IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/spr/nathaz/v80y2016i2d10.1007_s11069-015-2051-9.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Talcahuano, Chile, in the wake of the 2010 disaster: A vulnerable middle?

Author

Listed:
  • Karen E Engel

    (Wageningen University and Research Center)

Abstract

Because of Chile’s geographical position, earthquakes and tsunamis are recurrent phenomena and reducing vulnerability to these events is imperative. To do this, one needs to understand the geophysical features of the hazards involved and the vulnerability that exposed communities live with. This article presents some unexpected findings of a research regarding the latter and devised to investigate the vulnerability realities that the devastating 2010 earthquake/tsunami event in Chile exposed. Interestingly, this study revealed households that are formally considered resilient in the face of natural hazards, but are in fact not. These households are part of a group I call the emergent middle. The ‘middle’ because they are neither rich nor poor, but do not fit the typical middle-class category, and ‘emergent’ because their primary concerns are staying out of poverty and climbing the socioeconomic ladder. The findings of this research suggest that they find themselves in a precarious situation and that their vulnerability to natural hazards largely emerges from their economic fragility and their limited access to relevant resources in the wake of a hazardous event. This article is based on data that were collected through extensive field work in the Greater Concepción area and in particular in Talcahuano that was severely hit in 2010.

Suggested Citation

  • Karen E Engel, 2016. "Talcahuano, Chile, in the wake of the 2010 disaster: A vulnerable middle?," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 80(2), pages 1057-1081, January.
  • Handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:80:y:2016:i:2:d:10.1007_s11069-015-2051-9
    DOI: 10.1007/s11069-015-2051-9
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://link.springer.com/10.1007/s11069-015-2051-9
    File Function: Abstract
    Download Restriction: Access to the full text of the articles in this series is restricted.

