Michigan Technological University Digital Commons @ Michigan Tech Dissertations, Master's Theses and Master's Reports 2015 THE 2009 AND 2011 HAZARD EVENTS AT SAN VICENTE VOLCANO, EL SALVADOR: VULNERABILITY, RESETTLEMENT, AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION Luke Bowman Michigan Technological University, [email protected] Copyright 2015 Luke Bowman Recommended Citation Bowman, Luke, "THE 2009 AND 2011 HAZARD EVENTS AT SAN VICENTE VOLCANO, EL SALVADOR: VULNERABILITY, RESETTLEMENT, AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION", Open Access Dissertation, Michigan Technological University, 2015. https://doi.org/10.37099/mtu.dc.etdr/8 Follow this and additional works at: https://digitalcommons.mtu.edu/etdr Part of the Geology Commons THE 2009 AND 2011 HAZARD EVENTS AT SAN VICENTE VOLCANO, EL SALVADOR: VULNERABILITY, RESETTLEMENT, AND DISASTER RISK REDUCTION By Luke J. Bowman A DISSERTATION Submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY In Geology MICHIGAN TECHNOLOGICAL UNIVERSITY 2015 © 2015 Luke J. Bowman This dissertation has been approved in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of DOCTOR OF PHILOSOPHY in Geology. Department of Geological/Mining Engineering and Sciences Dissertation Co-Advisor: Dr. John. S. Gierke Dissertation Co-Advisor: Dr. William I. Rose Committee Member: Dr. Kari B. Henquinet Committee Member: Dr. Samuel Sweitz Department Chair: Dr. John S. Gierke Dedication: To my family, my friends, and my colleagues in El Salvador. TABLE OF CONTENTS PREFACE ......................................................................................................................... VI ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS ............................................................................................. VII ABSTRACT ........................................................................................................................ 1 CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION ....................................................................................... 3 1.1 DISASTERS AND DEVELOPMENT ......................................................................... 4 1.2 DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND DEVELOPMENT ............................... 8 1.3 UNITED NATIONS DEVELOPMENT EFFORTS ........................................ 10 1.3.1 MILLENNIUM DEVELOPMENT GOALS (MDGS) ..................................................... 11 1.3.2 HYOGO FRAMEWORK FOR ACTION (HFA) ............................................................ 12 1.3.3 INTEGRATED RESEARCH ON DISASTER RISK (IRDR) ............................................ 12 1.4 DISSERTATION PROBLEM STATEMENT AND OBJECTIVES AND MOTIVATION ................................................................................................................. 14 1.5 DISSERTATION OUTLINE...................................................................................... 17 1.5.1 CHAPTER 2: UNIVERSITY CONTRIBUTIONS TO RISK REDUCTION FOLLOWING A DISASTER: A CASE STUDY OF REORIENTING NATURAL HAZARDS RESEARCH EFFORTS AT SAN VICENTE VOLCANO, EL SALVADOR ....................................... 17 1.5.2 CHAPTER 3: DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND RESETTLEMENT EFFORTS AT SAN VICENTE (CHICHONTEPEC) VOLCANO, EL SALVADOR: TOWARD UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL AND GEOPHYSICAL VULNERABILITY ...................................................... 18 1.5.3 CHAPTER 4: INTERPRETING SATURATION CHANGES AS A POTENTIAL FACTOR IN SHALLOW, RAINFALL-INDUCED LANDSLIDES FROM TIME-LAPSE SEISMIC REFRACTION, SAN VICENTE VOLCANO, EL SALVADOR ..................................... 19 1.6 CONCLUSIONS......................................................................................................... 19 1.7 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 21 CHAPTER 2: UNIVERSITY CONTRIBUTIONS TO RISK REDUCTION FOLLOWING A DISASTER: A CASE STUDY OF REORIENTING NATURAL HAZARDS RESEARCH EFFORTS AT SAN VICENTE VOLCANO, EL SALVADOR ........................................................................................................................................... 25 2.1. INTRODUCTION ............................................................................................ 26 2.2 BACKGROUND AND METHODS ................................................................ 28 2.3. RESULTS ......................................................................................................... 34 2.3.1 TROPICAL DEPRESSION 12E ............................................................................... 35 2.3.1.1 Local Observers ............................................................................................................ 38 2.3.1.2 Weather Station Network ............................................................................................ 39 2.3.2 POST 12E EFFORTS ............................................................................................ 39 2.4 DISCUSSION ................................................................................................... 44 2.5 CONCLUSIONS .............................................................................................. 46 iv 2.6 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 47 CHAPTER 3: DISASTER RISK REDUCTION AND RESETTLEMENT EFFORTS AT SAN VICENTE (CHICHONTEPEC) VOLCANO, EL SALVADOR: TOWARD UNDERSTANDING SOCIAL AND GEOPHYSICAL VULNERABILITY ................. 51 ABSTRACT ...................................................................................................................... 51 3.1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 52 3.2 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................ 54 3.2.1 RELOCATION OF AT-RISK COMMUNITIES AND DISASTERS .................................... 54 3.2.2 GEOPHYSICAL VULNERABILITY IN EL SALVADOR ................................................ 57 3.2.3 SOCIAL VULNERABILITY IN SAN VICENTE ............................................................ 57 3.2.3.1 Community and Livelihoods in Verapaz ............................................................................ 59 3.3 METHODS ................................................................................................................. 63 3.4. RESULTS AND DISCUSSION ................................................................................ 66 3.4.1 DISASTER KNOWLEDGE OF AUTHORITIES AND AT-RISK POPULATIONS: BEFORE AND AFTER 2009 ........................................................................................................ 67 3.4.2 THE 2009 EVENT AND OFFICIAL RESPONSE .......................................................... 70 3.4.3 COMMUNITY-BASED EARLY WARNING SYSTEM EFFECTIVENESS............................ 74 3.4.4 MIXED SUCCESS IN RELOCATION EFFORTS ........................................................... 77 3.4.5 DISRUPTION OF LIVELIHOODS DUE TO RELOCATION ............................................. 79 3.4.6 DISRUPTION OF SOCIAL AND KINSHIP NETWORKS AND TIES TO HOME ................. 81 3.4.7 RELOCATION SUCCESS .......................................................................................... 83 3.5 CONCLUSIONS......................................................................................................... 84 3.6 REFERENCES ........................................................................................................... 87 CHAPTER 4: FIELD CHARACTERIZATION OF WEATHERED VOLCANIC SLOPES FOR RAINFALL-INDUCED LANDSLIDE POTENTIAL: SAN VICENTE VOLCANO, EL SALVADOR ......................................................................................... 92 4.1 INTRODUCTION ...................................................................................................... 93 4.2 BACKGROUND ........................................................................................................ 95 4.3 METHODS ................................................................................................................. 97 4.3.1 SITE IDENTIFICATION AND SURVEY TIMING .......................................................... 97 4.3.2 TIME-LAPSE SEISMIC REFRACTION ....................................................................... 98 4.4 RESULTS ................................................................................................................. 100 4.4.1 LOS INFIERNILLOS ............................................................................................... 100 4.4.2 FINCA EL CARMEN .............................................................................................. 102 4.4.3 FINCA 3 RIOS ...................................................................................................... 107 4.5 DISCUSSION ........................................................................................................... 113 4.6 CONCLUSIONS....................................................................................................... 116 4.7 REFERENCES ......................................................................................................... 117 v Preface Chapter 2. University contributions to risk reduction in a post-disaster context: A case study of reorienting research efforts at San Vicente volcano, El Salvador This chapter has been submitted to a special paper of the Geological Society of America, titled, “Geoscience for the Public Good and Global Development.”