Evaluation of social vulnerability after the 2010 tsunami at Tumbes Cove – Chile through the “pressure and release” model

Abstract

The 2010 tsunami in Chile exposed the absence of socio-natural disaster risk management at national and local levels. This article investigates the role of the government’s post-tsunami reconstruction process, as the articulating body for the most vulnerable communities. In particular, Tumbes cove, in the Biobío region, was studied, where vulnerability factors were identified in the face of tsunami flooding through closed surveys and interviews with key players, as well as organizing the information in matrices to identify perception after the reconstruction process. Vulnerability maps were generated using the “pressure and release” model of Wisner et al. (2006). Through five processes, it was observed that the macro-social levels would affect the micro social levels in their daily lives, in the management of socio-natural disasters, which would have an impact on the increase in vulnerability. We argue that the town of Tumbes is a case of a socio-economically and educationally vulnerable community, where the reconstruction process weakened community organizations due to the lack of knowledge of local leaders, thus contributing to the construction of greater vulnerabilities.