HA-445
Hydrologic Investigations Map
U.S. Geological Survey

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Floods in Patillas-Maunabo Area, Puerto Rico

Author: William J. Haire

INTRODUCTION

Floods occurred on most streams in Puerto Rico during the period October 5-10, 1970. The greatest floods, however, occurred in an area east of a line extending from Arecibo to Ponce, which is the eastern two-thirds of Puerto Rico. Higher floods have occurred in other years in some areas but the floods of October 1970 were outstanding because of their duration and multiple peaks (fig . 1). The volume of runoff was extraordinarily large. The floods resulted from rainfall that totaled as much as 35 inches at some places during the 6-day period. The rainfall came mostly in intense bursts.

The floods caused severe property damage and loss of life in Puerto Rico. At least 16 lives were lost. Hundreds of homes were damaged or destroyed and about 12,000 people were evacuated to shelters. Damage to bridges, highways, public structures, and farmlands was reported by Civil Defense to be $65 million. Highway travel in many areas was severely restricted in the eastern two-thirds of Puerto Rico. Principal and secondary highways were blocked by inundation and landslides. The main highway between Ponce and Guayama was closed for nearly 3 weeks because of high water and washouts.

The citation for this map, in USGS format, is as follows:

Haire, W.J., 1971, Floods in the Patillas-Maunabo area, Puerto Rico: U.S. Geological Survey Hydrologic Investigations Atlas HA-445, 1 sheet.