Kristin Wilson Grimes
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
Kristin Wilson Grimes is an Assistant Professor of Research at the University of the Virgin Islands with a joint appointment in the Department of Biology and the Center for Marine and Environmental Studies. She also serves as the director for the Virgin Islands Water Resources Research Institute, a territorial and federal partnership between the territory and the United States Geological Survey. Grimes is primarily involved in research, focusing on marine and environmental science, teaching in the Masters of Marine and Environmental Science Program, and leading marine debris initiatives in the US Virgin Islands. She is also dedicated to promoting diversity and inclusion in science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) fields, working on National Science Foundation projects aimed at increasing minority student engagement in these areas.
Scope and Content Note
The interview with Kristin Wilson Grimes, conducted by Melody Hunter-Pillion, covers Grimes' experiences and lessons from past drought and extreme weather events, including hurricanes, and management strategies to improve resiliency in the face of future weather events. Grimes discusses her roles at the University of the Virgin Islands, her teaching responsibilities, and her research expertise, which includes marine and environmental science, marine debris initiatives, and promoting diversity and inclusion in STEM fields. The interview delves into Grimes' firsthand experience during Hurricane Irma, where she describes the impact of the storm, the challenges faced during and after the event, and the community support that emerged in the aftermath. Additionally, Grimes addresses the lack of long-term monitoring data in the US Virgin Islands and the challenges it poses for creating management plans and enhancing resiliency. The interview also touches on the anecdotal information gathered from residents and farmers regarding the impact of extreme weather events on plant life, crops, and wildlife in the region.
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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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