Federal Support and Local Action

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The Environmental and Energy Study Institute (EESI) held a series of one-hour online briefings about resilience initiatives in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands and their ongoing recovery from back-to-back natural disasters over the last several years. Every U.S. coast is facing climate adaptation challenges due to rising sea levels and other coastal hazards, but island economies are especially vulnerable. The Fourth National Climate Assessment points to the small size and relative isolation of the U.S. Caribbean islands (including Puerto Rico, Vieques, Culebra, St. Croix, St. Thomas, St. John, and Water Island), which means their “social, economic, and ecological systems are likely to be more sensitive to changes in temperature and precipitation than similar systems in the mainland United States.”

This panel provided an overview of resilience initiatives in the U.S. Caribbean and discussed the status of federal support for disaster recovery and hazard mitigation. Margarita Varela-Rosa, Counsel in the U.S. House Committee on Natural Resources, discussed issues and legislation pertaining to the U.S. Territories of Puerto Rico, U.S. Virgin Islands, Northern Mariana Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. Ernesto Diaz, Director of the Coastal Management Program, Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, illustrated the science behind the extreme climate events Puerto Rico has faced in the last six years and provided a policy update and vision for recovery.

HIGHLIGHTS

Margarita Varela, Counsel for Office of Insular Affairs, House Committee on Natural Resources

• In 2017, Hurricanes Irma and Maria caused fatalities and damage in both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. In Puerto Rico, Hurricane Maria caused approximately 3,000 fatalities and nearly destroyed the electric grid, leaving people and the systems they rely on in houses, schools, hospitals, and airports without power for months.
• Congress appropriated emergency funding through Community Development Block Grants to transform Puerto Rico’s electric grid, rebuild homes and schools, and develop resilience to future natural disasters. However, it was a long process for the Department of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) to publish the guidance and it has been difficult to ensure that the funds are actually dispersed.
  • The House Committee on Natural Resources has conducted oversight over HUD to ensure that the money can be used by local governments.
• Puerto Rico has been impacted by approximately 1,000 earthquakes since late 2019. The earthquakes damaged schools, homes, roads, economic development projects, and the electric grid, which requires investments to ensure that people do not experience frequent power outages. Thousands of residents’ mental health continues to be affected.
• The House passed the Emergency Supplemental Appropriations for Disaster Relief and Puerto Rico Disaster Tax Relief Act (H.R.5687) to provide Puerto Rico with disaster funding to rebuild after the earthquakes. The Senate should include this funding in future legislation.
• Coastal erosion is another major threat to the resilience of infrastructure in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.
• One of the priorities of the Natural Resources Committee is ensuring that people have the resources to recover from and build resilience to natural disasters.

Ernesto Diaz, Director of the Coastal Management Program, Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources

• The Puerto Rico Climate Change Council (PRCCC) is a voluntary association of over 150 members working to assess the state of Puerto Rico’s climate, understand its socio-economic vulnerabilities, and develop strategies to build a resilient society.
• The PRCCC published a Puerto Rico State of the Climate report in 2014, which included adaptation strategies. The group is working to update resilience strategies using a multi-hazard approach in response to subsequent droughts, hurricanes, earthquakes, and COVID-19.
• The Fourth National Climate Assessment’s chapter on the Caribbean details climate challenges facing Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. These include geographic isolation and dependence on imports, freshwater availability, temperature increases, drought vulnerability, decreased rainfall, sea level rise, coastal erosion, and increasing storm impacts.
• Puerto Rico is particularly vulnerable to coastal hazards, because a majority of its population is centered in coastal areas. The island’s airports, ports, energy facilities, and internet infrastructure are also all sited on coastal areas, making sea level rise a significant concern.
  • Sea level rise exacerbates existing hazards, and will cause storm surge damage to affect areas further inland, outside of current flood maps.
• After Hurricanes Irma and Maria, the island lost power for months. Looking forward, P