Can we protect people from natural disasters?

What turns a flood event into a flood disaster? What can be done to protect crops from pests and fire?

How do scientists detect likely tornado formation inside a thunderstorm?

This book discusses natural disasters such as tornadoes, hurricanes, volcanoes, floods and droughts and looks into how scientists use their technology to try and protect people from them, such as seismology to detect earthquakes and sensors on buoys at sea to detect water pressure changes in the lookout for tsunamis, and whether these measures that are taken are effective or proactive enough.