Understanding fire risk and disaster recovery in Chile through the eyes of the elderly

The case of Santa Olga, Chile.

Overview

Catastrophes triggered by extreme natural events are increasing globally, especially those associated to climate change. In fact, 90% of disasters occurred between 2005 and 2015 were related to extreme weather, an increase of 14% compared to the previous decade. In Chile, an average of US$950 million are spent annually on disaster reconstruction projects. The country has 54% of its population and 13% of its surface exposed to three or more natural hazards. Moreover, Chile presents 7 out of the 9 climate change vulnerability criteria established by the United Nations Framework Convention on Climate Change. Adopting a disaster risk reduction perspective is thus fundamental to pursue sustainable development.

Disasters are bad for everyone, but disproportionally worse for the most vulnerable groups which are less likely to be prepared for the events, more likely to suffer damage from them, less able to act during the emergency phase, slower to recover and reconstruct their lives (if ever), and more likely to present psychological long-term effects after them. A particularly relevant vulnerable group is that of the elderly. They often present physical limitations to move and evacuate freely, and struggle with coping with trauma and its long-term consequences, including displacement, and poor housing and healthcare conditions in disaster emergency and reconstruction. However, older people also play a significant, often unrecognised role in supporting the community throughout disasters in terms of memory, preparedness, and capacity building.

With this collaboration initiative, we seek to understand how structural change derived from disasters, in its physical, social, and policy dimensions, particularly impact the lives of senior citizens. To do so, we have conducted fieldwork (semi-structured interviews, focus groups) with senior citizens from the town of Santa Olga in central Chile, completely burned down in a firestorm in 2017. Through the elderly’s perspective, we aim to characterise the disaster recovery governance and identify how it includes (or not) provisions to account for the specific needs of the elderly throughout the disaster. Our interdisciplinary research approach spans across disaster studies, urban planning, and disaster risk governance. 

For more information about the research project, please contact Dr Felipe Rivera at f.rivera@ucl.ac.uk.

MediaCentral Widget Placeholderhttps://mediacentral.ucl.ac.uk/Player/j54FE1ie

Team

Professor Cassidy Johnson, PI, The Bartlett Development Planning Unit, UCL
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Dr Felipe Rivera, Researcher, UCL Civil, Environmental and Geomatic Engineering
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Dr Magdalena Gil, International Collaborator, School of Government, UC Chile
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Amanda Rivera, Documentary Director/Filmmaker

Camila Chackiel, Research Assistant, Institute of Sociology, UC Chile

Filmmaking crew:

Sebastián Meléndez, Director of Photography and Camera, Chancho de Barro
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Mario Muñoz and Max Godard, Sound recording)

Diego Velásquez Recine, Color Grading & Sound Mix
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Partners

Outputs

A research article about the case of Santa Olga’s recovery is currently in preparation.

In July 2024, the short documentary film "The Neighbours of Santa Olga" (9 min) was released. The film portrays the experiences of elder survivors to the 2017 fire that completely burned down Santa Olga. Seven years after the disaster, interviewees share their perspectives on disaster recovery, the meaning of home, community, overcoming trauma, and becoming an example for other communities losing their homes due to fires and disaster risk. This documentary was funded by the UCL Global Engagement Funds (23-24),  the School of Government at UC Chile, and the DPU Cluster Funds and DPU TAS funds. The film will be participating in documentary film festivals in the near future, and screenings are being organised in Chile, UK, and worldwide. Additionally, it will be available as teaching material in DPU.

Finally, a short educational capsule on fire mitigation and community preparedness will be released by September 2024, which will be made available to the public.