In this study we concentrate on the importance of qualitative dimension in the research of risks, considering that Romania is facing natural disasters more and more frecquently. We propose an analysis of the communities that face natural disasters based on the concepts soft vulnerabilities/hard vulnerabilities. It is considered that the research of soft vulnerabilities is an essential dimension of a sociology interested on the social impact of risks. We see, after the analysis of two special cases of communitie’s reaction facing the disasters, the manifestation of an unusual social resilience, which demonstrates the weight soft vulnerabilities in the social research of risks. We draw attention about the importance of socio-cultural identity, of values, beliefs and needs existing on local level. These constitute a way towards the research and understanding of potential types of communitie’s behavior facing natural disasters. The knowledge in depht of soft vulnerabilities assures a coherence of preventive measures, and common behavior facing the natural disasters, being a key aspect of social resilience.

Keywords: soft vulnerabilities, social resilience, sociology of risk, disasters, floods.

Full text