Pablo Méndez Lázaro
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.
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Dr. Pablo A. Méndez Lázaro is an Associate Professor at the University of Puerto Rico-Medical Sciences Campus. With expertise in geography and environmental sciences, he leads research on climate change and health, contributing to national and international assessments.
Scope and Content Note
The interview with Pablo Méndez Lázaro, conducted by Aranzazu Lascurain, delves into experiences and lessons learned from past droughts and extreme weather events. The discussion also encompasses strategies for enhancing resilience to future droughts and other climate-related occurrences. The conversation covers various aspects, including the institutional approach to managing drought, the impacts of drought on resources, and the integration of social, ecological, and technological systems. Additionally, the interview explores the personal and professional practices adopted in response to drought, such as water usage monitoring and the development of conceptual frameworks for addressing water-related challenges. The conversation also touches on the consideration of drought in future planning and the importance of analyzing water consumption patterns. Throughout the interview, there is an emphasis on the need for holistic approaches to water management and the significance of decentralized alternatives for water supply, particularly in the context of drought.
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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.
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.