Flood Risk Mitigation with WaterProof

Hi everyone, my name is Lorenna Vazquez. I have a Masters in Geology with emphasis in Environmental Remote Sensing but worked for 10 years with the USGS Water division in Puerto Rico, so my main expertise is in water. I'm now a Scientific Professional Services Consultant so it became a must to be on top of the new technologies and techniques that are available. As such, I recently completed another NbS certification, and they recommended we take this course so I'm excited to be here. In terms of main challenges to implement NbS for flood risk, I agree with other colleagues here mentioning that communication with decision makers is key. Scientists need to clearly convey the pressuring need for them to prioritize flood risk mitigation in a way that aligns with short and long-term benefits that can justify the cost for stakeholders. For this, a thorough assessment of the issues are needed and I believe a good recommendation is to work alongside environmental non-profits, which might help close any gap in governmental databases which are rarely well-maintained were I reside.