Felix Aponte-Gonzalez
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
Felix Aponte-Gonzalez is a Puerto Rican urban planner and environmental manager who has lived in both rural and urban areas of Puerto Rico. He has experienced droughts and extreme weather events, including the severe drought from 1992 to 1994, which led to significant water rationing. His professional work involves planning and managing urban spaces and environmental resources. Aponte-Gonzalez has been involved in coordinating efforts to address drought events, emphasizing the need for a comprehensive approach involving various agencies. He has also been impacted by Hurricane Maria and has been actively involved in community engagement and advocacy for environmental and social change.
Scope and Content Note:
The interview with Felix Aponte-Gonzalez, conducted by Aranzazu Lascurain, focuses on experiences and reactions to past droughts and extreme weather events in Puerto Rico. Aponte-Gonzalez discusses his personal experiences during the 1992-1994 drought, emphasizing the impact of water scarcity on daily life. The interview also delves into strategies for improving resilience to future droughts and other climate events, highlighting the need for coordinated and comprehensive approaches involving multiple agencies. Additionally, Aponte-Gonzalez shares insights into the impact of Hurricane Maria and the changes in societal perspectives and practices following the event. The interview provides valuable perspectives on the intersection of urban planning, environmental management, and community resilience in the context of climate-related challenges in Puerto Rico.
Rights Management: These materials are available for reuse under a Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (CC BY-NC). This means that the public may freely copy, modify, and share these items for non-commercial purposes if they include the original source information.
Please Note: The oral histories in this collection are protected by copyright and have been created for educational, research and personal use as described by the Fair Use Doctrine in the U.S. Copyright law. Please reach out Voices@noaa.gov to let us know how these interviews are being used in your research, project, exhibit, etc. The Voices staff can help provide other useful resources related to your inquiry.
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.
Voices Oral History Archives does not verify the accuracy of materials submitted to us. The opinions expressed in the interviews are those of the interviewee only. The interviews here have been made available to the public only after the interviewer has confirmed that they have obtained consent.