Showing papers on "Natural disaster published in 2016"

Rapid assessment of disaster damage using social media activity.

Abstract: Could social media data aid in disaster response and damage assessment? Countries face both an increasing frequency and an increasing intensity of natural disasters resulting from climate change. During such events, citizens turn to social media platforms for disaster-related communication and information. Social media improves situational awareness, facilitates dissemination of emergency information, enables early warning systems, and helps coordinate relief efforts. In addition, the spatiotemporal distribution of disaster-related messages helps with the real-time monitoring and assessment of the disaster itself. We present a multiscale analysis of Twitter activity before, during, and after Hurricane Sandy. We examine the online response of 50 metropolitan areas of the United States and find a strong relationship between proximity to Sandy's path and hurricane-related social media activity. We show that real and perceived threats, together with physical disaster effects, are directly observable through the intensity and composition of Twitter's message stream. We demonstrate that per-capita Twitter activity strongly correlates with the per-capita economic damage inflicted by the hurricane. We verify our findings for a wide range of disasters and suggest that massive online social networks can be used for rapid assessment of damage caused by a large-scale disaster.

Towards a research agenda for post-disaster and post-crisis recovery strategies for tourist destinations: a narrative review

Abstract: This paper presents the results of a review of the literature concerning post-disaster and post-crisis recovery for tourist destinations. A total of 64 articles on this topic published in peer-reviewed tourism journals between January 2000 and June 2012 were included in the review. These articles were written on a number of different disaster contexts, including weather-related events (floods and hurricanes), natural disasters (earthquakes and tsunami) and other events (such as pandemics and terrorist attacks). The key themes that emerged included a lack of communication between stakeholders, media sensationalism, the importance of selecting the most effective marketing messages, lack of disaster-management plans, damage to destination image and reputation, and the changes in tourist behaviour following crises and disasters. The review identifies ways to improve the speed and effectiveness of response to disaster, the importance of relationship marketing with loyal customers and the need to quickly repair...

Unbreakable: Building the Resilience of the Poor in the Face of Natural Disasters

Abstract: Economic losses from natural disasters totaled 92 billion dollars in 2015. Such statements, all too commonplace, assess the severity of disasters by no other measure than the damage inflicted on buildings, infrastructure, and agricultural production. But 1 dollars in losses does not mean the same thing to a rich person that it does to a poor person; the gravity of a $92 billion loss depends on who experiences it. By focusing on aggregate losses—the traditional approach todisaster risk—we restrict our consideration to how disasters affect those wealthy enough to have assets to lose in the first place, and largely ignore the plight of poor people.This report moves beyond asset and production losses and shifts its attention to how natural disasters affect people’s well-being. Disasters are far greater threats to well-being than traditional estimates suggest. This approach provides a more nuanced view of natural disasters than usual reporting, and a perspective that takes fuller account of poor people’s vulnerabilities. Poor people suffer only a fraction of economic losses caused by disasters, but they bear the brunt of their consequences. Understanding the disproportionate vulnerability of poor people also makes the case for setting new intervention priorities to lessen the impact of natural disasters on the world’s poor, such as expanding financial inclusion, disaster risk and health insurance, social protection and adaptive safety nets, contingent finance and reserve funds, and universal access to early warning systems.Efforts to reduce disaster risk and poverty go hand in hand. Because disasters impoverish so many, disaster risk management is inseparable from poverty reduction policy, and vice versa. As climate change magnifies natural hazards, and because protection infrastructure alone cannot eliminate risk, a more resilient population has never been more critical to breaking the cycle of disaster-induced poverty.

UAV-assisted disaster management: Applications and open issues

Abstract: The fast-paced development of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAVs) and their use in different domains, opens a new paradigm on their use in natural disaster management. In UAV-assisted disaster management applications, UAVs not only survey the affected area but also assist in establishing the communication network between the disaster survivors, rescue teams and nearest available cellular infrastructure. This paper identifies main disaster management applications of UAV networks and discusses open research issues related to UAV-assisted disaster management.

