It has risk, but in my house no: Analysis of the environmental perception of risk of the community Amazonas, Petrópolis - RJ.
Disasters; Environmental Perception of Risk; Vulnerability; Risk, Geography.
This research aims to analyze the perception of the resident population in risk areas in the Amazonas community, located in the city of Petrópolis-RJ. This region presents different degrees of risk related to mass movements and has experienced these disasters in the last decades. It is understood that the technical studies on the risks are not enough to understand the complexity involved in these occurrences, which has led to a mismatch between the decisions of the public power and the attitudes of the population involved. The central issue is that the risk perception of the resident population of these regions is limited and for this reason the vulnerability is increased. The Petropolis Risk Reduction Plans and the environmental characteristics were analyzed, seeking to understand the local conditions that can lead to disasters . It was observed that the unequal distribution of occupation patterns is a consequence of the socio-spatial occupation of Petrópolis, creating a framework of environmental injustice. Economic vulnerability presents itself as a key factor for understanding this reality. The research has a qualitative character and used as base the methodology of the Discursive Textual Analysis. Interviews were conducted with residents and workshops at the Social Referral Center - Amazonas, covering participants from different age groups. According to the data obtained, residents understand the natural and anthropogenic causes for the occurrence of disasters, are aware of possible prevention measures, as well as the presence of areas identified as risk by Civil Defense, but most are not recognized in these areas. This analysis can subsidize risk management actions, in which it has been shown to be one of the greatest challenges today.