Marianela Torres Rodriguez
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
Marianela Torres Rodríguez is a professional working in the Department of Natural Resources, currently leading the division responsible for monitoring the water plan. She resides in the Aturrey community, having grown up in the southern region of Guánica, known for its dry forest. Marianela has been actively involved in addressing past droughts, particularly the 2015 drought and extreme weather events. Her experiences and expertise have led her to develop strategies to improve resilience to future droughts and other climate events. Marianela's work has involved coordinating with government agencies, developing protocols, and incorporating climate change considerations into water management planning.
Scope and Content Note:
The interview with Marianela Torres Rodríguez, conducted by Aranzazu Lascurain at the International Tropical Forestry Institute, focuses on experiences and lessons from past droughts and extreme weather events. The conversation delves into Marianela's personal experiences during the 2015 drought, her involvement in developing protocols and committees to address drought impacts, and the incorporation of climate change considerations into water management planning. Additionally, the interview covers Marianela's insights on the impacts of Hurricane Maria and the lessons learned from that experience. The interview provides valuable information on strategies for improving resilience to future droughts and other climate events, including the development of protocols, coordination with government agencies, and the integration of climate change considerations into water management planning.
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