Nov. 24, 1999 Although Hurricane Lenny brought high winds and
heavy rains to Puerto Rico, residents in the vicinity of Lago La
Plata were spared the hazards and inconveniences of an
unnecessary evacuation Wednesday morning, in part because of the
efforts of U.S. Geological Survey Caribbean District Office
personnel in advance of, and during the storm. Precipitation and
stream gauging stations were put on alert mode throughout Puerto
Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands to provide data in near real-
time every five minutes via satellite to the USGS District
office in Guaynabo. These data proved critical in verifying that
a flood of the Lago La Plata Reservoir was not impending. At the
Puerto Rico Emergency Management Agency (PREMA) during the
hurricane, José M. Agis and Maritza Rodríguez monitored the USGS
rain gauge network. Dianne López and Reynaldo Sanabria remained
in the Caribbean District office to monitor the computer system
and respond to any request from the emergency unit at the PREMA.
Even though Hurrica