Greg Guannel
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
Greg Guannel is the director of the Caribbean Green Technology Center at the University of the Virgin Islands. He is a civil engineer by training and has a background in coastal engineering and hazard risk reduction by ecosystems such as mangroves and coral reefs. Guannel focuses on issues of infrastructure resilience, energy independence, and waste reduction. He resides on St. Thomas in the Virgin Islands, and his work encompasses the entire Virgin Islands region. Guannel has experienced extreme weather events, including hurricanes, and has been involved in management strategies to improve resiliency in the face of future weather events.
Scope and Content Note:
The interview with Greg Guannel, conducted by Melody Hunter-Pillion, provides insights into Guannel's experiences with past drought and extreme weather events, particularly hurricanes. The interview also delves into management strategies aimed at improving resiliency in the face of future drought and other weather events. Guannel discusses his role as the director of the Caribbean Green Technology Center at the University of the Virgin Islands, focusing on infrastructure resilience, energy independence, and waste reduction. The interview covers Guannel's experiences during Hurricane Maria, including lessons learned and strategies adopted, such as the use of waterproof backpacks and improved knowledge of storm tracking. Additionally, Guannel shares his views on the impact of climate and extreme weather on culture, emphasizing the importance of data collection and communication. The interview also touches on the significance of mangrove forests as natural buffers and the need for higher awareness and understanding of environmental issues. Throughout the interview, Guannel emphasizes the importance of collaboration, interdisciplinary work, and the collection of data for addressing environmental challenges and building resilience.
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.