Facing the Floods Community Responses to increased rainfall in Guarulhos, Brazil and Arequipa, Peru

This chapter presents the flood risks in the two case study communities to their locations, residents' experiences are similar to those facing many urban poor, now weather is getting crazy'. It focuses on fieldwork carried out in Guarulhos, Brazil and Arequipa, Peru, as part of the EU-funded research project Chance2Sustain. It shows that not every low-income neighbourhood will have the capacities needed to engage in co-creation. In Jardim Guaracy, low levels of social capital, fragmented local knowledge on flood risks, and mistrust of authorities seriously impedes the possibility of co-creation. In Villa Ecolgica, residents' knowledge of pluvial flooding was mainly based on their personal experiences. Due to their rural origin, residents were familiar with seasonal cycles: rainfall season, followed by windy season. In January 2011 record floods killed over 800 people and made thousands homeless in Southeast Brazil. Floods frequently occur during the rainy summer season.