LVI. PERCEPCIÓN DEL RIESGO DE DESASTRES. EL CASO DE “EL PLACER” EN EL DISTRITO METROPOLITANO DE QUITO-ECUADOR

Abstract

The perception of disaster risk of the population of "El Placer" in Quito-Ecuador, its
relationship with economic income and the availability of their own means to face them are
what motivated this research. Methodology: qualitative-quantitative, non-experimental,
cross-sectional, exploratory in nature to 898 people to obtain the following results: the
sample is distributed in 60% men and 40% women, 71% between 25-54 years where 74%
receives income equal to or greater than $ 800. Seismic movements, landslides and crime are
perceived as threats of “high” concern and that could trigger a disaster, they consider that
their level of risk will increase over time mainly due to the intervention of the same
community. Only 20% of the sample think that they have the basic means to initially face an
adverse event and have an emergency financial fund, family emergency plan and / or
emergency backpack. When correlating economic income with the means to face an event,
it was found that there is a relationship between the variables, mainly with the economic
fund. Conclusions: risk perception is a fundamental tool for community participation in
disaster risk management processes, be these: preventive, reactive and / or corrective, the
inadequate perception of the levels of disaster risk to which it is exposed a community, can
diminish the capacities to respond to the materialization of threats.