In recent years, the number of presidential declarations of major disasters' has sky-rocketed. Such declarations make stricken areas eligible for federal emergency relief funds that greatly reduce their costs. But is federalizing the cost of disasters helping to lighten the overal burden of disasters, or is it making matters worse? Disasters and Democracy addresses the political response to natural disasters, focusing on the changing role of the federal government. Copyright (C) Muze Inc. 2005. For personal use only. All rights reserved.