Book excerpt: From extreme weather events such as Superstorm Sandy, man-made tragedies like the Madrid train bombings, the threat of bioterrorism, and emerging infections such as the H1N1 pandemic flu, disasters are creating increasingly profound threats to health of populations around the globe. Through a presentation of 16 case studies of events from natural disasters to pandemic infection, the authors examine the broad range of public health scenarios through the lens of emergency preparedness and planning. This text demonstrates the application of public health preparedness competencies established by the Association of Schools of Public Health (ASPH). It is designed for students across a wide spectrum of health and safety disciplines, and makes an ideal complement to any text on disaster preparedness or public health leadership, or can be used as a standalone text. --