Mainstreaming local perceptions of hurricane risk into policymaking: A case study of community GIS in Mexico

This article suggests a framework for incorporating and communicating local perceptions of hurricane risk into policymaking through a case study conducted at El Zapotito commune in the State of Veracruz, Mexico. The authors constructed a geographical information system (GIS)-based model to quantify and spatially assess specific household-level vulnerabilities from information generated through interviews. This research developed a household vulnerability index applied to a participatory GIS to map vulnerability to hurricane hazard. The results indicate that infrastructural weaknesses are the most important factor contributing to vulnerability, explaining on their own 72.2% of the variation in the vulnerability patterns. These findings are corroborated by a vulnerability and capacity assessment (VCA), which shows that the community lacks strategies to cope with unsafe housing. It is suggested that linking community participation with modern techniques to analyse risk can empower communities and mobilise their capacities to address very specific vulnerabilities. (C) 2010 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.