Sea Grant, DRC
and CASA
Developed Coastal
Vulnerability Maps
Researchers from the University
of Puerto Rico Sea Grant Program, in collaboration with the
Disaster Research Center at the University of Delaware, have
developed a storm surge flood model that assesses individual
and community vulnerability on the coasts of Puerto Rico.
The initiative was also partially funded by the NSF Engineering
Research Center for the Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of
the Atmosphere (CASA). New Geographic Information Systems
maps were prepared by incorporating current coastal flood
maps with satellite images and census data. The census data
includes socio-economic and demographic information which
produces a more accurate representation of which, and to what
degree, coastal community members are at risk. Eventually
these maps will be available to planners, managers and public
officials throughout the island via a new interactive software
program that will allow them to click on census blocks and
view pertinent information about who lives in these vulnerable
coastal areas. The data from this research contributed to
the efforts of the Puerto Rico Tsunami Warning and Mitigation
Program which led to Mayagüez, the ninth largest city
in Puerto Rico and hometown of the Sea Grant Program, being
certified as the first TsunamiReady city on the Island. This
joint NWS/Sea Grant effort is another great example of how
integration provides people with vital tools to protect themselves
and their communities. These maps will greatly benefit the
approximately 1.4 million people in Puerto Rico that live
in flood-sensitive zones. As a result of this work, members
of the University of Delaware's Coastal Community Development
Program are meeting with the researchers to discuss how this
project can be developed and implemented for coastal communities
in Delaware. Thanks to Aurelio
Mercado, Dr.
Walter Díaz, Dr.
Havidan Rodríguez, and
Jenniffer
Santos.
PROJECT
DESCRIPTION
DRC and the University
of Delaware’s Institutional Repository: A Valuable Combination
The DRC is pleased to announce
it’s participation in the University of Delaware’s
Institutional Repository, or D-Space
project.
FULL
STORY
