The role of prior disaster experience in shaping risk perception and preparedness in Brazil

This study investigates how prior disaster experience shapes risk perception, self-preparedness, and key components of community resilience in Brazil, particularly in the context of hydrometeorological hazards driven by extreme rainfall. Using a structured survey of 1,064 respondents, the research applies the community resilience framework to examine how lived disaster experience influences perceptions of risk, access to information, institutional trust, and willingness to engage in preparedness actions. The analysis situates these dynamics within Brazil’s socio-spatial inequalities and uneven governance capacities, which condition vulnerability and adaptive capacity.

Findings show that individuals with prior disaster experience report higher levels of perceived preparedness, stronger concern about climate change impacts, and greater awareness of disaster risks. However, this experiential learning does not translate into greater confidence in institutional measures or stronger perceptions of community preparedness, revealing gaps in trust, information flows, and collective capacity. The study highlights the need to strengthen participatory risk communication, institutional credibility, and community-level preparedness structures to improve disaster risk reduction outcomes in vulnerable contexts.