Vulnerability Reduction – Gilberto Aponte-Prats

Puerto Rico finds itself in a very active area for natural hazards. According to the Nathan map, there are four main systems that affect the area. First, we find ourselves in a Zone 4 for Tropical Cyclone and in directly on the typical paths they take. Given we are a small island, we also face threat from rising sea levels which would put many important residential and historical areas of the island at risk. We find ourselves in a Zone 2 area for earthquakes, which I can say we’ve had increasing activity here the last few years. And finally we are negatively affected by anomalies in La Niña which cause an increase in tropical cyclones in the area. This map is incredibly effective in pinning down trends of natural hazards that occur in the regions. It is accurate as to the type of problems we get.

I chose a Magnitude 6.1 earthquake that happened in Papua New Guinea that occurred April 1, 2016 at 07:24:56 PM. My hometown can definitely get a disaster similar to this one due to us having a tectonic plate very near the island. In recent years we’ve had an increased activity regarding tremors. The scale of the disaster may differ because of the development we have. Papua New Guinea is not as developed as Puerto Rico, so a magnitude 6.1 earthquake can spell a lot of trouble for residents in that area due to poorly built buildings, meanwhile we would probably not face too many issues. In San Juan specifically, there are areas where the housing isn’t well-built and near the beach there is a risk of tsunamis which can be caused by an earthquake. People face different levels of vulnerability simply by being too far from the coast or being in an area where the infrastructure will not get affected by such an event. Since the rise of tremors have worried many residents, it is easier to potentially lend a hand in bettering the homes of many, and preparing plans to get away from a tsunami. I could have meetings educating people about this if that were ever the case.

Probably the biggest and most present natural hazard we face is hurricanes that occur frequently during late summer and fall season of the year. We have had incredibly destructive hurricanes in the past, one of them being Hurricane Georges in 1998 (Bennett, 2008). It was a category 3 hurricane which crossed the island from side-to-side which flooded many rivers, destroyed homes and other infrastructure. Although I was little, I remember seeing how the strong winds ripped up antenna from houses and left us without electricity for a week or two. Thankfully, since we are in a hurricane-prone area, a lot of the effect was severely minimized and many citizens were very prepared for it. It only killed 8 people, but left around 2 billion dollars in damages. Though apparently a good amount that died was because of other factors, not directly because of the hurricane (Center for Disease Control, 1998). So we have a pretty good record regarding hurricanes and our preparedness for them.

A hazard which was pointed out by the Nathan map is the rising sea levels. This can potentially cause massive relocation and spread destruction to coastal areas. There could be governmental action taken in order to try to plan out possibilities to move the people to a safer area when it becomes a problem. They can also build infrastructure that might help save some of these areas from being swept away, similar to how New Orleans is. With the help of the local and federal government it is possible to accomplish these. The most I feel I can do is raise awareness of carbon emissions and take steps to contribute as little as I can to climate change, though it might still not be enough.

Resources:

Bennett, Shawn P., and Rafael Mojica. “HURRICANE GEORGES PRELIMINARY STORM REPORT.” October 14, 2008. http://web.archive.org/web/20081014181517/http://www.srh.noaa.gov/sju/public_report.html

Center for Disease Control. “Deaths Associated with Hurricane Georges — Puerto Rico, September 1998.” November 10, 1998. http://www.cdc.gov/mmwr/preview/mmwrhtml/00055476.htm.

2 thoughts on “Vulnerability Reduction – Gilberto Aponte-Prats

  1. Hey Gilberto. Our areas definitely seem to have a big difference when it comes to natural hazards. My town has very few natural hazards, the biggest threat is probably that of a large snow storm. Snow storms inhibit our ability to travel safely, stay warm, and can also cause mass power outages. I see that hurricanes are a huge hazard in your area. I can’t even begin to imagine how scary a hurricane would be. Sea level rise isn’t one of the first things that I think about when it comes to natural hazards because my town is nearly 100 miles inland, but I can clearly see how it could greatly impact an island resident. Check out my post if you get the chance!
    http://sites.psu.edu/geog30/2016/04/01/jared-mummert-module-8/

  2. Hi Gilberto here is a link to my blog post https://wp.me/p3RCAy-df0. I never realized Puerto Rico experiences earthquakes and tropical cyclones. The earthquake in New Guinea you read about was interesting and it is crazy that you could get a similar size earthquake. Hurricanes can be very devastating and are definitely a problem where you are from. The rising sea levels is becoming a problem and something should be done to prevent it from getting any worse.

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