Risk perception in relation to self-protection and self-management capacities as relevant elements in the reduction of vulnerability in the city of La Serena

Authors

  • Guillermo Cid-Ortiz Universidad de Chile
  • Carmen Paz Castro Correa Universidad de Chile
  • Vanessa Rugiero De Souza Universidad de Chile

Abstract

The conception of risk and its terminology, as well as its disciplinary approach, have changed over time. Different approaches derived from natural, applied and social sciences have not yet prepared a solid and consistent theory of risk, thus hampering an effective management that facilitates the estimation and intervention of risk from a multidisciplinary perspective. Likewise, risk cannot be seen only from an objective point of view when it comes to reducing its impact given the different interpretations and perspectives of different social actors. Social perception of risk is one of the relevant factors in the natural risks field, since it incorporates these subjectivities, thus finding more realistic solutions in case of disaster.This paper evaluates this component in the case of La Serena, located in the Coquimbo Region, through its relation with socioeconomic level, self-protection factors and self-management capacity in the face of a tsunami hazard caused by seismic activity in a country like Chile, regarded as the most seismically active place in the world due to its location in the subduction and sliding zone between the Nazca and South American Plates.It is observed a clear segregation of socioeconomic strata in the districts of La Compañía Alta and Intendencia, the most vulnerable areas. The results of this research indicate that risk perception is related to social aspects, thus verifying the social nature of risk.

Author Biographies

Guillermo Cid-Ortiz, Universidad de Chile

Geographer, independent researcher, Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Universidad de Chile.

Carmen Paz Castro Correa, Universidad de Chile

Ph.D.(C) in Environment and Territorial Planning, Universidad de Zaragoza, Spain. Geography professor, Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Universidad de Chile

Vanessa Rugiero De Souza, Universidad de Chile

Ph.D.(C) in Architecture and Urban Studies, Pontii cia Universidad Católica de Chile. Geography professor, Facultad de Arquitectura y Urbanismo, Universidad de Chile.