ABSTRACT
The natural hazard phenomenon, or the incremental sinking of the territory into the valley over which it is situated, renders the ground unstable as it is in constant movement, albeit at a slow speed. Shifting the focus to the societal impact of this state of affairs, the impact is mainly felt through the gradual collapse of the built environment. The material aspect of the disaster is its most immediately visible aspect. The experience of either having lost one’s home or living in a home that is slowly but steadily crumbling is clearly a precarious experience. Affective and emotional aspects of the disaster are also strong and represent a potential source of trauma. The experience of slow calamity is perhaps most intensely lived as a kind of dread, in part based on an anticipated future feeling of melancholia.