Top-down assessment of disaster resilience: A conceptual framework using coping and adaptive capacities

Abstract: Assessment of disaster resilience using an index is often a key element of natural hazard management and planning. Many assessments have been undertaken worldwide. Emerging from these are a set of seven common properties that should be considered in the design of any disaster resilience assessment: assessment purpose, top-down or bottom-up assessment, assessment scale, conceptual framework, structural design, indicator selection, data analysis and index computation and reporting and interpretation. We introduce the design of an Australian Natural Disaster Resilience Index (ANDRI) according to the common properties of resilience assessment. The ANDRI takes a top-down approach using indicators derived from secondary data with national coverage. The ANDRI is a hierarchical design based on coping and adaptive capacities representing the potential for disaster resilience. Coping capacity is the means by which people or organizations use available resources, skills and opportunities to face adverse consequences that could lead to a disaster. Adaptive capacity is the arrangements and processes that enable adjustment through learning, adaptation and transformation. Coping capacity is divided into themes of social character, economic capital, infrastructure and planning, emergency services, community capital and information and engagement. Adaptive capacity is divided into themes of governance, policy and leadership and social and community engagement. Indicators are collected to determine the status of each theme. As assessments of disaster resilience develop worldwide, reporting of their design as standard practice will track knowledge generation in the field and enhance the relationship between applied disaster resilience assessment and foundational principles of disaster resilience.

A measurement of community disaster resilience in Korea

Abstract: Building a community that is resilient to disasters has become one of the main goals of disaster management. Communities that are more disaster resilient often experience less impact from the disaster and reduced recovery periods afterwards. This study develops a methodology for constructing a set of indicators measuring Community Disaster Resilience Index (CDRI) in terms of human, social, economic, environmental, and institutional factors. In this study, the degree of community resilience to natural disasters was measured for 229 local municipalities in Korea, followed by an examination of the relationship between the aggregated CDRI and disaster losses, using an ordinary least squares (OLS) regression method and a geographically weighted regression (GWR) method. Identifying the extent of community resilience to natural disasters would provide emergency managers and decision-makers with strategic directions for improving local communities' resilience to natural disasters while reducing the negative impacts of disasters.

Rapid and Near Real-Time Assessments of Population Displacement Using Mobile Phone Data Following Disasters: The 2015 Nepal Earthquake.

Abstract: INTRODUCTION: Sudden impact disasters often result in the displacement of large numbers of people. These movements can occur prior to events, due to early warning messages, or take place post-event due to damages to shelters and livelihoods as well as a result of long-term reconstruction efforts. Displaced populations are especially vulnerable and often in need of support. However, timely and accurate data on the numbers and destinations of displaced populations are extremely challenging to collect across temporal and spatial scales, especially in the aftermath of disasters. Mobile phone call detail records were shown to be a valid data source for estimates of population movements after the 2010 Haiti earthquake, but their potential to provide near real-time ongoing measurements of population displacements immediately after a natural disaster has not been demonstrated. METHODS: A computational architecture and analytical capacity were rapidly deployed within nine days of the Nepal earthquake of 25th April 2015, to provide spatiotemporally detailed estimates of population displacements from call detail records based on movements of 12 million de-identified mobile phones users. RESULTS: Analysis shows the evolution of population mobility patterns after the earthquake and the patterns of return to affected areas, at a high level of detail. Particularly notable is the movement of an estimated 390,000 people above normal from the Kathmandu valley after the earthquake, with most people moving to surrounding areas and the highly-populated areas in the central southern area of Nepal. DISCUSSION: This analysis provides an unprecedented level of information about human movement after a natural disaster, provided within a very short timeframe after the earthquake occurred. The patterns revealed using this method are almost impossible to find through other methods, and are of great interest to humanitarian agencies. Language: en

Patterns and Limitations of Urban Human Mobility Resilience under the Influence of Multiple Types of Natural Disaster.

Abstract: Natural disasters pose serious threats to large urban areas, therefore understanding and predicting human movements is critical for evaluating a population’s vulnerability and resilience and developing plans for disaster evacuation, response and relief. However, only limited research has been conducted into the effect of natural disasters on human mobility. This study examines how natural disasters influence human mobility patterns in urban populations using individuals’ movement data collected from Twitter. We selected fifteen destructive cases across five types of natural disaster and analyzed the human movement data before, during, and after each event, comparing the perturbed and steady state movement data. The results suggest that the power-law can describe human mobility in most cases and that human mobility patterns observed in steady states are often correlated with those in perturbed states, highlighting their inherent resilience. However, the quantitative analysis shows that this resilience has its limits and can fail in more powerful natural disasters. The findings from this study will deepen our understanding of the interaction between urban dwellers and civil infrastructure, improve our ability to predict human movement patterns during natural disasters, and facilitate contingency planning by policymakers.

