Scientists at Texas A&M’s Hazard Reduction and Recovery Center are developing an electronic emergency management textbook for the Federal Emergency Management Agency. The book, to be posted on the FEMA Web site, will offer emergency specialists and academics around the world a comprehensive and up-to-date online resource.

“Posting the book online is the best way to get the knowledge out there,” said Prater, an HRRC research scientist who is working on the electronic-book project. “Readers will be able to download chapters as they need them, we can update the book easily, add and revise chapters, and include links to other related material on the Web.”

FEMA is funding the “e-book” project with a $98,537 grant to the HRRC.

Prater will be working with Michael Lindell, HRRC director, and Professor Ron Perry, a long-time colleague at Arizona State University.

FEMA expects that the book will be adopted by undergraduate programs in emergency management throughout the U.S. and abroad, and as a result, Lindell said, it will probably attract a lot of attention to Texas A&M.

“We expect that the resulting exposure will increase the number of student applications to the Environmental Hazard Management program, and, of course, to the collaborating graduate programs throughout the college,” he said.