Comprehensive risk management of hydrometeorological disaster: A participatory approach in the metropolitan area of Puerto Vallarta, Mexico

Abstract

Nowadays, the reduction of disasters demands a multi-hazard and multi-agent approach. For this reason, in this work, participatory action research is carried out to construct a comprehensive risk management agenda. For this research, we studied the case of the metropolitan area of Puerto Vallarta, which repeatedly faces disasters associated with hydrometeorological phenomena. We performed a network and vulnerability progression analysis; and constructed the pressure and release model. The root causes were the scarce incentives to invest in risk prevention, the lack of verification of compliance with environmental regulations, and the elimination of the Fund for Natural Disasters. The central dynamic pressures were the accelerated demographic growth associated with the touristic development, the absence of a metropolitan territory ordering program, the lack of knowledge on the subject among the population, the scarce resources, and the incipient alliances. These pressures cause unsafe conditions characterized by physical, economic, and social fragilities, which interact with hazards like tropical cyclones, strong winds, floods, dengue, and COVID-19, causing disasters. Afterward, we elaborated the agenda for the comprehensive management of hydrometeorological risks; it included 21 main actions distributed in six axes. This agenda incorporates the stages of comprehensive risk management and the four priorities of the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction. Stakeholders' participation in elaborating the agenda could contribute to its appropriation and implementation in the current regulatory framework.