The archipelago of puerto rico is exposed to high risk from local and regional earthquakes and tsunamis, 6.5% of the PR population resides in the tsunami-prone zone (US census, 2020)

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) awarded $194,354 to the University of Puerto Rico Research and Development Center Division on September 1, 2026, under the Meteorologic and Hydrologic Modernization Development program (CFDA 11.467) to strengthen tsunami preparedness and community resilience across Puerto Rico through the National Tsunami Hazard and Mitigation Program (PR-NTHMP).

The award funds hazard and risk assessment, education and preparedness initiatives, mitigation and recovery planning, outreach activities, and alert and warning response coordination. Work includes supporting communities in applying for and renewing TsunamiReady recognition status, providing technical resources to new TsunamiReady participants, and helping communities enhance response plans and increase participation in tsunami mitigation activities. Efforts target coordination among federal, state, and local government authorities and academic institutions to address tsunami exposure across Puerto Rico's archipelago, where approximately 6.5 percent of the population resides in tsunami-prone zones.

Performance runs from September 1, 2026, through August 31, 2027, with all work performed in Puerto Rico. The University of Puerto Rico is the ultimate recipient organization.

To mitigate the risk, the puerto rico component of the national tsunami hazard and mitigation program (PR-nthmp, FHY26) seeks to improve tsunami preparedness by working with the local communities in coordination with the federal, state, and local government authorities, and academia. The work proposed focuses on hazard and risk assessment, education and preparedness, mitigation and recovery, outreach initiatives, alert, warning, and response. The tsunamiready component helps and supports the communities to apply and renew their recognition, provides the resources and support to new tsunamiready supporters. Efforts are directed to empower our communities to improve the response plans and participate more actively in the activities related to mitigating the effects of tsunamis.