• 26th International Congress on PCP Belgrade 2025, ARTICLES, Special Section

The Flood: Understanding the Experience of Volunteers and their Territorial Identity

Panetta, M. G. & Magnani E.

DOI:
10.69995/JZXK9658

Keywords:
Flood, Weather alert, Territorial identity, Focus group, Volunteers.

Abstract:
This study explores the meanings attributed to the experience of the flood of May 16-17, 2023, which devastated the inland region of Romagna, Italy, as recounted by Romagnolo volunteers. The investigation, conducted using the focus group method, involved participants who had direct experience in rescue operations and explored how volunteers construed their intervention in relation to the territorial context. The analysis focused on the personal constructs through which the volunteers interpreted their experience and how territorial identity may have shaped it. This study contributes to understanding the processes of meaning-making in crisis situations and the role of interpersonal relationships during catastrophic events.