Hazard Mitigation
Wind Roof Retrofit
Hurricane Maria | Puerto Rico
Intense winds reaching upwards of 170mph were among the most destructive forces that struck Puerto Rico when Hurricane Maria swept across the island in 2017. Thousands of buildings were severely damaged, and many were left without roofs. As a Policy Advisor specializing in Hazard Mitigation, I focus on supporting survivors to not only rebuild, but build back better. Applying the Wind Retrofit Mitigation Program on the island became a critical measure for enhancing the structural resilience of communities that will likely face similar disasters in the future. In addition to introducing a unique mitigation plan to the island, I also developed a series of innovative tools – including a preliminary assessment form to determine if a structure meets program requirements, a Wind Retrofit Calculator that standardizes the typical costs associated with reconstruction, and a proposal template that incorporates the appropriate language and policies to formally present a mitigation plan. To date, over 100 buildings have been approved for the Wind Retrofit Mitigation Program. With the streamlining tools our team developed, we transformed what was initially an abstract set of policies, into a standardized process that can be easily applied and replicated for future disasters.