Comparative study of acting plans before volcanic risk (Chile, Costa Rica, El Salvador, Ecuador, Spain, Mexico, and Nicaragua)

Abstract

We make a comparison of the actions to reduce volcanic risk undertaken at some Latin American countries and Spain. The aim of this study is to investigate whether the socioeconomic status of a country relates to the effectiveness of volcanic risk prevention measures in use. We also aim to analyze the causes and the work methods used in order to learn about them and finally evaluate the applicability to other natural risks. We analyze these aspects according to 4 main points: 1) general knowledge about risk awareness, 2) prevention and hazard monitoring plans, 3) emergency plans and crisis management and 4) educational plans.
The final comparative analysis indicates that the first point of the study is in direct proportion to the socioeconomic status of the countries, being Mexico and Spain the countries with a greater knowledge of the risk, followed by Chile, Costa Rica and Ecuador. However, this does not apply in the case of education plans, where El Salvador and Nicaragua are showing the best positions even if they have the lowest index of human development, after the United Nations.