Geographic Analysis of the Terrorscape: The Spatial Patterns of Risk, Exposure and Vulnerability to the Urban Terror Threat
Date
2006-05
Authors
Egan, Kristine
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Abstract
Records of terrorism activities indicate a rising number of organized domestic and international extreme religion and ethnic-separatist movements, and there is evidence of escalating tactics used by terrorists in recent years. Anti-terrorism policies, academic literature, and the media reflect concerns that terrorists will resort to the use of unconventional weapons of mass destruction including the deliberate release of readily obtainable HAZMATs, such as liquefied chlorine gas, into the environment. An established approach for considering the societal effects of such an event is currently lacking in terrorism research literature. While the field of hazards research includes the assessment of the risk, exposure, vulnerability, and environmental equity associated with accidental releases of HAZMATs, the field neglects the topic of a deliberate and malicious release of a HAZMAT by terrorists. By bringing terrorism potential target and probable consequence concepts and the theoretical foundations and methods of hazards research together, this study addresses deficiencies in both areas. In addition, this research provides means for increasing understanding HAZMATs as potential terrorism agents. This research provides a four-phase Terrorscape Analysis Model for analyzing the spatial distribution of risk, exposure, vulnerability, and the terrorscape, and describes the statistical procedures for evaluating the operationalization of that model using a case study area.
Description
Keywords
terrorism, emergency management, hazardous substances
Citation
Egan, K. (2006). Geographic analysis of the terrorscape: The spatial patterns of risk, exposure and vulnerability to the urban terror threat (Unpublished dissertation). Texas State University-San Marcos, San Marcos, Texas.