Un infierno viviente: changing community risk perception, vulnerability, and preparedness in the wake of the 2021 Volcan de Tajogaite eruption

This project aims to understand how risk perception, vulnerability, and preparedness have changed following the 2021
Volcan de Tajohgaite eruption, La Palma, Canary Islands. The eruption was the most destructive in La Palma's history,
the effects of which are still ongoing. During the eruption, and in the ongoing recover, it is evident that there is a gap in
knowledge of how social systems interact with volcanic hazards in La Palma, and the subsequent influence on people's
response to volcanic crisis. By conducting interviews with civilians and stakeholders, this research seeks to understand
which social systems affect risk perception, the relative influence of direct and indirect experience of the 2021 eruption
on risk perception, and subsequently how vulnerable and prepared are the population to future volcanic crises. This
project will take inspiration from Feminist and Cultural Geographies to understand how social systems (such as identity,
community structures, the cultural landscape and community remembering) have influenced risk perception and present
new knowledge to stakeholders at the community scale of how these social systems interact with volcanic hazards. This
PhD comes at a critical time of reflection in the Canary Islands, as authorities aim to learn key lessons from the 2021 eruption.