formal policy to insure an adequate repertoire of responses.