Un enfoque secuencial y espacial a las precipitaciones extremas y las condiciones sociodemográficas relacionadas con los desastres naturales en la región semiárida del Brasil

Abstract

Brazil’s semi-arid region has been historically homogeneous in terms of limited socioeconomic development and precipitation deficits. However, the temporal and spatial distribution of disasters, extreme weather events and demographic attributes is more nuanced. This article examines the interrelationship among these three dimensions in the semi-arid region of Brazil. Four profiles are defined: (1) impoverished highland areas prone to droughts and flash floods; (2) impoverished areas prone to droughts; (3) impoverished low-lying areas prone to floods and (4) disaster-prone highland areas. The results suggest that the region is more heterogeneous in its climatic and geophysical characteristics than in its socioeconomic and demographic features. Although susceptibility to drought is observed across the four profiles, the third profile is also characterized by an acute vulnerability to flooding.