How to prepare for, respond to and recover from na earthquake? Seismic risk per...

• Author(s): Arroz, Ana Margarida Moura ; Rego, Isabel Estrela ; Palos, Ana Cristina Pires
• Date: 2009
• Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.3/2444
• Origin: Repositório da Universidade dos Açores
• Subject(s): Percepção de Risco Sísmico; Plano de Emergência; Emergency Plans; Risk Management; Seismic Risk Perception; Azores
• Document Type: Conference Object
• Language: English

Description

18th Society for Risk Analysis (SRA) Europe conference: From the Everyday to the Extraordinary, Karlstad, Sweden, 28th June - 1st July 2009. Throughout the Azores' history damaging earthquakes have caused considerable physical and human losses in the archipelago. Knowing the important role that seismic risk perception can play on decisions made on earthquake risk mitigation a study (TOPOI METUS. Social cosmographies of danger. Risk perception of natural hazards) was carried out to address the Azoreans understanding of seismic risk profile, patrimonial and economic vulnerability to that risk, and risk management. Such knowledge can contribute to improve the communication of risk messages and, at a more global level, inform civil defence policies and their implementation. Based on data produced along thirty in-depth extensive interviews conducted in five of the nine islands of the archipelago, this presentation focuses on findings of perceptions regarding dimensions of risk management (i.e. information and actions taken before a crisis, and during the response and recovery phases of a disaster situation). Particular attention is given to communication aspects such as "Who do people trust?" and "What forms, strategies, and means of communication do people value most?" Preliminary results seem to point out to a generalized sense of not needing more information in order to be better prepared to face crises and to the inexistence of a culture of precaution towards major disasters. The rationales underlying those perspectives are discussed.