Título en español.

Abstract

The risk and vulnerability literature emphasizes the importance of increasing the adaptive capacity of populations exposed to natural hazards. In Puerto Rico, the focus on adaptation has taken particular importance, mainly as related to adaptation to the potential hazards that might result from climate change. This article explores the concept of natural hazard adaptive capacity from a social perspective. Adapting to natural hazards requires tackling the "multiple risks" people are exposed to, not just those risks related to the natural hazard alone. In that respect, augmenting adaptive capacity requires enhancing people‘s general well being. Enhancing people‘s capacity to deal with present climate conditions will strengthen their adaptive capacity and resilience to longer-term conditions, including those that may result from climate change. The notions of adaptive capacity are exemplified within the context of flood prone communities in Fajardo, Puerto Rico.