This volume looks at community responses to industrial disasters that, going far beyond routine, constitute "surprise" disasters. Straining against the limits of society's capacity to adjust, these disasters are producing unprecedented consequences. This study stresses the need for long-term post-disaster assessment and the creation of information clearing-houses that focus on industrial disaster surprises. These and other proposals indicate ways that recovery systems can accomodate the lingering impacts of chronic industrial disasters and the unpredictable scientific, technical and societal changes ahead.