Abstract
Volcán de Fuego (Guatemala) is capable of large (VEI?2) explosive eruptions like that of June 2018, which triggered pyroclastic flows that devastated the community of San Miguel Los Lotes, causing hundreds of fatalities and severe long-term socio-economic impacts. Future volcanic risk mitigation efforts are likely to involve temporary evacuation of local communities, the success of which requires co-operation between locals, scientists, and decision-makers. However, how locals' experiences of eruptive activity influence their responses to evacuation has not been studied in detail. We investigated these themes through semi-structured interviews that focussed on direct experience as opposed to volcanic risk perception, revealing substantial differences between scientists' and locals' observations of Fuego’s activity. Furthermore, a disparity emerged between communities on Fuego's west and east flanks in terms of direct prior eruption experience and communication with authorities. These findings have serious implications for future evacuation efforts at Fuego and at other highly populated volcanoes.
Highlights
On 3rd June 2018, an explosive paroxysmal eruption of Volcán de Fuego (“Chi’gag” in Kaqchikel Maya), an active stratovolcano in southern Guatemala, generated a series of pyroclastic flows that descended Barranca Las Lajas and buried the community of San Miguel Los Lotes. 332 people have been reported as offi-Fireside tales: Volcán de FuegoNaismith et al, 2020 ular, media focussed on the different fates of geographically close communities: why did the private golf resort of La Reunión successfully evacuate, yet Los Lotes, two kilometres further south, suffer such extensive human loss [Tobar 2018]?
We found at Fuego that western locals were so trusting that they were willing to outsource decisions on evacuation to INSIVUMEH and the observers of OVFGO1, similar to the “trust and responsibility” cause cited by Wachinger et al [2013] for the disconnect between risk perception and preparedness
Our research contributes to the debate of direct experience of eruptive activity and evacuation through an in-depth case study conducted over two years at the active Volcán de Fuego in Guatemala
Summary
On 3rd June 2018, an explosive paroxysmal eruption of Volcán de Fuego (“Chi’gag” in Kaqchikel Maya), an active stratovolcano in southern Guatemala, generated a series of pyroclastic flows that descended Barranca Las Lajas and buried the community of San Miguel Los Lotes. 332 people have been reported as offi-Fireside tales: Volcán de FuegoNaismith et al, 2020 ular, media focussed on the different fates of geographically close communities: why did the private golf resort of La Reunión successfully evacuate, yet Los Lotes, two kilometres further south, suffer such extensive human loss [Tobar 2018]?. By investigating the different ways in which people experience Fuego’s eruptive activity, and the factors that influence evacuation, this paper provides possible explanations and future actions to prevent these situations from happening again It highlights the importance of understanding local residents’ priorities, interests and decisionmaking processes when managing volcanic risk. As this paper reports, authorities believe that locals have the capacity and responsibility to recognize changes in volcanic activity and to self-evacuate when volcanic risk becomes intolerable It is precisely this difference in opinion that continues to generate risk for the people living near Volcán de Fuego. This paper argues that understanding differences in experiences of previous eruptions and in volcanic risk tolerance between locals and authorities is critical to effective volcanic risk mitigation (including evacuation) It does so through an exploration of the diverse coping strategies and important factors that influence peoples’ decisionmaking in the face of volcanic crisis. Local residents benefit from the greater security of such alternative livelihoods and Presses universitaires de rasbourg
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