Loading...

Our Mission

Prepare Puerto Rico and the Caribbean to adapt and thrive in the new era of increasing flood risk from storms, tides, and sea level rise. This new program of the Puerto Rico Science Trust will further establish Puerto Rico’s leadership and stature as a center of excellence and innovation.

Sea level rise has passed the tipping point

The Problem

Flooding is getting worse...

in coastal communities all over the world. “100-year storms” and deluge rains are happening every couple of years.

Sea level rise has passed a tipping point.

It is accelerating and can no longer be stopped. Estimates now range from a foot higher by mid-century to as much as 8 feet higher by the end-of-century.

During hurricanes and severe storms,

even a few inches of higher sea level can cause flood waters to enter buildings and cause major damage to infrastructure.

Coastal communities will be in jeopardy...

with billions of dollars of assets going underwater.

Source: coast.noaa.gov

Pretending it’s not going to happen, will not do any good.

Pretending it's not going to happen, will not do any good.

Our Solutions

The Center’s focus will be on “resiliency + adaptation”, promoting design guidelines and best practices for the built environment to better prepare communities for increased flooding. The four primary areas of focus will be:

Create Safe Advanced Flood Estimates (SAFE™)

as guidelines for coastal design, planning, and engineering that include a margin-of-safety over the latest projections for flooding.

Work with the built-environment professions

such as architecture, engineering, finance, and legal.

Create educational courses and workshops to teach the latest scientific understandings and best practices.
Develop a global resource hub and online database with critical information and adaptation solutions.
Hold Caribbean regional conferences engaging private sector, government, and science/academia.

Establish a policy center for smart building codes and zoning

that will ensure more durable buildings, infrastructure, and communities.

Do outreach to promote 100-year flood safe communities.

Puerto Rico will be a model for the Caribbean and the world.

Program Benefits

Flood resistant design and construction will reduce property damage and loss of life.

Make Puerto Rico “future ready” - a model for the Caribbean and the world.

Flood resistant buildings and infrastructure will attract more investment.

People will visit Puerto Rico to see what we are doing to adapt in advance of future flooding.

Create a better legacy and inheritance for future generations.

Puerto Rico has the advantage of high elevation

This makes Puerto Rico an ideal location to pioneer this program.

Our Initiatives

Agricultural Sustainability in the Face of Climate Change and Sea Level Rise.

This Meetup explores the challenges and opportunities that sea level rise and climate change pose to agriculture in Puerto Rico. Also how these phenomena are affecting our land, our crops and ultimately the food security of our island.

Unstoppable Rising Sea Level

El Rector del Recinto Universitario de Mayagüez, Dr. Agustín Rullán Toro, se complace en invitarle a la charla: "Unstoppable Rising Sea Level: The Engineering Challenge of the Century [...]