Natural hazard research has tremendous potential to help communities save lives and protect property threatened by earthquakes, hurricanes, tornadoes, floods, and many other natural phenomena. This knowledge drives the research toward a fuller understanding of natural disasters and the development of warning systems and mitigation strategies. This title examines the science behind natural disaster research in the following chapters: Why Study Disasters?; What Are Natural Disasters?; Reading the Earth and Its Movement; Wind and Weather; Mapping and Modeling; and New Directions in Disaster Research.