Abstract

This paper analyzes the flood that occurred in the city of La Plata, Buenos Aires Province, Argentina, on April 2, 2013, understood not only as an extreme hydrometeorological event but also as a critical event and disruptive context that revealed pre-existing environmental, urban, institutional, social, and subjective vulnerabilities. Drawing on the documentary Desamparados bajo el agua and on theoretical contributions addressing disaster, trauma, disruption, comprehensive risk management, and complex thinking, the study examines the human, social, and institutional consequences of the event, as well as the responses developed during the emergency and in the subsequent period. The analysis is structured around three main axes: art as a facilitator of psychosocial processes of elaboration and collective memory; the co-metabolic relational matrix as a framework for guiding transdisciplinary interventions in disruptive settings; and the forms of psychological impact associated with catastrophic experiences. The paper also examines tensions between solidarity and rivalry, voluntarism and professionalism, prevention and the precautionary principle, as well as the vulnerability of those involved in rescue and assistance efforts. It argues that disasters should be understood as socially constructed processes resulting from the interaction between hazards and vulnerability, and that their management requires moving beyond fragmented responses and strengthening coordination among disciplines, institutions, and communities. Finally, the paper highlights the elaborative potential of collective action, memory, and cooperation in transforming the destructive effects of disruption and fostering capacities for prevention, care, preparedness, and response in future uncertain scenarios.

Keywords: disruptive context | La Plata flood | psychosocial trauma | transdisciplinary intervention | co-metabolic relational matrix | elaborative processes through art | psychological impact