A people-centred perspective on climate change, environmental stress, and livelihood resilience in Bangladesh.

Abstract: The Ganges–Brahmaputra delta enables Bangladesh to sustain a dense population, but it also exposes people to natural hazards. This article presents findings from the Gibika project, which researches livelihood resilience in seven study sites across Bangladesh. This study aims to understand how people in the study sites build resilience against environmental stresses, such as cyclones, floods, riverbank erosion, and drought, and in what ways their strategies sometimes fail. The article applies a new methodology for studying people’s decision making in risk-prone environments: the personal Livelihood History interviews (N = 28). The findings show how environmental stress, shocks, and disturbances affect people’s livelihood resilience and why adaptation measures can be unsuccessful. Floods, riverbank erosion, and droughts cause damage to agricultural lands, crops, houses, and properties. People manage to adapt by modifying their agricultural practices, switching to alternative livelihoods, or using migration as an adaptive strategy. In the coastal study sites, cyclones are a severe hazard. The study reveals that when a cyclone approaches, people sometimes choose not to evacuate: they put their lives at risk to protect their livelihoods and properties. Future policy and adaptation planning must use lessons learned from people currently facing environmental stress and shocks.

Toward more resilient flood risk governance

Abstract: Countries all over the world face increasing flood risks because of urbanization and the effects of climate change. In Europe, flooding is the most common of all natural disasters and accounts for the largest number of casualties and highest amount of economic damage. The current scientific debate on how urban agglomerations can be made more resilient to these flood risks includes a discussion on how a diversification, coordination, and alignment of flood risk management strategies (FRMSs), including flood risk prevention through proactive spatial planning, flood defense, flood risk mitigation, flood preparation, and flood recovery, can contribute to flood resilience. Although effective implementation of FRMSs can be considered a necessary precondition for resilience, efficient and legitimate flood risk governance can enhance this societal resilience to flooding. Governance and legal research has the potential to provide crucial insights into the debate on how to improve resilience. Yet the social sciences have only looked into this issue in a fragmented manner, often without a comparative scope. This special feature addresses this knowledge gap by focusing on the scope and workings of FRMSs, but also on cross-cutting topics such as uncertainties, distributional effects, solidarity, knowledge management, and citizen participation. The papers included in this feature are written by both policy analysts and legal scholars. The above-mentioned issues are thus approached via a multidisciplinary perspective. All papers convincingly show that one-size-fits-all solutions for appropriate and resilient flood risk governance arrangements do not exist. Governance arrangements should be tailored to the existing physical, socio-cultural, and institutional context. This requires an open and transparent debate between scientists and practitioners on the normative starting point of flood risk governance, a clear division of responsibilities, the establishment of connectivity between actors, levels, and sectors through bridging mechanisms, and adequate knowledge infrastructures, both nationally and internationally

Knowledge management and tourism recovery (de)marketing: the Christchurch earthquakes 2010–2011

Abstract: New Zealand has a history of deadly earthquakes, the most recent of which in Christchurch (2010–2011) has had major consequences for the tourism sector. Tourism destinations affected by major natural disasters face significant challenges during the response and recovery phases. Christchurch lost a large proportion of its lifelines infrastructure and accommodation capacity, and experienced an unprecedented drop in domestic and international visitor arrivals. The theoretical frameworks informing this paper come from the fields of tourism disaster planning, knowledge management and recovery marketing. They inform an empirical study that draws upon qualitative expert interviews with national and regional destination management organizations regarding their experience of the Christchurch earthquakes. The findings of this research highlight the critical importance of knowledge management and effective inter-agency collaboration and communication in the immediate disaster response, as well as during the developm...

Trust and risk perception of natural hazards: implications for risk preparedness in Chile

Abstract: It has been found that both preparedness for disasters and public response are significantly influenced by risk perceptions and trust in authorities and experts. Although Chile is a country with a long history of natural disasters, few studies have evaluated the risk perceptions of natural hazards or the degree of social trust. The aim of this study was to evaluate risk perception in Chile regarding various natural hazards and the degree of trust on authorities and institutions. A survey was conducted in five major cities in Chile during the year 2013 and was completed by a total sum of 2054 participants. We assessed risk perception of nine natural hazards and the level of trust in ten national institutions and authorities. According to declared levels of trust, the institutions and authorities included in this study were categorized into three groups: (1) low trust, which included governmental authorities and institutions; (2) medium trust, formed by institutions with educational and preparation roles; and (3) high trust, formed by institutions and authorities responsible for maintaining public order and conducting rescue and aid operations. Although our results show that earthquakes, tsunamis and wildfires were natural hazards of greatest concern to the national population, they also reflect that there are specific additional concerns in different cities that are coherent with their individual history of natural disasters. Implications for natural disaster risk preparedness are discussed.

