Partnerships in the recovery planning process: lessons from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and Irma
Disaster Prevention and Management
ISSN: 0965-3562
Article publication date: 16 April 2024
Issue publication date: 12 August 2024
Abstract
Purpose
To assess which partnerships were most critical during the recovery planning process following Hurricanes Maria and Irma. We discuss the roles and impact of different types of partners, barriers and facilitators to partnerships and lessons in collaboration during the development of the economic and disaster recovery plan for Puerto Rico.
Design/methodology/approach
The Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC) was tasked with assisting the Puerto Rican government with an assessment of damages from Hurricanes Maria and Irma and the development of the Recovery Plan. During the process, a small team compiled and coded a database of meetings with non-HSOAC partners. The team was divided into sector teams that mirrored FEMA’s Recovery Support Functions. Each sector completed two surveys identifying high impact partners and their roles and contributions, as well as barriers and facilitators to partnerships.
Findings
A total of 1,382 engagements were recorded across all sectors over seven months. The most frequently identified high impact partners were federal and Puerto Rican governmental organizations partners. NGOs and nonprofits were noted as key partners in obtaining community perspective. Sector teams cited a lack of trust and difficulty identifying partners as barriers to partner engagement. Given the expedited nature of disaster response, establishing partnerships before disasters occur may help facilitate community input. Early networking, increased transparency and defining roles and responsibilities may increase trust and effectiveness among partnerships.
Originality/value
To our knowledge, this is one of the few studies that quantifies and illustrates the partnerships formed and their contributions during recovery planning, and lessons learned.
Keywords
Acknowledgements
This research was funded by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) through the Homeland Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC), contract HSHQDC-16-D00007, task order 70FBR218F00000032. HSOAC is a federally funded research and development center (FFRDC) operated by the RAND Corporation under contract with the U.S. Department of Homeland Security, Science and Technology Directorate. The results presented in this article do not necessarily reflect official DHS opinion or policy. The authors gratefully acknowledge Vivian Towe, Elizabeth Petrun-Sayers, Cynthia Cook, Henry Willis, Jeremy Eckhause and Leslie Payne for their support in this manuscript.
Citation
Tom, A. and Kim, A. (2024), "Partnerships in the recovery planning process: lessons from Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria and Irma", Disaster Prevention and Management, Vol. 33 No. 4, pp. 321-334. https://doi.org/10.1108/DPM-09-2022-0205
Publisher
:Emerald Publishing Limited
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