From the publisher

Abstract

At a recent IAEM conference, Dr. William Waugh, Jr, PhD, our Editor-in-Chief, and I were enjoying a conference luncheon and while introducing ourselves to those around us, we were fortunate to meet Damarys Acevedo-Markey, PE, an environmental engineer with the US Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), who has been instrumental in USACE's post-disaster recovery analysis in Puerto Rico. The introductions led to a deeper discussion about the issues surrounding Hurricane Maria and the devastation it caused in Puerto Rico. The disaster presented real pre- and post-disaster challenges across the spectrum. There was much to be researched and a new paradigm is needed to ensure this disaster does not happen again. From this discussion at the conference, the special issue on this important disaster was born! So our sincere thanks to Damarys for her support of this project!