Grantee Research Project Results
2022 Progress Report: Building Resilience in Vulnerable Older Adult Communities Facing Increased Exposure Risks to Wastewater Contamination from Flooding in Puerto Rico
EPA Grant Number: R840040Title: Building Resilience in Vulnerable Older Adult Communities Facing Increased Exposure Risks to Wastewater Contamination from Flooding in Puerto Rico
Investigators: Ikuma, Kaoru , Rehmann, Chris , Poleacovschi, Cristina , Weems, Carl , Zambrana, Ivis Garcia
Institution: Iowa State University
EPA Project Officer: Aja, Hayley
Project Period: August 1, 2020 through July 31, 2023 (Extended to July 31, 2024)
Project Period Covered by this Report: August 1, 2021 through July 31,2022
Project Amount: $800,000
RFA: Contaminated Sites, Natural Disasters, Changing Environmental Conditions and Vulnerable Communities: Research to Build Resilience (2019) RFA Text | Recipients Lists
Research Category: Safer Chemicals , Sustainable and Healthy Communities
Objective:
The objective of this study is to gather data that will aid in building resilience in vulnerable populations against contamination risks posed by flooding. Our underlying hypothesis is that even in vulnerable older adult communities exposed to natural disasters and resulting contamination, community-based risk reduction efforts can significantly decrease risk and increase the resilience of such populations especially when factors such as psychosocial vulnerabilities and the built environment are taken into consideration. Specifically, we are interested in improving our scientific understanding of how flooding results in elevated exposure risks to wastewater-related contaminants among older adults (Objective 1), determining what secondary/modifying psychosocial variables affect the vulnerability of older adults to risk posed by contaminant exposure (Objective 2), and learning how to build resilience in vulnerable communities with older adults by connecting the information gathered in the previous objectives (Objective 3).
Progress Summary:
Objective 1
Modeling of flooding and contamination was conducted using MIKE+ software (DHI) for the Loíza, Puerto Rico municipality. Specifically, we simulated the effects of storm surge due to hurricane-like winds on the spread of wastewater contamination from the ocean outfall of the discharge from the local wastewater treatment plant. Though inundation was possible due to storm surge from even category 1 winds, our results suggest that winds above hurricane category 3 (i.e., above 111 miles per hour) would likely result in wastewater contamination reaching homes in the floodwaters.
Objective 2
Door-to-door surveys and interviews were conducted focusing on older adults (>65 years old) throughout Loíza in summer 2022. Though we are still analyzing the data, preliminary results suggest that:
- There is an evident disconnect between the water quality-related perceptions of community members and stakeholders;
- There is significant concern of water pollution from industrial waste and septic systems;
- Mental and physical health of older adults was negatively correlated with water perception and positively correlated with hurricane stress;
- Social connection is the most critical developmental process to the older adults for successful aging even in disaster-prone areas; and
- The reconstruction initiation time after a disaster event is impacted by socioeconomic and housing vulnerabilities.
Future Activities:
Year 3 will focus on simulating the full range of possible wastewater contamination sources and storm conditions on contaminant transport during flooding in Loiza, which will highlight possible hot spots (Objective 1). These hot spots will be correlated with Year 1 survey data results on psychosocial vulnerability and resilience to assess the relationship between contamination and health of older adults. Furthermore, the survey and interview data from Year 2 (Objective 2) will be thoroughly analyzed and coded to determine the impacts of water quality, contamination, flooding, and the built environment on the wellbeing of older adults in Loíza.
In addition, we will conduct workshops (Objective 3) with older adult community members from Loíza to brainstorms ways of using the data to plan interventions for building resilience in the vulnerable, older adult populations within the community.
Journal Articles:
No journal articles submitted with this report: View all 2 publications for this projectProgress and Final Reports:
Original AbstractThe perspectives, information and conclusions conveyed in research project abstracts, progress reports, final reports, journal abstracts and journal publications convey the viewpoints of the principal investigator and may not represent the views and policies of ORD and EPA. Conclusions drawn by the principal investigators have not been reviewed by the Agency.