For more than 150 years, East Tennesseans have experienced disasters of historic proportions. The 1902 Fraterville Mine explosion took the lives of 216 men and boys. A 1904 head-on passenger train wreck in New Market claimed the lives of 64. In 1906, Jellico was practically destroyed by the explosion of a train car loaded with dynamite. Floodwaters near Rockwood in 1929 took the lives of 7 Boy Scouts and their Scoutmaster. An explosion in 1960 at Kingsport's Eastman plant killed 16 workers and injured 400. In 2016, a fire in the Great Smoky Mountains claimed the lives of 14 while destroying 2,460 buildings. Knoxville author Dewaine Speaks chronicles these and other historic tragedies in East Tennessee.

A one-of-a-kind reference book, Tennessee Tragedies examines a wide variety of disasters that have occurred in the Volunteer State over the past several centuries. Intended for both general readers and emergency management professionals, it covers natural disasters such as floods, tornadoes, and earthquakes; technological events such as explosions, transportation wrecks, and structure fires; and societal incidents including labor strikes, political violence, lynchings, and other hate crimes. At the center of the book are descriptive accounts of 150 of the state’s most severe events. These range from smallpox epidemics in the eighteenth century to the epic floods of 1936–37, from the Sultana riverboat disaster of 1865 (the worst inland marine accident in U.S. history) to the 1968 assassination of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Included as well are stories of plane crashes, train wrecks, droughts, economic panics, and race riots. An extensive chronology provides further details on more than 900 incidents, the most complete listing ever compiled for a single state. The book’s introduction examines topics that include our fascination with such tragedies; major causes of death, injury, and destruction; and the daunting problems of producing accurate accountings of a disaster’s effects, whether in numbers of dead and injured or of economic impact. Among the other features are a comprehensive glossary that defines various technical terms and concepts and tables illustrating earthquake, drought, disease, and tornado intensity scales. A work of great historical interest that brings together for the first time an impressive array of information,Tennessee Tragedies will prove exceptionally useful for those who must respond to inevitable future disasters.

Drawing on decades of research on the most infamous human and environmental calamities, Button shows how states, corporations, and other actors attempt to create meaning and control social relations in post-disaster struggles for the redistribution of power.

Now updated with examples through 2010, this classic study examines the disruptive effects of disasters on patterns of human behavior and the operations of government, and the conditions under which even relatively minor crises can lead to system breakdown.

The perfect reference guide for students in grades 3 and up - or anyone! This handy, easy-to-use reference guide is divided into seven color-coded sections which includes Tennessee basic facts, geography, history, people, places, nature and miscellaneous information. Each section is color coded for easy recognition. This Pocket Guide comes with complete and comprehensive facts ALL about Tennessee. Riddles, recipes, and surprising facts make this guide a delight! Tennessee Basics section explores your state's symbols and their special meaning. Tennessee Geography section digs up the what's where in Tennessee. Tennessee History section is like traveling through time to some of Tennessee's greatest moments. Tennessee People section introduces you to famous personalities and your next-door neighbors. Tennessee Places section shows you where you might enjoy your next family vacation. Tennessee Nature section tells what Mother Nature gave to Tennessee. Tennessee Miscellaneous section describes the real fun stuff ALL about Tennessee.

Prepare yourself for disasterstart with Michael I. Greenbergs new reference, Disaster! A Compendium of Terrorist, Natural, and Man-Made Catastrophesthe most current information on historically destructive events available! This single resource offers a comprehensive overview of significant historical man-made and environmental toxicological incidents. Written by an expert in the field, Disaster! A Compendium of Terrorist, Natural, and Man-Made Catastrophes teaches readers about the numerous man-made incidents resulting from occupational or industrial accidents that have led to environmental contamination, illness, and death.