Puerto rico geologic hazards consortium for disaster research, response and recovery project period: 1/15/2026 through 1/14/2027 award purpose: this award seeks to strengthen puerto rico?s capacity to…

The U.S. Geological Survey Office of Acquisitions and Grants awarded the University of Puerto Rico–Rio Piedras a cooperative agreement worth $293,746 on January 15, 2026, to establish the Puerto Rico Geologic Hazards Consortium for Disaster Research, Response and Recovery under CFDA 15.808, U.S. Geological Survey Research and Data Collection.

The project will establish a standing, interdisciplinary network connecting geoscientists, planners, emergency managers, and other stakeholders to coordinate disaster preparedness, response, and recovery efforts across Puerto Rico. Puerto Rico faces significant exposure to earthquakes, tsunamis, landslides, flooding, storm surges, coastal erosion, droughts, and extreme heat, yet lacks the centralized multidisciplinary network with geologic hazards expertise that most U.S. states maintain through geological surveys.

Activities include building a consortium framework with defined governance and a shared digital platform; conducting a review and inventory of existing geologic and other hazard data; and organizing a capstone geologic hazards research workshop to showcase data products, assess progress, and identify future needs. The workshop will bring together local and federal partners to strengthen Puerto Rico's capacity for geologic hazards planning and communication.

Performance occurs in Puerto Rico over the period January 15, 2026, through January 14, 2027.

Intended beneficiaries

This project will benefit a broad range of stakeholders across puerto rico by improving coordination, access to geologic hazard information, and decisionmaking capacity. Intended beneficiaries include: (1) municipal governments (mainly planners and emergency managers); (2) commonwealth agencies involved in emergency management and hazard mitigation (e.g., puerto rico planning board, department of natural and environmental resources, and bureau for emergency management and disaster administration); (3) federal partners (e.g., USGS, NOAA, federal emergency management agency, environmental protection agency, US fish and wildlife service, and the US army corps of engineers); (4) academic and scientific institutions; (5) community-based organizations and civic leaders; and (6) general public.

Subrecipient activities

There are no subrecipients of this award.