Our Motivation, Our Story
The creation of the Puerto Rico Disaster Research Network (PR-DRN) was motivated by the attention given to Puerto Rico’s vulnerability following Hurricane Maria in 2017.
From an idea of the Puerto Rico Research Hub (PRRH)’s Director, Dr. Fernando I. Rivera, PRRH’s Postdoctoral Scholar, Dr. Sara Belligoni, oversaw a scholarly literature search about disasters in Puerto Rico, conducted by PRRH’s Undergraduate Research Assistants, Deyaneira Hernandez and Elian Morales.
The team catalogued the literature about disasters in Puerto Rico by including peer-reviewed articles published between 2014 and 2024, with majority of them published between 2017 and 2019.
The literature search resulted in the construction of a detailed database containing pertinent articles about disasters in Puerto Rico and specifically, those looking at earthquakes, flooding, hurricanes, landslides, natural hazards/disasters, and tsunami. Additionally, a database with the list of scholars who published articles in this field has been created by including their affiliation, location, and contact information (when available).
The creation of the PR-DRN aims to enhance future research and response strategies for disaster management in Puerto Rico by connecting scholars, practitioners, and experts while facilitating collaborative efforts across institutions and disciplines.
