Puerto Rico Research Topics Discussed at the USGS Natural Hazards Internal Meeting

Underserved communities, especially those in coastal areas in Puerto Rico, face significant threats from natural hazards such as hurricanes and rising sea levels. Limited funding hinders the investment in costly mitigation measures, increasing exposure to natural disasters. Providing coastal resources and data products through effective communication mechanisms is fundamental to improving the well-being of these underserved coastal communities. The overall objectives of the pilot effort to engage and connect with underrepresented coastal communities in Puerto Rico were the following: (1) compile a comprehensive database of the projects and resources relevant to natural hazards in Puerto Rico; (2) foster connections with Puerto Rican interested parties to better understand their priorities regarding coastal hazards and provide them with pertinent U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) resources; and (3) identify knowledge gaps to guide future USGS projects in Puerto Rico. To address these objectives, the research team held a virtual internal meeting amongst USGS colleagues (organized with a professional facilitator) to identify and gather information on existing USGS data, knowledge, and tools available for natural hazards and resources in Puerto Rico. The goals of the meeting were to: (1) exchange knowledge among colleagues, (2) broaden the network of participants, (3) foster potential collaborative relationships with researchers engaged in USGS hazards projects in Puerto Rico, and (4) document all the research taking place in Puerto Rico related to natural hazards and resources. The result was a database of USGS natural hazards projects being conducted or recently completed in Puerto Rico. For further information about this data, refer to the associated journal article (Torres-García and others, 2024).