Disasters associated with natural phenomena, such as earthquakes, floods, droughts, etcetera, are intensifying damages that translate into deaths, the loss of infrastructure, and the interruption of economic activities. The accelerated growth of cities frequently incorporates new areas that are susceptible to certain hazards, leaving society increasingly exposed, due to a mismanagement of land. Since the 1990s, the social sciences have developed the approach of vulnerability, which considers the conditions of weakness of a society to cope with hazards. We now know that risk is socially constructed, and so disasters are not only a result of the intensity of the geophysical phenomena that unleash them, but also of the contexts of vulnerability present when a phenomenon takes place.
The aim of this work is to show how the risk of flood disasters is constructed in Tijuana, Baja California, with four main elements as our starting point: An examination of floods since the late 19th century; the voice of the actors present for flooding events; a theoretical model to understand the relationship between the hazard and the magnitude of the risk; and recommendations for disaster risk management at a local level.