COMMUNITY HAZARD PERCEPTIONS AND DISASTER PREPAREDNESS BEFORE AND AFTER THE 2005 ERUPTION OF SANTA ANA (ILAMATEPEC) VOLCANO, EL SALVADOR

Through semi-structured interviews, participant observation, and NGO resources a five-month-long study was conducted in the small, rural community of Los Planes de La Laguna on the eastern flank of Santa Ana (Ilamatepec) volcano in western El Salvador. The aims of this research were to better understand community perspectives and personal experiences during the 1 October 2005 eruption and, using that information, try to assess the level of current disaster preparedness following the eruption and subsequent community contact with an NGO whose mission it was to increase awareness and help locals plan for a future crisis. Prior to the eruption, there was much skepticism in the warnings given by the authorities and scientists. A majority of community members interviewed did not believe the volcano would erupt. These feelings, along with other factors, made it difficult for people to evacuate their homes and abandon their farmlands; therefore, no one in Los Planes evacuated or prepared adequately prior to the eruption. Knowing how people interpret the event three years post-eruption is important in understanding, or even predicting, what the community’s reaction might be during a possible future crisis. A wide range of responses to the interview questions dedicated to assessing current levels of preparedness and perceptions indicates that people were affected differently by the eruption. This information might be of use to aid groups, NGOs, and local authorities in devising a more effective strategy that better meets the community’s needs during future disasters.

The objectives of the research made it necessary to reside in the community for an extended period of time while gathering data and forming relationships with key informants. Similar projects conducted over a longer duration where qualitative data gathering methods are used (i.e. during the two-year service of a Peace Corps Volunteer) could be very useful in permitting project designs that are typically difficult to employ during a normal Masters program. Michigan Technological University is using similar approaches in its Peace Corps Masters International Program in trying to create longer-term projects designed around social geology.