Brenda Torres
Droughts and Hurricanes in the U.S. Caribbean
During the summer of 2018, the Southeast Climate Adaptation Science Center and the U.S. Geological Survey recorded the oral histories of resource managers attending a U.S. Caribbean drought workshop in San Juan, Puerto Rico. The oral testimonies collected here provide lessons learned from the past and solutions for the future. We hear stories of extreme storms like Hurricanes Irma and Maria, as well as stories of slower-moving chronic issues like drought and how they impact communities and ecosystems. These stories also provide insight into the scientific needs of the natural resource community in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands – and we learn what types of information could help managers effectively plan for future extreme weather events. As a whole, these individual stories — in their own native voices from U.S. Caribbean communities — give us access to a collection of experiences with the potential to help communities and researchers now and in the future.
These oral histories are held in the The Digital Library of the Caribbean (dLOC), a cooperative digital library for resources from and about the Caribbean and circum-Caribbean. The dLOC partner institutions are the core of dLOC. dLOC partners retain all rights to their materials and provide access to digitized versions of Caribbean cultural, historical, and research materials currently held in archives, libraries, and private collections. You can view the complete Caribbean oral history series here.
CastingWords
Brenda Torres is the Executive Director of the San Juan Bay National Estuary Program, a 501(c)(3) organization that is part of the National Estuary Program. She has been in this role for 24 years and is responsible for managing the program's operations and initiatives. Torres is based in San Juan, Puerto Rico, and has a strong platform with the right contacts and resources to quickly react and deploy resources in response to environmental challenges. She has been involved in managing issues related to renewable energy, mental health support, and comprehensive water quality sampling. Torres has also been part of relief programs and has experience working with the Puerto Rican diaspora. Her work focuses on addressing ecological, economic, and social perspectives in the metropolitan region, which faces high population density and demand for space.
Scope and Content Note
The interview with Brenda Torres, conducted on May 30th, 2018, at the International Institute of Tropical Forestry in San Juan, Puerto Rico, covers experiences and lessons from past droughts, extreme weather events, and hurricanes. It also delves into management strategies to improve resiliency in the face of future weather events. The interview provides insights into Torres' experiences during the devastating Hurricane Maria, her involvement in relief programs, and the challenges faced in managing environmental issues in the San Juan Bay area. Additionally, the interview discusses the San Juan Bay Estuary Program's initiatives, including water quality sampling, renewable energy, and support for underserved communities. Torres also shares her perspective on the impact of climate events on the community's openness to new techniques for sustainable development. The interview offers valuable information on environmental management, community engagement, and the comprehensive approach taken by the San Juan Bay National Estuary Program under Torres' leadership.
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The NOAA mission is to understand and predict changes in climate, weather, oceans, and coasts, to share that knowledge and information with others, and to conserve and manage coastal and marine ecosystems and resources. The Voices Oral History Archives offers public access to a wide range of accounts, including historical materials that are products of their particular times, and may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes.
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