{"product_id":"the-geography-of-risk-9781250758224","title":"The Geography of Risk","description":"\u003cp\u003e\u003cb\u003eThis century has seen the costliest hurricanes in U.S. history--but who bears the brunt of these monster storms?\u003c\/b\u003e \u003c\/p\u003e\u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eConsider this: Five of the most expensive hurricanes in history have made landfall since 2005: Katrina ($160 billion), Ike ($40 billion), Sandy ($72 billion), Harvey ($125 billion), and Maria ($90 billion). With more property than ever in harm's way, and the planet and oceans warming dangerously, it won't be long before we see a $250 billion hurricane. Why? Because Americans have built $3 trillion worth of property in some of the riskiest places on earth: barrier islands and coastal floodplains. And they have been encouraged to do so by what Gilbert M. Gaul reveals in \u003ci\u003eThe Geography of Risk \u003c\/i\u003eto be a confounding array of federal subsidies, tax breaks, low-interest loans, grants, and government flood insurance that shift the risk of life at the beach from private investors to public taxpayers, radically distorting common notions of risk. \u003cp\u003e\u003c\/p\u003eThese federal incentives, Gaul argues, have resulted in one of the worst planning failures in American history, and the costs to taxpayers are reaching unsustainable levels. We have become responsible for a shocking array of coastal amenities: new roads, bridges, buildings, streetlights, tennis courts, marinas, gazebos, and even spoiled food after hurricanes. \u003ci\u003eThe\u003c\/i\u003e \u003ci\u003eGeography of Risk\u003c\/i\u003e will forever change the way you think about the coasts, from the clash between economic interests and nature, to the heated politics of regulators and developers.\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eAbout the Author\u003c\/b\u003e\u003cbr\u003e\u003cb\u003eGilbert M. Gaul\u003c\/b\u003e has twice won the Pulitzer Prize and has been shortlisted for the Pulitzer four other times. For more than thirty-five years, he worked as an investigative journalist for \u003ci\u003eThe Washington Post\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eThe Philadelphia Inquirer\u003c\/i\u003e, and other newspapers. He has reported on non-profit organizations, the business of college sports, homeland security, the black market for prescription drugs, and problems in the Medicare program. His books include \u003ci\u003eGiant Steps\u003c\/i\u003e, \u003ci\u003eFree Ride\u003c\/i\u003e (with Neill A. Borowski), and \u003ci\u003eBillion-Dollar Ball\u003c\/i\u003e. He was a Nieman Fellow at Harvard University and a Ferris Fellow at Princeton University. Gaul lives in New Jersey.\u003cbr\u003e","brand":"Picador USA","offers":[{"title":"Default Title","offer_id":51474776817938,"sku":"9781250758224","price":13.99,"currency_code":"USD","in_stock":true}],"thumbnail_url":"\/\/cdn.shopify.com\/s\/files\/1\/0831\/4771\/8930\/files\/img_44426a96-904d-4b3a-9472-8acf8bb9b05d.jpg?v=1752579816","url":"https:\/\/surprise-castle.myshopify.com\/products\/the-geography-of-risk-9781250758224","provider":"Surprise Castle","version":"1.0","type":"link"}