TITLE:
Natural hazards in Santo Domingo de Heredia, Costa Rica, Central America
AUTHORS:
Jonnathan Reyes, Mario Fernández, Sara Grineski, Timothy Collins
KEYWORDS:
Hazards; Earthquakes; Floods; Eruptions; Landslides; Faults; Index
JOURNAL NAME:
Natural Science,
Vol.6 No.3,
February
26,
2014
ABSTRACT: Santo Domingo de
Heredia, Costa Rica is a county facing serious risks from natural hazards,
specifically flooding, earthquakes, volcanic activity and landslides. In order
to inform disaster risk reduction efforts and improve the safety and well-being
of local residents, this article assessed these natural hazards using a geographical approach. First, we described the four hazards based on a review of reports
from previous emergencies, scientific papers
and newspaper articles. Second, we integrated spatial data on each
hazard to create a hazard density index for the county at the level of the
census unit (n = 140). Results demonstrate that river flooding has caused the
most damage of the four hazards in recent times. Both seismic and volcanic
risks (specifically ash fall from volcanic eruptions) affect the entire area of
Santo Domingo. Landslides have affected localized, settled areas of steep river
canyons in the southern part of the county. In general, the highest density of hazards is located in the southern reaches of Santo Domingo. As such, we recommend that local authorities
concentrate their management efforts in that area.