Field Notes 2023
51
Geospatial Analysis of Water Treatment Plant Vulnerability to Storm Surge-Induced Flooding and Proposed Adaptive Strategies in Port-au-Prince, Haiti Violet Massie-Vereker Abstract Climate change adaptation grows increasingly challenging for low-income, low-elevation island states in the Caribbean, with damages amounting to tens of billions of USD per natural disaster. Climate change-induced flooding specifically will become more severe as sea surface temperatures rise, increasing the intensity and frequency of tropical storms and the amount of rainfall. Port-au-Prince, Haiti, faces the brunt of these challenges, with high vulnerability due to political instability, population density, and economic fragility. Vulnerability nodes were identified throughout the city to target adaptation responses based on which storm surge damages would impact the city the most. Water treatment plants were chosen as the infrastructure to focus on, as they are units
that cities require daily to service their needs. By combining coastal dynamic and geomorphological data with sociodemographic data, the southwestern region of the town emerged as the zone with the most significant storm surge flooding risk. After selecting a treatment plant, a decision tree was developed to determine which floodproofing methods would protect the facility’s machinery most effectively. Four methods were selected and classified for implementation in the plant. However, further research is required to determine their cost-effectiveness and funding eligibility. There is a tremendous opportunity for developing vulnerability node adaptation in infrastructure protection, especially in areas of low development with the potential for transformational adaptation.