Risk and Adaptation: Evidence from Global Hurricane Damages and Fatalities

Abstract: We examine whether countries adapt to hurricanes. A spatially refined global tropical cyclone data set is created to test for adaptation. We find evidence of adaptation in most of the world by examining the effects of income, population density, and storm frequency on damage and fatalities. In contrast, there is no evidence of adaptation to damage in the United States, leading to a damage function which is 14 times higher than other developed (OECD) countries.

Multicriteria Decision-Making Method for Sustainable Site Location of Post-Disaster Temporary Housing in Urban Areas

Abstract: Many people lose their homes around the world every year because of natural disasters, such as earthquakes, tsunamis, and hurricanes. In the aftermath of a natural disaster, the displaced people (DP) have to move to temporary housing (TH) and do not have the ability to choose the settlement dimensions, distributions, neighborhood, or other characteristics of their TH. Additionally, post-disaster settlement construction causes neighborhood changes, environmental degradation, and large-scale public expenditures. This paper presents a new model to support decision makers in choosing site locations for TH. The model is capable of determining the optimal site location based on the integration of economic, social, and environmental aspects into the whole life cycle of these houses. The integrated value model for sustainable assessment (MIVES), a multicriteria decision making (MCDM) model, is used to assess the sustainability of the aforementioned aspects, and MIVES includes the value function concept, w...

Natural disasters and social conflict: A systematic literature review

Abstract: Natural disasters often result in fatalities, injuries, diseases and other negative physical and mental health effects. Indirectly, disasters can result in social grievances and resource scarcities which can trigger social conflicts. Despite the many natural disaster studies, however, little attention has been devoted to the study of conflicts following a natural disaster. Through a systematic literature review from 1986 to 2013, this paper examines social conflicts resulting from natural disasters. In this paper, a three-dimensional analysis, Description-Theme-Mechanism, is used to combine and analyze the current state of research, with the ultimate goal of clarifying the concept of social conflicts arising from natural disasters, summarizing existing research on the links between natural disasters and social conflicts, determining any significant rules and trends, and providing recommendations and directions for future research. Language: en

Perceptions of tourism impacts and community resilience to natural disasters

Abstract: Evidence since at least the 1990s suggests that global climate patterns have undergone dramatic changes, often resulting in weather-induced natural disasters that have caused widespread environmental damage. Such conditions raise serious threats to communities that are dependent on natural resources and ecosystem services for tourism development. Communities located in high-risk disaster regions face greater challenges in developing a tourism economy that is both resilient and sustainable. Residents in these communities live with a constant awareness of external threats and try to build a degree of resilience that includes traditional disaster prevention measures and a long history of post-disaster reconstruction. It is necessary to understanding the relationships between tourism and community resilience to address planning and development goals in an era of increasing climate uncertainty.Three communities are examined that are regularly exposed to the threats of typhoons and flooding and are loca...

Loss and damage from typhoon-induced floods and landslides in the Philippines: community perceptions on climate impacts and adaptation options

Abstract: Loss and damage from floods and landslides are escalating in the Philippines due to increasing frequency and intensity of typhoons This paper investigates the types and scale of loss and damage in two municipalities that were affected by typhoon-induced floods and landslides in 2004 and 2012 It assesses people's preferences on adaptation measures and perceptions on human-nature links on occurrence of disasters It reveals that human loss and property damage are causing psychological distress to affected people, undermining capacity to adapt to the next disasters Many vulnerable people are not aware of the link between climate and land use change Moreover, many depend on unsustainable land use for source of livelihoods particularly after disasters The preference for measures to reduce landslide risks through reforestation and logging/mining prevention is thus low Insurance is not a preferred mechanism for reducing risks because regular payment of premium is not affordable to vulnerable people

“We are more scared of the power elites than the floods”: Adaptive capacity and resilience of wetland community to flash flood disasters in Bangladesh

