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In Depth: Natural Disasters

October 2005

It seemed the eye of a storm enveloped the globe between late December 2004 and October 2005. A tsunami killed 275,000 in nations on the Indian Ocean. A relentless hurricane season in the United States' Gulf Coast dealt a devastating blow to a beacon in the South and the heart of the U.S. energy industry. An earthquake in South Asia left some 3 million people homeless and relief organizations stretched to respond to yet another humanitarian crisis. As relief efforts evolve into rebuilding plans, MIT Sloan experts provide insight on the challenges for economic recovery in devastated regions, the sensitivity of the global energy market, and the lessons in leadership that emerged from the response to disaster.

• Economies: The road to recovery
  The economics of natural disasters is volatile, deceptive, and challenging but not entirely bleak, say MIT Sloan economists and NGO leaders. More >>
• Energy: A system at risk?
  When hurricanes Katrina and Rita tore through the Gulf Coast oil fields, consumers worried about the impact to already rising oil prices. While experts say the storms will not prove as cataclysmic to the energy infrastructure as initially feared, the storms underscored the sensitivity of an increasingly global energy market. More >>
• Leadership: It takes a team
  In the 10 months between late December 2004 and October 2005, the world community absorbed a devastating tsunami, a cataclysmic earthquake, and a relentless march of hurricanes. It's been a period in which the quality of leadership has had a dramatic correlation to quality of life — and to survival. More >>
• Links
  Links to articles, videos, and resources related to the economic recovery, energy, and leadership challenges posed by natural disasters. More >>