LANDSLIDES-Puerto Rico

✩Landslides are a type of mass movement that is common in unstable, steep areas and can be

triggered by seismic activity or heavy rainfall.

Puerto Rico is a Caribbean island and unincorporated U.S. territory with a landscape of
mountains, waterfalls and the El Yunque tropical rainforest. It has a population of 3.194 million as of
2019. The average annual precipitation in Puerto Rico ranges from less than 1000mm along the
southern coast to more than 4000mm in the rainforest of the Sierra de Luquillo in the north-eastern
part of the island. Rain in Puerto Rico falls throughout the year, but about twice as much rain falls
each month from May to October- “the tropical storm season” - as falls from November to April. In
October 1985, a tropical wave, which later developed into a tropical storm Isabel, struck the south-
centre coast of Puerto Rico and produced extreme rainfall.

Approximately 70-80% of Puerto Rico is hilly/mountainous. It can be divided into three distinct
physiographic provinces. Upland, Northern Karst, and Coastal Plains.
The Upland province includes;
● 3 major mountain ranges
● Dense tropical vegetation
● Steep slopes are common
The Northern Karst includes;
● Most of the north-central and north-western
● North of the Upland province
The Coastal Plains includes;
● Discontinuous, gently sloping area
● Major cities
● 60% of the population lives in major cities

As stated above, most of the population lives in the Coastal Plains which is less risky.
However, the continuing growth of the urban centres in this province is pushing development onto
surrounding steep slopes. The Upland and Northern Karsts are particularly dangerous because they
have high relief, steep slopes, and abundant rainfall.

All major types of landslides occur in Puerto Rico. Two of its provinces have continuing
landslide problems. The drier south-western part normally experiences landslides only during
exceptionally heavy rainfall. Debris slides/flows, which are rapid downslope sliding or flowing of
disrupted surface rock and soil, are particularly hazardous because they happen with little to no
warning. Rockfalls are common on very steep natural slopes and especially on the numerous steep
road cuttings on the island. Thus, the greatest cost to public works in Puerto Rico is road
maintenance. The frequency of serious storm suggests that a long-term average of perhaps five
fatalities per year could occur, tens of houses be destroyed or made unfit to live in, and hundreds be
damaged by landslides each year.

The 1985 Puerto Rico floods produced the deadliest single landslide on record in North
America, killing at least 130 people in the Mameyes neighborhood of barrio Portugués Urbano in
Ponce. The floods were the result of a westward-moving tropical wave that emerged off the coast of
Africa on September 29. The system moved into the Caribbean Sea on October 5 and produced
torrential rainfall across Puerto Rico, peaking at 31.67 in (804 mm) in Toro Negro State Forest. Two
stations broke their 24-hour rainfall records set in 1899. The rains caused severe flooding in the
southern half of Puerto Rico, which isolated towns, washed out roads, and caused rivers to exceed
their banks. In addition to the deadly landslide in Mameyes, the floods washed out a bridge in Santa
Isabel that killed several people. The storm system caused about $125 million in damage, more than
100 home destructions, and 180 deaths, which prompted a presidential disaster declaration. The
tropical wave later spawned Tropical Storm Isabel.

A flooded creek in Quebrada del Agua, near Ponce, killed 16 people. Flooding washed away the
westbound bridge over the Río Coamo near Santa Isabel along San Juan–Ponce highway. At
least six cars drove into an unlit 35 ft (11 m) gap in the road, killing 29 people. Four of the
deaths were police officers who were trying to rescue a family from a car that was washed
away. At least six bridges were washed out across the island. The floods left about 32,000
people without power, and some towns were isolated. The floods shut down 11 water filtration
plants and 13 sewage treatment plants, which left 16 municipalities temporarily without water.
Across Puerto Rico, the floods damaged 1,700 houses and destroyed another 1,300. About
50,000 people had to leave their houses for shelter across Puerto Rico. Two landslides occurred
near Peñuelas, collectively damaging or destroying 13 buildings.
In conclusion, landslides or mass movements in general cause great deal of hazards and they are
very hard to manage as all the dangers are caused by natural activities. For now, an adequate way
to experience less risk is to not live around possibly these dangerous areas.