Scholars mostly of law, but also of business and advertising, take the 2005 devastation of the southern coast of the US as a case study to help develop the field of disaster law by making connections between the disparate legal rules and practices regarding both survival and recovery that come into play--or at least should come into play--during an emergency. Among the topics are observations on property relations from post-Katrina New Orleans, natural disasters and people with disabilities, participation and disintermediation in a risk society, legislation and criminalization impacting renters displaced by Katrina, and how the new federalism failed Katrina victims. The 11 studies are from a November 2006 workshop at Syracuse University. Annotation ©2009 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)