Post-Disaster Coral Reef Assessment & Restoration Set Important Precedent for Coastal Communities

After Hurricanes Irma and Maria, over 11% of Puerto Rico’s coral reefs were damaged. The Puerto Rico Department of Natural and Environmental Resources, along with NOAA, FEMA and other local partners assessed damages and conducted emergency reattachment of corals, resulting in approximately 16,000 corals over 63 sites in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands. To reattach corals, the field team gathered at-risk, loose corals, cleaned the reef surface of algae and sediment, and adhered the corals to open, hard-bottom surfaces on the reef with cement. The project surveyed 153 sites in 38 field days, which equated to a total of 80,297 corals that were recorded for damage condition.