Scott Gabriel Knowles

Railworkers warned this would happen.

Natural disasters have always been perceived through a unique historical lens. A professor argues that history can help us take a broader view of our relationship to catastrophe.

We examine the myths, misleading language, and tired media narratives that clog up storm coverage.

Historian Scott Gabriel Knowles tells how a diverse collection of professionals—insurance inspectors, engineers, scientists, journalists, public officials, civil defense planners, and emergency managers—emerged as the authorities on risk and disaster and, in the process, shaped modern America. The Disaster Experts: Mastering Risk in Modern America offers historical context for understanding who the experts are that influence decisions, how they became powerful, and why they are only slightly closer today than a decade ago to protecting the public from disasters.