Disaster Risk Management Plans for Resilience in Populated Areas the Foothills of the Andes of Ecuador. Chimbo Canton Case

Abstract

By concentrating the population infrastructure, economic activities and livehoods, population areas, present greater exposure to the effects of disasters, for this reason, it is necessary to develop risk management plans that comprehensively guide disaster risk reduction in the territories. The study was developed in the parishes of the Chimbo canton, which is located in the foothills of the western mountain range of the Ecuadorian Andes, with the objective of "developing disaster risk management plans to strengthen capacities for community security and resilience". Methodologically, the research was based on a qualitative and participatory approach, information from official sources at the national and local level was systematized, the cartography was processed and elaborated using the ArcGis 10.3 software and complemented with fieldwork, the results were socialized and validated with territorial actors who contributed to adapting the plans to the local reality. The outcome was five risk management plans for the intervention parishes (San José, San Sebastián, Asunción, Magdalena and Telimbela), which contain the components of diagnosis, proposal and management model. As a conclusion, disaster risk management plans developed in a participatory manner are instruments for strengthening the capacities and resilience of populations at the local level and the methodology and experience can be replicated in other territories.