The Geology Department of the University of Puerto Rico (UPR) Mayagüez Campus (RUM) announced the opening of the Puerto Rico Landslide Mitigation Office, which will continue the research work and community outreach programs of the former SLIDES PR project. The objective of the new office is to study and better understand the landslide phenomenon on the island and to provide valuable information to the public on the dangers of landslides.

According to Dr. Stephen Hughes, coordinator of the newly established Office, the purpose is to continue with the operation of the network of 18 soil moisture monitoring stations around the country, and the development of a landslide forecasting system. The team will also analyze this phenomenon from the perspective of the effect of sedimentation on the capacity of vulnerable reservoirs and its relationship with the evolution of topography.

“We are very pleased to have the Residency 4-B space at RUM dedicated to landslide hazard science and community engagement. Since Puerto Rico does not have a Geological Survey agency or a state-level equivalent, we hope this new Office can fulfill a local need and benefit residents, emergency managers, planners and others, especially those in rural mountain communities, for many years to come,” said Hughes, who is a professor in the Department of Geology.

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