Introduction to Emergency Management, Second Edition provides a comprehensive foundation to understanding the background, components, and systems involved in the management of disasters and other emergencies. The book details current practices, strategies, and the key players involved in emergency management both within the United States and around the world. No discussion of emergency management in the United States would be complete without addressing the significant changes that have occurred as a result of the Septembers 11th, 2001 terrorist attacks. Consideration of this issue is applied to all chapters of this edition. A full chapter is dedicated entirely to discussing the emerging terrorist threat and the resulting implications to the U.S. emergency management systems. With the creation of the Department of Homeland Security and its subsequent absorption of FEMA and 21 other federal agencies, the need for a collective resource has never been so vital.