Abstract: Studies on disaster risk reduction primarily centers on the research streams of vulnerability and resilience. The concept of adaptive capacity is central to both streams of study and has profound implications for disaster risk reduction. Drawing insights from both streams, we examined the adaptive capacity of wetland communities with regards to flash flood disasters. Focusing on societal dimensions, we investigated how the interplay of institutions, community power structures, and human agency shape adaptive capacity of wetland communities. We employed the “dominant-less dominant” research methodological framework, and followed a 4-tier study design: i) a household survey, ii) a semi-structured questionnaire survey, iii) oral history interviews, and iv) key informant interviews. Our findings revealed that wetland communities in the region are highly vulnerable to flash flood hazards. Local community members were conditioned, chiefly by the asymmetrical social power structure, to feel helpless in the face of natural disasters. Their reactive recovery measures have resulted in maladaptation and in their becoming passive towards risk mitigation for future floods. However, transformative patterns were also observed in a large proportion of the population, wherein community members modified or changed their behavior to achieve longer-term sustainability and risk mitigation. We concluded that in designing development interventions to enhance adaptive capacity, consideration must be given to the diverse range of skills and educational development among the local population.

Poverty and natural disasters — a qualitative survey of the empirical literature

Abstract: The last few years have seen an explosion of economic research on the consequences of natural disasters. This new interest is attributable first and foremost to a growing awareness of the potentially catastrophic nature of these events, but also a result of the increasing awareness that natural disasters are social and economic events: their impact is shaped as much by the structure and characteristics of the countries they hit as by their physical characteristics. Here, we survey the literature that examines the direct and indirect impact of natural disaster events specifically on the poor and their impact on the distribution of income within affected communities and societies. We also discuss some of the lacunae in this literature and outline a future agenda of investigation.

Adaptive capacity and coping response strategies to natural disasters: A study in Nigeria

Abstract: Much of the strategies employed in managing natural disasters in Nigeria have been reactive, while efforts at embracing preparedness have been lean. Evidence from literature as well as global experiences however shows that factors which increase adaptive capacity to disasters are ex-ante risk reducing strategies. In this light, the study focuses on factors influencing adaptive capacity of households and individuals and describes level of preparedness to natural disaster occurrences. A sample of 1116 individuals was obtained from six states spread across the geopolitical zones of Nigeria for a questionnaire survey. With the use of a binary logit model, we attempt to explain the severity or non-severity of the negative effects of natural disaster outcomes using adaptive capacity/vulnerability variables. The results show that households making use of unapproved dump sites for solid waste disposal, those with inferior roof construction materials, and those located in the rural areas were more likely to experience increased severe negative effects from natural disaster occurrences. Moreover, factors such as a lack of personal savings, agriculture based livelihoods and a single income source increased the odds of experiencing severe negative effects from natural disasters for individuals. We also discuss coping strategies adopted by individuals and households in the aftermath of natural disasters. Much of these represent informal mechanisms and we find that some of these strategies may not be entirely beneficial to individuals and households in the long run.

Confronting drought in Africa’s drylands : opportunities for enhancing resilience

Abstract: In response to a series of humanitarian crises, especially the drought-induced emergencies that occurred in the Horn of Africa in 2011 and the Sahel in 2012, national governments and the international development community have scaled up efforts to tackle the challenge of vulnerability in drylands through initiatives such as the global alliance for resilience (AGIR) - Sahel and West Africa and the global alliance for action for drought resilience and growth. This book focuses on what should be the focus of the next generation of interventions aimed at enhancing the resilience of dryland populations in the face of demographic, economic, environmental, and climatic change. As competition for resources intensifies, conflicts over land, water, and feed are likely to multiply, reducing the ability of governments, development agencies, and local communities to manage the impacts of droughts and other shocks. In this context, building resilience to droughts and other shocks is of paramount importance. This book focuses on the medium-term prospects for increasing the resilience to drought and other shocks of people living in dryland areas of East and West Africa. Over the longer run, structural transformation of the economy may generate opportunities for new livelihood activities that are less vulnerable to the impacts of droughts and other shocks. In the short to medium term, however, the key policy question concerns the extent to which current livelihoods can be made more resilient. In that context, this book examines two main areas of intervention, which are considered complementary: improving current livelihood activities; and strengthening social protection programs including safety nets.

