The role of risk perception outreach courses in the context of Disaster Risk Management: The example of Sao Paulo city, Brazil

Landslides and floods are common during the summer in urban regions of Brazil, like Sao Paulo city. In these urban hazard-prone areas, communities do not always have the financial resources available to build hazard mitigation infrastructures or invest in at-risk home removals. Therefore, investing in affordable measures, like educational activities and risk mapping, are crucial to reducing human and material losses. One important educational activity is natural hazard risk outreach courses as they educate the community about their risks and foster residents' involvement to monitor their risk locally. In this study, outreach courses offered by Sao Paulo during 2012 and 2013 are presented as a case study to analyze the role of these courses in the context of Disaster Risk Management. We concluded these courses were important to educate municipality technicians, but they failed to educate residents. Moreover, these courses were punctual actions as they were not integrated with other Disaster Risk Reductions measures. Municipality failed to advertise these courses to residents and offer them in a period, day, and location appropriate for residents to participate. But the municipality has many challenges in integrating Disaster Risk Management, such as lack of Civil Protection technicians in each district and political discontinuities. After 2013, the municipality's challenges in integrating Disaster Risk Management have not changed, but the target audience for the outreach courses have changed. They were offered to municipal teachers and volunteers.