Adapting utilities to be resilient to climate impacts, from extreme storm events to heatwaves, poses significant challenges and opportunities for providers and communities. Hurricane Maria devastated Puerto Rico in 2017 and resulted in the longest blackout in U.S. History. The Forum welcomes Malu Blázquez Arsuaga, the Executive Director of the Resilient Puerto Rico Advisory Commission, and speakers from Resilient Power Puerto Rico to discuss lessons learned from Hurricane Maria and rebuilding resilient utility infrastructure.

We will then turn our focus to local climate impacts and hear what steps are being taken for regional utility resilience. Local utility providers and communities will discuss on-going projects and challenges for climate adaptation in New England.

Forum Co-Chairs

Julie Eaton, Lead Resiliency Engineer
Weston & Sampson

Alex Papali, Green Justice Organizer
Clean Water Action

Keynote Speakers

ResilientSEE-PR: A multidisciplinary lens for rebuilding communities in Puerto Rico

Yanel de Angel, Associate Principal
Perkins+Will

On the Path to Creating a Stronger & More Resilient Puerto Rico After Hurricane María

Malu Blázquez Arsuaga, Executive Director
Resilient Puerto Rico Advisory Commission

Transforming an Energy Grid One Scale at a Time

Jonathan J. Marvel, FAIA, President
Resilient Power Puerto Rico

Open Discussion Moderator

Alex Papali, Forum Co-Chair
Green Justice Organizer, Clean Water Action

Rapid Fire Panel Presentations

Panel Introduction & Overview of Utility Vulnerability in New England

Julie Eaton, Forum Co-Chair
Lead Resiliency Engineer, Weston & Sampson

Utility Summer Preparation

Sam Woolard, Director – Distributing Engineering
Eversource Energy

Utility Climate Adaptation

G. Paul Anundson, P.E., Principal Engineer
Electric Standards, National Grid

Energy Democracy and Environmental Justice

María Belén Power, Associate Executive Director
GreenRoots

Public Health Response to Extreme Heat Events

Stacey Kokaram, Director, Office of Public Health Preparedness
Boston Public Health Commission

Open Discussion Moderator

David W. Cash, Ph.D., Dean, John W. McCormack Graduate School of Policy and Global Studies
University of Massachusetts Boston