Land use planning for disaster risk reduction and climate change adaptation: Operationalizing policy and legislation at local levels

Abstract: Purpose The Hyogo Framework for Action focussed disaster risk reduction (DRR) on land-use planning, with international agencies, research organisations and national governments recognising the importance of DRR through hazard informed land-use planning. This paper aims to examine the roles of planners in reducing hazard risk through settlement design, land-use plans and legislation, and identify shortcomings and constraints towards achieving Disaster Risk Reduction. Design/methodology/approach The paper uses community-based research from Australia, Thailand and Indonesia to discuss land-use planning in local governance frameworks following major disasters, including cyclone, flood and tsunami. Findings This paper shows that land-use planning systems are still primarily geared toward promoting and facilitating development and have not evolved sufficiently to take account of DRR and climate change. Social implications Land-use planning frameworks for hazard-resilient communities remain disconnected from the emergency management and disaster risk reduction systems. The goal to create disaster-resilient communities through the land-use planning systems requires a fundamental change to the way in which planning is conceptualised and practised. Social equity is also a huge issue where investment focuses on urban development. Originality/value The study contributes to an understanding of the opportunities and constraints for land-use planning to enhance climate change adaptation and disaster risk reduction through legislation, policies, regional and local statutory planning schemes, enforceable planning and development controls and building codes.

Natural Disaster Response, Community Resilience, and Economic Capacity: A Case Study of Coastal Florida

Abstract: The strength and resiliency of regional economic and social structure play an important role in responding to and recovering from natural disasters. In this research, we address the economic resilience of coastal regions to natural disasters using county-level panel data. Results suggest that regions with stronger economies before the disaster experienced lower disaster losses. Thus, strengthening economic conditions before disasters strike can help minimize a region’s vulnerability to future damage. Further, existing socioeconomic conditions and social capital attributes improved local resiliency as long as exogenous baseline assumptions were well managed or maintained after a natural disaster. Policy implications of these findings are that increasing the adaptive capacity of counties should result in achieving wider societal goals that support resilient coastal development.

Perceptions of community resilience after natural disaster in a rural australian town

Abstract: Individual resilience is a well-established concept within the field of psychology. However, community resilience is an emerging field of study particularly within the context of natural disasters and other adversities. This article reports a qualitative study related to community resilience in a rural Australian town. This particular community was affected by a series of flood events in 2010/2011, one of which necessitated the total evacuation of the entire town. The results from the study highlighted concepts associated with community resilience including: social connectedness, optimistic acceptance, learning tolerance and patience, and learning from the past for the future. We conclude that social capital forms a vital part of community resilience, and although resilience is tested only during times of adversity, social capital needs to be developed well prior to the anticipation of natural disasters.

The Fiscal Cost of Hurricanes: Disaster Aid Versus Social Insurance

Abstract: Little is known about the fiscal costs of natural disasters, especially regarding social safety nets that do not specifically target extreme weather events This paper shows that US hurricanes lead to substantial increases in non-disaster government transfers, such as unemployment insurance and public medical payments, in affected counties in the decade after a hurricane The present value of this increase significantly exceeds that of direct disaster aid This implies, among other things, that the fiscal costs of natural disasters have been significantly underestimated and that victims in developed countries are better insured against them than previously thought

Beyond "natural-disasters-are-not-natural": The work of state and nature after the 2010 earthquake in Chile

Abstract: Since the 1970s, human ecologists, geographers, Marxian political economists and others have insisted that there is no such thing as a 'natural' disaster. This assertion opened a space not only for exploring socioeconomic conditions that render marginalized populations vulnerable to natural hazards, but also for the formation of a field, the political ecology of hazards. A few political ecologists further interrogated the idea of a natural disaster, asking how different notions of 'the natural' circulate in post-disaster politics and with what effects. This article extends the latter approach by documenting how interconnected categories of 'nature' and 'state' were mutually constituted by narratives of politicians and elites after Chile's 2010 earthquake and tsunami. Drawing on media reports, we identify three distinct pairings of state/nature: (1) nature as manageable and the state as manager; (2) nature as out of control and the state as a police state; and (3) nature as financial opportunity and the state as prudential. Influenced by socioeconomic and historical factors, these state/nature pairings contradicted and reinforced one another in the disaster's aftermath and were deployed to reinforce top-down—rather than democratic—strategies of post-disaster reconstruction. This case offers an unusual approach to disaster politics by tracing how entwined and power-laden categories of state and nature condition the governance of disaster reconstruction processes. Key words: disaster, state, nature, socionature, political ecology of hazards, media disaster, earthquake, Latin America, Chile, 27F