NASA Lifelines Mural Program

San Andrés COLOMBIA

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The Pulse of the Territory

Carlos Villareal (Jota Art)

Set at dusk beneath a satellite-filled sky, the mural reveals the hidden networks that protect life before disaster strikes. The woman in the water and the resting figure are connected not only to the mangrove roots, but to an unseen web of Earth observation satellites, data systems, and communications technologies that flow like lifelines beneath the surface. The glowing currents echo satellite signals, early warning alerts, and real-time information moving through global networks. The mangrove roots become a visual metaphor for these behind-the-scenes systems: branching, interconnected, and quietly working to sense risk, share warnings, and guide response. As critical natural infrastructure and a first line of defense, mangroves also help shield coastlines from erosion and rising seas. The mural makes visible the invisible: the flow of data, communication, and care that turns observation into action and transforms early warning into early protection.
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SAN ANDRÉS

The Archipelago of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina constantly faces the impacts of extreme weather events. Its location in the Caribbean Sea exposes it to events such as hurricanes, tropical storms, coastal erosion, and extreme weather variations, which affect infrastructure, livelihoods, and the well-being of communities in the territory.

In 2020, the population of the islands experienced Hurricane Iota, which destroyed nearly all of Providencia’s infrastructure and affected the other islands. According to the United Nations Office for the Coordination of Humanitarian Affairs (OCHA), more than 918,000 people were affected by disaster emergencies in Colombia between January and October 2025.

These events, and how to respond to them, continue to be a current concern for the country of Colombia.

Mercy Corps in San Andrés

Mercy Corps’ ResiRed program, funded by Twilio, was created to strengthen community preparedness and coordinated action in the face of these climate risks, working alongside communities, local authorities, and other key stakeholders in the islands of San Andrés, Providencia, and Santa Catalina.

ResiRed integrates community work with the strategic use of technological tools like communications software and satellite data to improve communication and coordination in emergency situations. In addition, it seeks to strengthen local preparedness processes and networking efforts before, during, and after climate events.

With more than two decades of work in Colombia, Mercy Corps has supported rural and urban communities in highly vulnerable contexts, promoting sustainable solutions adapted to local realities. Through ResiRed, the organization reaffirms its commitment to strengthening community capacities and building timely responses to climate challenges in these territories.

In the coming year, the program will advance territorial coordination processes and develop actions together with communities and local stakeholders of the archipelago, as part of an effort to strengthen preparedness and coordination in the face of climate risks.

Click to read more about Mercy Corps and ResiRed
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Get to know the artist

Carlos Villareal (Jota Art)

Carlos is a self-taught visual artist and muralist originally from Medellín, Colombia, who has made San Andrés Island his home since arriving there as an infant in 1979. Though an outsider by birth, he fully embraced the culture of San Andrés and Providencia, drawing deep inspiration from the Caribbean surroundings that shaped his artistic vision.
His work spans both conventional and unconventional surfaces, capturing the faces, landscapes, foods, fauna, flora, and other cultural elements native to the island region. Beyond aesthetics, his murals carry a strong message of environmental and social awareness — using public art as a tool to educate communities about the island’s rich biodiversity, its coral reef, and the importance of protecting its marine ecosystem. He has conducted mural workshops reaching approximately 1,500 children on the island, as well as public servants and members of the armed forces.
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About Lifelines Murals

The Lifelines Mural program is a global art initiative that engages local artists and communities to create murals that shed light on the ways satellite data and tools are helping communities become more resilient.