5:11 p.m., April 24, 2007--Researchers from the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Sea Grant Program, in collaboration with the Disaster Research Center (DRC) at the University of Delaware, have developed a storm surge flood model that assesses individual and community vulnerability on the coasts of Puerto Rico.

New Geographic Information Systems maps were prepared by incorporating current coastal flood maps with satellite images and census data, according to Havidán Rodríguez, UD vice provost of academic affairs and international programs and former director of the DRC.

The census data includes socio-economic and demographic information that 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, Rodríguez said.

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 National Weather Service and Sea Grant effort is another great example of how integration provides people with vital tools to protect themselves and their communities,” Rodríguez said. “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 UD's Coastal Community Development Initiative have met with DRC and UPR researchers to explore possibilities on how the project can be developed and implemented for coastal communities in Delaware.

The project is an ongoing interdisciplinary collaboration between DRC, represented by Rodríguez and graduate student Jenniffer Santos, and the Center for Applied Social Research, represented by Walter Diaz, and the Physical Oceanography Laboratory, represented by Aurelio Mercado, at the University of Puerto Rico-Mayagüez. The project is funded by the UPR Sea Grant Program.

Article by Neil Thomas