COMMUNITY PERCEPTIONS ABOUT ADVERSE EVENTS IN LA LAGUNITA-SUCRE (VENEZUELA)

Abstract

In recent decades there has been an accelerated growth of unplanned urban communities in Venezuela, motivated by factors associated with the rural exodus that began in the middle of the last century, building risk spaces that have been affected by the occurrence of adverse events, for which it is required to know the social representations of those affected. For this reason, the research had as intention to interpret the social representations of the inhabitants of the community La Lagunita-Sucre about the adverse events that occurred in it. It was an interpretative study, in which the hermeneutical method was used to reach the findings. For its development, ten key informants were chosen through a criteria-based sampling to whom an in-depth interview was applied. The findings of the study were organized into three emerging categories: a) The Lagunita – Sucre... between dawn and the earthquake; b) Mass removal movements, part of community history; c) A community, a multi-threat space. The interpretation made it possible to understand that it is essential to promote awareness about risk scenarios and educate the community to prepare for and mitigate the effects of disasters.