Briefing Series: Recovery & Resilience in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands

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.”

Federal Support and Local Action

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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. Puerto Rico’s recovery is an opportunity to create a new generation of infrastructure that uses adaptive design and nature-based strategies to provide increased resilience to the impacts of climate change.

Resilient Housing and Communities

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The United States is experiencing an affordable housing crisis. In a majority of states, 10-15 percent of households have difficulty paying the rent/mortgage and monthly utility bills, and housing is often unsafe. Island communities facing housing insecurity are subject to additional climate threats. After Hurricane Maria, Casa Pueblo, a community organization in Adjuntas, launched an “energy insurrection”: a bottom-up process to challenge the fossil-fuel-dependent energy setup of the island. The long-term project to power critical infrastructure, businesses, schools, and homes with on-site solar energy is also generating new knowledge for energy self-sufficiency and community resilience.

Sustainable, Democratic Energy and Public Health

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Currently, Puerto Rico mainly relies on imported natural gas for most of its power generation. Renewable energy, on the other hand, accounts for only 2.3-2.5 percent of energy generation. Queremos Sol is proposing a different energy vision that is based on energy efficiency and solar energy. The U.S. Virgin Islands Hazard Mitigation and Resilience Plan outlines key strategies for recovery and risk reduction initiatives. Currently, this plan is being updated and is set to be released by the end of next year. While many hazard mitigation plans focus on physical infrastructure, energy, and transportation, the updated plan recognizes social infrastructure as equally vital for risk reduction.