    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1007/s11069-015-2051-9?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Virginia Silbergleit & Claudia Prezzi, 2012. "Statistics of major Chilean earthquakes recurrence," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 62(2), pages 445-458, June.
    2. Yu Huang & Miao Yu, 2013. "Review of soil liquefaction characteristics during major earthquakes of the twenty-first century," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 65(3), pages 2375-2384, February.
    3. Karen Engel & Georg Frerks & Lucia Velotti & Jeroen Warner & Bart Weijs, 2014. "Flood disaster subcultures in The Netherlands: the parishes of Borgharen and Itteren," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 73(2), pages 859-882, September.
    4. Neva R. Goodwin, "undated". "Five Kinds of Capital: Useful Concepts for Sustainable Development," GDAE Working Papers 03-07, GDAE, Tufts University.
    5. Gavin P. Hayes & Matthew W. Herman & William D. Barnhart & Kevin P. Furlong & Sebástian Riquelme & Harley M. Benz & Eric Bergman & Sergio Barrientos & Paul S. Earle & Sergey Samsonov, 2014. "Continuing megathrust earthquake potential in Chile after the 2014 Iquique earthquake," Nature, Nature, vol. 512(7514), pages 295-298, August.
    6. Gabi Hufschmidt, 2011. "A comparative analysis of several vulnerability concepts," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 58(2), pages 621-643, August.
    7. Alice Fothergill & Lori Peek, 2004. "Poverty and Disasters in the United States: A Review of Recent Sociological Findings," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 32(1), pages 89-110, May.
    8. Carole Rakodi, 1999. "A Capital Assets Framework for Analysing Household Livelihood Strategies: Implications for Policy," Development Policy Review, Overseas Development Institute, vol. 17(3), pages 315-342, September.
    9. Patrick Biernacki & Dan Waldorf, 1981. "Snowball Sampling: Problems and Techniques of Chain Referral Sampling," Sociological Methods & Research, , vol. 10(2), pages 141-163, November.
    10. Susan L. Cutter & Bryan J. Boruff & W. Lynn Shirley, 2003. "Social Vulnerability to Environmental Hazards," Social Science Quarterly, Southwestern Social Science Association, vol. 84(2), pages 242-261, June.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Karen E Engel, 2016. "Talcahuano, Chile, in the wake of the 2010 disaster: A vulnerable middle?," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 80(2), pages 1057-1081, January.
    2. Choyon Saha, 2015. "Dynamics of disaster-induced risk in southwestern coastal Bangladesh: an analysis on tropical Cyclone Aila 2009," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 75(1), pages 727-754, January.
    3. Jelena Kovačević-Majkić & Milena Panić & Dragana Miljanović & Radmila Miletić, 2014. "Vulnerability to natural disasters in Serbia: spatial and temporal comparison," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 72(2), pages 945-968, June.
    4. Itziar González Tánago & Julia Urquijo & Veit Blauhut & Fermín Villarroya & Lucia De Stefano, 2016. "Learning from experience: a systematic review of assessments of vulnerability to drought," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 80(2), pages 951-973, January.
    5. Emily Fucile-Sanchez & Meri Davlasheridze, 2020. "Adjustments of Socially Vulnerable Populations in Galveston County, Texas USA Following Hurricane Ike," Sustainability, MDPI, vol. 12(17), pages 1-23, August.
    6. Mohd Idris Nor Diana & Nurfashareena Muhamad & Mohd Raihan Taha & Ashraf Osman & Md. Mahmudul Alam, 2021. "Social Vulnerability Assessment for Landslide Hazards in Malaysia: A Systematic Review Study," Land, MDPI, vol. 10(3), pages 1-19, March.
    7. Elizabeth Jordan & Amy Javernick-Will & Kathleen Tierney, 2016. "Post-tsunami recovery in Tamil Nadu, India: combined social and infrastructural outcomes," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 84(2), pages 1327-1347, November.
    8. Zhe Huang & Emily Ying Yang Chan & Chi Shing Wong & Benny Chung Ying Zee, 2021. "Clustering of Socioeconomic Data in Hong Kong for Planning Better Community Health Protection," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 18(23), pages 1-21, November.
    9. S. Balica & N. Wright & F. Meulen, 2012. "A flood vulnerability index for coastal cities and its use in assessing climate change impacts," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 64(1), pages 73-105, October.
    10. Joseph Karanja & Lawrence M. Kiage, 2022. "Scale implications and evolution of a social vulnerability index in Atlanta, Georgia, USA," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 113(1), pages 789-812, August.
    11. Ann-Margaret Esnard & Alka Sapat & Diana Mitsova, 2011. "An index of relative displacement risk to hurricanes," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 59(2), pages 833-859, November.
    12. Meldrum, James R. & Champ, Patricia A. & Brenkert-Smith, Hannah & Barth, Christopher M. & McConnell, Abby E. & Wagner, Carolyn & Donovan, Colleen, 2024. "Rethinking cost-share programs in consideration of economic equity: A case study of wildfire risk mitigation assistance for private landowners," Ecological Economics, Elsevier, vol. 216(C).
    13. Harry W Fischer & Ashwini Chhatre, 2016. "Assets, livelihoods, and the ‘profile approach’ for analysis of differentiated social vulnerability in the context of climate change," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 48(4), pages 789-807, April.
    14. Jinan N. Allan & Joseph T. Ripberger & Wesley Wehde & Makenzie Krocak & Carol L. Silva & Hank C. Jenkins‐Smith, 2020. "Geographic Distributions of Extreme Weather Risk Perceptions in the United States," Risk Analysis, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 40(12), pages 2498-2508, December.
    15. Suzanne Phibbs & Christine Kenney & Graciela Rivera-Munoz & Thomas J. Huggins & Christina Severinsen & Bruce Curtis, 2018. "The Inverse Response Law: Theory and Relevance to the Aftermath of Disasters," IJERPH, MDPI, vol. 15(5), pages 1-25, May.
    16. A.-M. Esnard & B. S. Lai & C. Wyczalkowski & N. Malmin & H. J. Shah, 2018. "School vulnerability to disaster: examination of school closure, demographic, and exposure factors in Hurricane Ike’s wind swath," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 90(2), pages 513-535, January.
    17. Jungmin Lim & Mark Skidmore, 2019. "Flood Fatalities in the United States: The Roles of Socioeconomic Factors and the National Flood Insurance Program," Southern Economic Journal, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 85(4), pages 1032-1057, April.
    18. Itziar González Tánago & Julia Urquijo & Veit Blauhut & Fermín Villarroya & Lucia De Stefano, 2016. "Learning from experience: a systematic review of assessments of vulnerability to drought," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 80(2), pages 951-973, January.
    19. Richard Bernknopf & Paul Amos, 2014. "Measuring earthquake risk concentration for hazard mitigation," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 74(3), pages 2163-2192, December.
    20. Yago Martín & Marcos Rodrigues Mimbrero & María Zúñiga-Antón, 2017. "Community vulnerability to hazards: introducing local expert knowledge into the equation," Natural Hazards: Journal of the International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, Springer;International Society for the Prevention and Mitigation of Natural Hazards, vol. 89(1), pages 367-386, October.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:spr:nathaz:v:80:y:2016:i:2:d:10.1007_s11069-015-2051-9. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Sonal Shukla or Springer Nature Abstracting and Indexing (email available below). General contact details of provider: http://www.springer.com .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.