On April 20, 2018 at 2 PM ET Luis Huertas, who’s family personally experienced the full impact of Hurricane Irma and Maria, talked about what happened – and what is still happening in the Caribbean islands.
If ever there was a clear and stunning message from Mother Nature it slammed, again and again and again into the Leeward Islands in 2017.
Learn what happened and what progress is being made, or not, to restore water and wastewater services.
Irma was the first Category 5 hurricane to strike the Leeward Islands on record, followed by Hurricane Maria two weeks later, and is the second-costliest Caribbean hurricane on record, after Maria itself.
The storm caused catastrophic damage in Barbuda, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Anguilla, and the Virgin Islands causing at least 138 deaths.
What happened? And what has happened since? How does an island nation survive without power, water and wastewater systems?
And how do they get ready for the next time?
This event was hosted and presented by WasteWaterEducation.org as part of our 2018 Earth Month series.
Luis Huertas serves SDC as a Project Manager, consulting on LEED compliance and sustainable design strategies, for a wide range of project types including commercial, higher education, healthcare, hospitality and institutional projects.
He also advises teams on the applicability of a variety of other green building and energy efficiency standards and rating systems and spearheads SDC’s scope and tool development for LEED V4 readiness. Luis is one of the founders of the USGBC Caribbean Chapter. He has also served as a panelist at the Bermuda Ministry of Economic Development’s Bermuda Energy Summit.
Prior to joining SDC, Luis managed his own design and project planning firm located in Aruba with a focus on sustainable design for the Caribbean region. He is a founder and past Board member of the Aruba Sustainable Development Foundation. An Advisory Board member for the Americas Sustainable Development Foundation Luis is also a Board Member of AIA Richmond Chapter.
Luis Huertas, AIA, NCARB, LEED AP BD+C
Project Manager
Sustainable Design Consulting, LLC
www.sustaindesign.net
How you can help:
USVI:
https://www.usvirecovery.org/
BVI:
https://www.pledgeling.com/virgin-isl…
https://www.virgin.com/unite/bvi-comm…
PR:
Barbuda:
https://donate.icfdn.org/npo/barbuda-…
St Maarten:
St Barths:
https://stbarthfondation.com/en/
Dominica:
https://www.dominicarelief.org/
Food/Agriculture: Puerto Rico Resilience Fund ( http://www.americasforconservation.or… )
Energy: Resilient Power Puerto Rico ( https://resilientpowerpr.com/ ) They are working on installing solar powered systems strategically in buildings that serve highly impacted communities for the people to have a place where they can recharge their cellphones, connect medical devices, and provide other services such as washing clothes. Each project varies – for example, some systems have been installed in elderly homes.
Shelter: ( http://habitatpr.org/ ) There are many efforts for rebuilding homes, but I personally like this one because they actively involve the final users and their neighbors in the works. What they learn about construction practices can then be replicated by themselves in other structures and or future events.
VIDEO Credit: Science Friday® is produced by the Science Friday Initiative, a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization.
see: https://www.sciencefriday.com/segment…
and
https://www.sciencefriday.com/article…
WasteWater Education’s Earth Month series focus both on threats to the environment but also take a positive view, focusing on what will and is driving technology, conservation and environmental protection. Come visit the entrepreneurs and committed professionals who believe that science is not optional – it’s the solution. Please support our work: https://wastewatereducation.org/donate.html
