When the forces that give our planet life exceed our ability to
withstand them, they become disasters. Together they have shaped our
cities and architecture, elevated leaders and toppled governments, influenced
the way we think, feel, fight, unite and pray. The history of natural
disasters is a history of ourselves.



The Big Ones investigates some of the most impactful natural
disasters, and how their reverberations are still felt today. From a volcanic
eruption in Pompeii challenging and reinforcing prevailing views of religion,
through the California floods of 1862 and the limitations of memory, to what
Hurricane Katrina and the 2004 tsunami can tell us about governance and
globalisation. With temperatures rising around the world, natural
disasters are striking with ever greater frequency.



More than just history or science, The Big Ones is a
call to action. Natural hazards are inevitable; human catastrophes are
not. With this energising and richly-researched book, Jones offers a look
at our past, readying us to face down the Big Ones in our future.