Recent foreign disasters reinforce the argument that it is past time to distinguish conceptually post-earthquake 'urban heavy rescue' (UHR) from the generic 'search and rescue. ' It is especially important to appreciate the problematic operational environment of UHR and the political as well as the lifesaving implications of UHR successes and failures. Effective UHR requires complex intergovernmental, public-private, and civil-military preparedness planning. At this point in time, UHR remains the weak link in the entire response chain to the inevitable major urban earthquake in the United States.
