The severe damage and loss caused by the earthquake in the Kobe area of Japan in 1995, highlighted the necessity of having action plans prepared beforehand. The aim of this workshop was to exchange ideas on the contribution of control science and technology to life support systems in disasters and large scale catastrophes, such as earthquakes, focusing not only on technological but also on social and human aspects, and to find new disciplines in the field of control. This is the first time that IFAC have sponsored a workshop on this theme.