COMMUNITY ASSESMENT AND DEVELOPMENT OF A MITIGATION PLAN FOR FLOODING EVENT AFTER HEAVY RAIN EVENTS IN BARAHONA, MOROVIS, PUERTO RICO.

Flooding from obstructed sinkholes is one of the most continuous problems in the karstic regions in Puerto Rico due to hurricanes and heavy rain, an example of this is the community of Barahona, Morovis, P.R. These floods occur mainly because of sinkholes obstructed by natural and anthropogenic debris, preventing drainage and thus aggravating water accumulation in the area. The damage is not only to the property but also creates serious health hazards for the residents with pooled water and contamination. This project will help to mitigate such flood problems by identifying, visualizing, and mitigating blocked sinkholes through advanced geospatial tools. A GeoSLAM ZEB Horizon LiDAR scanner is used to generate detailed visualizations of the sinkholes, enabling remote inspection in the field. Additionally, the sinkhole was georeferenced using Jupiter Geode GNS3 and then integrated into ArcGIS Pro. Using this geographic information system software, a Digital Elevation Model was applied obtained from Digital Coast – NOAA to creating a three-dimensional map of the area. To enhance communication and community outreach, the data obtained through LiDAR is further processed using Nubigon software, which produces illustrative videos that help visualize sinkhole conditions and potential flood mitigation measures. Preliminary findings indicate that vegetation and different kinds of waste from humans are the main blockages in these sinkholes. These involve car parts like tires, mirrors, steering wheels, plastic bottles, among others. This calls for an urgent need for environmental education and community-led activities in the prevention of blockages of sinkholes and mitigation of their impacts. Informing the people of the community with actionable insights to reduce flooding is important. Working with the community hand-in-hand in ways to make the neighborhoods resilient for any future disasters and also increase awareness of the crucial role that sinkhole maintenance and waste management plays in the community.