Participating date: January 26, 2023

General Description

SLIDES-PR stands for Storm-induced Landslide Impact Dynamics on Environment and Society in
Puerto Rico. It is a multi-phase project that was launched in the Department of Geology at the
University of Puerto Rico at Mayagüez one month after the passing of Hurricane María in 2017.
The endeavor is ongoing and has benefited from collaboration with colleagues at the USGS
Landslide Hazards Group, the USDA NRCS group, the UC-Boulder Natural Hazards Center, the
Puerto Rico Junta de Planificación, the National Science Foundation, and the National Oceanic and
Atmospheric Administration (National Weather Service in San Juan). The University of Puerto Rico
Mayagüez – US Geological Survey Puerto Rico Landslide Forecast Network is made up of a
collection of monitoring stations installed around the island’s mountainous terrain that
continuously measure both meteorological and soil hydrological conditions. The SLIDES-PR project
goals are to catalog the over 70,000 slope failure sites in Puerto Rico that were triggered by
Hurricane María; use the digital inventory of these sites to produce a modern and statistically
robust slope failure hazard map for Puerto Rico; disseminate the information to important local
stakeholders and the general public; determine the short and long terms effects of
landslide-driven sedimentation on the island’s fluvial network and vulnerable reservoir system;
and understand and forecast how future extreme atmospheric events could affect the
environment and society in Puerto Rico.

Interested Majors

Geology

Professor/Advisor

Dr. Stephen K. Hughes

Map and Booth Location

B4-15