Puerto Rico Geological Hazards Capacity and Response
In FY 2023, USGS received disaster supplement funds (Public Law 117-328) to assess structural impacts from 2022-season hurricanes and to identify recovery and planning needs.
Geologic hazards capability: tasks and benefits 2023
Media
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- In the wake of Hurricane Fiona, Puerto Rico dealt with damage from flooding and landslides that resulted in island-wide power outages, casualties, and destroyed or threatened homes, roads, and other infrastructure.
- Funding will be used to build new capacity in Puerto Rico to assess after-storm conditions and impacts from the 2022 hurricane season and to identify consequent and ongoing threats through landslide and coastal hazard assessments to aid in recovery planning.
- Efforts will include providing risk communication products in English and Spanish to support recovery and rebuilding in areas with exposure to landslide, coastal erosion, and flooding hazards.
Related
Data
Inventory of rainfall-induced landslides in Puerto Rico, 2022-2023 Inventory of rainfall-induced landslides in Puerto Rico, 2022-2023
This data release provides a point inventory of rainfall-induced landslides in Puerto Rico during 2022 and 2023. Each record includes the date, latitude, longitude, descriptive location, spatial confidence, reporting source, and reference link. Landslides were identified from public reports, municipal sources, and National Weather Service call logs. Verification required dated...
Hillslope hydrological monitoring data in Puerto Rico, October 2021 to September 2025 Hillslope hydrological monitoring data in Puerto Rico, October 2021 to September 2025
This data release includes time-series data from 18 monitoring stations installed in Puerto Rico following Hurricane María in 2017, which led to over 70,000 landslides across the island (Hughes and others, 2017). The first two stations were installed in July of 2018 (Smith and others, 2020) to investigate subsurface hydrologic response to rainfall and develop a quantitative link between...
Flood-inundation maps for Río Grande De Loíza in and near Caguas, Puerto Rico, 2026 Flood-inundation maps for Río Grande De Loíza in and near Caguas, Puerto Rico, 2026
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 2.7-mile reach of Río Grande De Loíza in Caguas, Puerto Rico, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey. Water-surface profiles were computed for the stream reach by using a one-dimensional, steady-state, step-backwater model. The model was calibrated to the current (2025) stage-streamflow relation (rating curve) for the U.S. Geological Survey...
Authors
Chad J. Ostheimer, Legna M. Torres-Garcia, Julieta M. Gomez-Fragoso
Flood-inundation maps for Río de la Plata in and near Comerío, Puerto Rico, 2025 Flood-inundation maps for Río de la Plata in and near Comerío, Puerto Rico, 2025
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 3.1-mile reach of Río de la Plata in and near Comerío, Puerto Rico, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Water-surface profiles were computed for the stream reach by using a one-dimensional steady-state step-backwater model. The model was calibrated to the current (2025) stage-streamflow relation (rating curve 11.0) for the USGS...
Authors
Chad J. Ostheimer, Legna M. Torres-Garcia
Related
Data
Inventory of rainfall-induced landslides in Puerto Rico, 2022-2023 Inventory of rainfall-induced landslides in Puerto Rico, 2022-2023
This data release provides a point inventory of rainfall-induced landslides in Puerto Rico during 2022 and 2023. Each record includes the date, latitude, longitude, descriptive location, spatial confidence, reporting source, and reference link. Landslides were identified from public reports, municipal sources, and National Weather Service call logs. Verification required dated...
Hillslope hydrological monitoring data in Puerto Rico, October 2021 to September 2025 Hillslope hydrological monitoring data in Puerto Rico, October 2021 to September 2025
This data release includes time-series data from 18 monitoring stations installed in Puerto Rico following Hurricane María in 2017, which led to over 70,000 landslides across the island (Hughes and others, 2017). The first two stations were installed in July of 2018 (Smith and others, 2020) to investigate subsurface hydrologic response to rainfall and develop a quantitative link between...
Flood-inundation maps for Río Grande De Loíza in and near Caguas, Puerto Rico, 2026 Flood-inundation maps for Río Grande De Loíza in and near Caguas, Puerto Rico, 2026
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 2.7-mile reach of Río Grande De Loíza in Caguas, Puerto Rico, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey. Water-surface profiles were computed for the stream reach by using a one-dimensional, steady-state, step-backwater model. The model was calibrated to the current (2025) stage-streamflow relation (rating curve) for the U.S. Geological Survey...
Authors
Chad J. Ostheimer, Legna M. Torres-Garcia, Julieta M. Gomez-Fragoso
Flood-inundation maps for Río de la Plata in and near Comerío, Puerto Rico, 2025 Flood-inundation maps for Río de la Plata in and near Comerío, Puerto Rico, 2025
Digital flood-inundation maps for a 3.1-mile reach of Río de la Plata in and near Comerío, Puerto Rico, were created by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS). Water-surface profiles were computed for the stream reach by using a one-dimensional steady-state step-backwater model. The model was calibrated to the current (2025) stage-streamflow relation (rating curve 11.0) for the USGS...
Authors
Chad J. Ostheimer, Legna M. Torres-Garcia