ANALYSIS OF LOCAL RISK PERCEPTION IN THE EVENT OF A TSUNAMI – A CASE STUDY IN MANTA, COASTAL ECUADOR

Abstract

Local perception of risk is a determinant of urban vulnerability. Accordingly, this research addresses the analysis of local perception of the risk of tsunami hazards occurrences and this case study focuses on an area of the Tarqui parish in the city of Manta in coastal Ecuador. This work also presents the possible tsunamigenic seismic source in the subduction zone of the study area. The Tarqui Zone is located within a coastal and fluvial landscape that currently the enlargement of the urban limit has obstructed the free flow of these systems. Based on the tsunami hazard map for the city of Manta, we determined that there are 392 sites in an area with high susceptibility to flooding. There are also 996 sites with medium susceptibility to floods in a zone of maximum influence between the levels of 7 to 20 m.a.s.l, sites in which the flood processes and corresponding erosion may not be very intense. In addition, the perception of this hazard was strengthened using context indicators on local tsunami risk perception based on a survey format for heads of households. In this regard, the given surveys indicate that 29 per cent of the population is in a state of high vulnerability, 63 per cent are in a situation of medium vulnerability and only 8 per cent are in a position of low vulnerability. With the obtained results we realized curves of frequency of perception of the population regarding this hazard, which will serve for the authorities to improve their response plans.

Keywords

• tsunami hazards
• flooding
• social vulnerability
• ecuador