Restocking, productive activities and risk perception in Corral, 50 years after the 1960 tsunami

Post-tsunami analysis of the evolution of resettlement and land use changes in affected areas has become particularly important following the latest catastrophic events in Chile and Japan. Nevertheless, due to the recent nature of these events there is a lack of long-term perspectives. The present study explores the evolution of resettlement and productive activities within a town representative of the destruction generated by the catastrophe that occurred in Chile half a century ago: the earthquake and tsunami of 1960 in Corral. The study used three main methods: i) analysis of old aerial photographs, ii) interviews with survivors, and iii) analysis of Instruments of Territorial Planning (IPTs) between 1960 and 2009. The results show the 1960 inundated areas were resettled again and that the current risk awareness is low. Additionally, it was detected that there is a lack of regulation regarding this topic in the IPTs in existence at a local level.