Abstract

This article presents a description and analysis of a twofold catastrophe: in the first place, the Chaitén volcano eruption over the homonymous urban center, and secondly, the social drama, that was produced for the political and technical decisions for the tragedy mitigation. This provoked the town evacuation and a drastic population decline. The forms of diffusion of the disaster and its narratives, the decision making and its effects, and the rationalities involved in the proposed relocation of a master plan of the city, are present. Also it recognizes how some protagonists, with financial advantage, imposed their subjectivities, in detriment of the State proposal, for the comprehensive development plan, in what is the port of entry to the Patagonia. In methodological terms was used the case study strategy and the field data were collected in multisituada form, between october 2012 and march 2013. Also were investigated several publications, documents, newspapers and secondary databases.