## 1 Introduction  
Recovering from and strengthening societal resilience towards natural hazards and the impact of anthropogenically accelerated climate change are complex processes that require extensive investmentsin disaster governance [1; 2]. Disaster governance refers to the collection of regulatory frameworks and practices towards disaster response, recovery, reconstruction, mitigation, and preparedness from governmental, organizational, and residential stakeholders [3]. Disaster governance is a priority for action in the Sendai Framework for Disaster Risk Reduction that would enable collaboration between stakeholders to address and reduce multiple disaster risks [4; 5]. Disaster governance helps in establishing effective disaster preparedness activities and anticipating building back better after a disaster. Further, disaster preparedness distinguishes itself from the rest of disaster governance practices by encompassing activities that educate and ensure the readiness of the residents of a given territory against a potential disaster; activities that are implemented in both the pre-impact and post-impact phases of an event [6]. In Chile, a country that is at significant risk of suffering from natural hazards, disaster preparedness has been given a high priority over the last few years [7], as its successful implementation can potentially minimize property damage and loss of life and reduce disruption to the local and national economy. However, despite all the efforts that are being made to improve preparedness, Chile continues to experience large scale events that can significantly affect communities. Infrequent, high magnitude precipitation and flooding events have been observed in the past in certain areas of the Atacama Desert [8]. Large rainfall on the 24-26 March 2015 in the hyper-arid Atacama Desert of Northern Chile brought a disastrous flooding to the city of Chafaral [9] (see Figure 1). The mudflow severely damaged public and private property, had detrimental effects on drinking water and electricity supply, and spread soil contaminated with heavy metals throughout this small city (with a population of just over 12,219 inhabitants [10]). These metals originated from mining activities upstream of the Salado River, which were transported by the flood [9], highlighting the human-based dimensions of the disaster. This triggered discussions regarding the way the city had been developing, which were exacerbated when on 12 May 2017 it experienced another mudflow as a consequence of flash floods upstream from the town. Prior to these events, the city had not been affected by any significant disasters for a comparatively large span of time (see Table 1[11; 12; 13]). \begin{table}
\begin{tabular}{c c c c} \hline \hline
**Date** & **Place** & **Magnitude** & **Type** \\ \hline
1918 & Chafaral & 7.5 M\({}_{\text{w}}\) & Earthquake \\
1922 & Chafaral & 8.3 M\({}_{\text{w}}\)—IX on the scale of Mercalli (10 m Tsunami) & Earthquake and Tsunami \\
1972 & Chafaral & 1.5 m high & Flood \\
2013 & Chafaral (Vallenar) & V on the scale of Mercalli & Earthquake \\
2015 & Chafaral & 2.0 m high & Flood \\
2017 & Chafaral & 4.0 m high & Flood \\ \hline \hline \end{tabular}
\end{table} 
Table 1: List of historical disasters in the city of Chafaral [11; 12; 13]. Figure 1: Map of the study area, showing the location of Chile within South America, the Atacama Region, Chafaral Province, and Chafaral. These recent events were considered unusual with respect to their frequency, magnitude, and the amount of sediment supply produced. They have also significantly increased the awareness of coastal residents against flash floods, in an area that had previously considered tsunamis as its main threat. However, it is not clear whether these recent events have resulted in a lowering of tsunami awareness amongst local residents, and whether the reconstruction patterns and adaptation measures implemented after the floods have resulted in a lower preparedness against a tsunami.