Author(s): Arroz, Ana Margarida Moura ; Palos, Ana Cristina Pires ; Rego, Isabel Estrela
Date: 2008
Persistent ID: http://hdl.handle.net/10400.3/2572
Origin: Repositório da Universidade dos Açores
Subject(s): Earthquakes; Volcanic Eruptions; Risk Perception; Azores
SRA 2008 Annual Meeting "Risk Analysis: The Science and the Art", Boston, Massachusetts, Sunday, 7 December 2008 to Wednesday, 10 December 2008.
Earthquakes and volcanic eruptions have been regular phenomena throughout the Azores' six centuries of history. In spite of the knowledge already gathered by local historians and Earth sciences researchers, there are no scientific data on the socio-cultural dimensions of volcanic and seismic risks. A study – TOPOI METUS. Social cosmographies of danger. Risk perception of natural hazards – is being carried out in order to construct and validate an instrument capable of (1) characterizing volcanic and seismic risk perception in the archipelago; and (2) producing knowledge to clarify communication aspects such as: Who do people trust? What forms, strategies, and means of communication do people value most? and What functions should risk messages serve? To guarantee that the questionnaire is sensitive to the Azorean context, to the historical mysticism embedded in natural disasters, and to people's identification and emotional relationship with the place, thirty extensive interviews were conducted. The present communication focuses on the instrument features and construction process, and discusses data collected in interviews. Consistent with findings from other studies, "Being in the hands of God" and a strong identification with the living place emerge as common reasons appointed to by people who live in and insist in staying in a vulnerable area such as the Azores.
