This research examines perceived and actual preparedness for two types of natural hazard risks: earthquakes in the Los Angeles County area and hurricanes within the New Orleans metropolitan area. Using data collected from a sample of households in these regions, the influence of individuals' confidence in local government to manage a disaster and exposure to disaster preparedness information sources were tested as explanations for levels of perceived and actual preparedness. Regression analyses show that a high level of confidence in local government to manage a disaster and exposure to more preparedness information sources were associated with a higher level of perceived preparedness. No support for a potential dampening effect of confidence in local government on household preparedness actions was found. The results also reveal only limited support for the impact of information exposure on actual preparedness. The results for actual preparedness vary between the study areas; therefore, we follow the analysis with a discussion of these differences and the implications drawn from the research.

As Hurricane Katrina revealed, coastal communities have become far more vulnerable to tropical storms and the long-term displacement of residents. Yet, because the emergency management model presumes that recovery quickly follows response, governments focus only on short-term, localized displacement. However, long-term and long-distance displacement exposes a gray area between immediate shelter and permanent housing, along with concerns about vulnerability, housing availability, and land development. We begin this article by discussing the transition between response and recovery. We then review literature regarding social vulnerability, displacement, provision of temporary housing, households' return decisions, and disaster-driven land development and housing construction processes. We close with thoughts on future research to increase planners' understanding of the issues involved and to help them craft effective policies.

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Regionalism is now being explored by a wide variety of communities. One of the most hotly debated assertions of the 1990s was that regional unity, however defined, leads to higher levels of economic growth. Yet despite this faith in the power of regionalism, the beneficial economic effects of regional planning remain elusive. This review presents and integrates three bodies of literature related to the proposed link between metropolitan unity, as expressed through planning, and economic outcomes.