Equity, participation, and planning for recovery in Puerto Rico
DOI:
https://doi.org/10.5055/jem.0656Keywords:
Hurricane Maria, Puerto Rico, recovery, planningAbstract
Based on a survey of stakeholders from 34 municipalities in Puerto Rico 1 year following Hurricane Maria, this study reports on progress and priorities for longer-term recovery. Following a description of the storm and its impacts and an overview of recovery principles, initial insights expressed after the storm are studied. Over 56 percent of respondents ranked the need for equity considerations as the top recovery priority, while 23 percent ranked building back faster, and 11 percent supported building back stronger as the top priority. Building back greener was the top recovery goal for 10 percent of the respondents. In addition to broad recovery goals, specific actions and initiatives to support recovery are also investigated. While the needs for more robust data collection and information sharing emerged, gaps in training and capacity building were also reported. The analysis sheds light on the need for more participatory, deliberative processes, and the challenges of leadership, management, and inclusive governance following large-scale disasters. The findings are relevant to other island communities and the development of effective systems for disaster recovery.
References
National Hurricane Center: Tropical cyclone report: Hurricane Maria. 2019.
Central Office for Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency (COR3): Transformation and innovation in the wake of devastation: An economic and disaster recovery plan for Puerto Rico. 2018.
George Washington University: Ascertainment of the estimated excess mortality from Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. 2018. Available at https://publichealth.gwu.edu/sites/default/files/downloads/projects/Prstudy/Acertainment.
National Centers for Environmental Information (NCEI): Costliest US tropical cyclones. 2020.
Johnson LA, Hayashi H: Synthesis efforts in disaster recovery research. Int J Mass Emerg Disasters. 2012; 30(2): 212-238.
Olshansky RB, Hopkins LD, Johnson LA: Disaster and recovery: Processes compressed in time. Nat Hazards Rev. 2012; 13(3): 173-178. DOI: 10.1061/(ASCE)NH.1527-6996.0000077.
Kim K, Bui L: Learning from Hurricane Maria: Island ports and supply chain resilience. Int J Disaster Risk Reduct. 2019; 39: 101244. DOI: 10.1016/j.ijdrr.2019.101244.
Farber DA: Response and recovery after Maria: Lessons for disaster law and policy. Rev Jurisdica Univ P R. 2018; 87(3): 743-771. DOI: 10.2139/ssrn.3174466.
Hamdani K, Kramer Mills C, Silva J, et al.: Small businesses and the 2017 hurricanes. 2018. Available at https://www.newyorkfed.org/medialibrary/media/outreach-and-education/24idwesrico/2018/PRSBS-2018-Hurricanes.pdf.
Reardon S: Hurricane Maria’s wrath leaves clues to coral reefs’ future. Nature. 2018; 560(7719): 421-423.
Barreto-Orta M, Méndez-Tejeda R, Rodríguez E, et al.: State of the beaches in Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria (2017). Shore Beach. 2019; 87(1): 8.
Mendez-Tejeda R, Pérez-Valentín KA, Barreto-Orta M: Impact of extreme weather events on the beaches of Puerto Rico: The case of Ocean Park, San Juan. Am J Mar Sci. 2020; 8(1): 1-5.
Castro Rivera AL, Marrero T, Ramirez DL: Temporada de Huracanes 2017 en Puerto Rico: Lecciones Aprendidas. 2020.
Office of Recovery, Reconstruction, and Resilience: COR3 transparency portal. Available at https://www.recovery.pr/en. Accessed December 18, 2020.
Garcia I, Olshansky RB, Carrasquillo D: Puerto Rico lurches toward recovery: Two years after Hurricane Maria, a bottom-up community planning initiative is under way. 2019. Available at https://www.planning.org/planning/2019/aug/puertoricorecovery/. Accessed December 2020.
Berke PR, Kartez J, Wenger D: Recovery after disaster: Achieving sustainable development, mitigation and equity. Disasters. 1993; 17(2): 93-109. DOI: 10.1111/j.1467-7717.1993.tb01137.x.
Rubin CB, Saperstein MD, Barbee DG: Community recovery from a major natural disaster. FMHI Publ. 1985; 87: 1-298.
Olshansky RB: How do communities recover from disaster? A review of current knowledge and an agenda for future research. In 46th Annu Conf Assoc Coll Sch Plan. 2005.
Berke P, Cooper J, Aminto M, et al.: Adaptive planning for disaster recovery and resiliency: An evaluation of 87 local recovery plans in eight states. J Am Plann Assoc. 2014; 80(4): 310-323. DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2014.976585.
Smith G, Birkland T: Building a theory of disaster recovery: Institutional dimensions. Int J Mass Emerg Disasters. 2012; 30(2): 147-170.
Smith GP, Wenger D: Sustainable disaster recovery: Operationalizing an existing agenda. In Handbook of Disaster Research. New York: Springer, 2007: 234-257. DOI: 10.1007/978-0-387-32353-4_14.
Government of Puerto Rico: Código Municipal de Puerto Rico, 2020: 525.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): Hurricane season FEMA after-action report. 2017.
Platt S, So E: Speed or deliberation: A comparison of post-disaster recovery in Japan, Turkey, and Chile. Disasters. 2017; 41(4): 696-727. DOI: 10.1111/disa.12219.
Kim K, Olshansky RB: The theory and practice of building back better. J Am Plann Assoc. 2014; 80(4): 289-292. DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2014.988597.
Fernandez G, Ahmed I: Build back better approach to disaster recovery: Research trends since 2006. Prog Disaster Sci. 2019; 1:100003. DOI: 10.1016/j.pdisas.2019.100003.
Finucane ML, Acosta J, Wicker A, et al.: Short-term solutions to a long-term challenge: Rethinking disaster recovery planning to reduce vulnerabilities and inequities. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2020; 17(2): 482. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph17020482.
Kim K, Foley D: Report to kettering foundation, disasters and democracy project. 2014.
Mehta A, Brennan M, Steil J: Affordable housing, disasters, and social equity: LIHTC as a tool for preparedness and recovery. J Am Plann Assoc. 2020; 86(1): 75-88. DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2019.1667261.
Meerow S, Pajouhesh P, Miller TR: Social equity in urban resilience planning. Local Environ. 2019; 24(9): 793-808. DOI: 10.1080/13549839.2019.1645103.
March A, Kornakova M (eds.): Urban Planning for Disaster Recovery. New York: Butterworth-Heinemann, 2017: 31.
Domingue SJ, Emrich CT: Social vulnerability and procedural equity: Exploring the distribution of disaster aid across counties in the United States. Am Rev Public Adm. 2019; 49(8): 897-913. DOI: 10.1177/0275074019856122.
Emrich CT, Tate E, Larson SE, et al.: Measuring social equity in flood recovery funding. Environ Hazards. 2020; 19(3): 228-250. DOI: 10.1080/17477891.2019.1675578.
Reardon KM: Equity planning in Post-Hurricane Katrina New Orleans: Lessons from the ninth ward. Cityscape. 2008; 10(3): 21.
Ehrenfeucht R, Nelson M: Planning, population loss and equity in New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina. Plan Pract Res. 2011; 26(2): 129-146. DOI: 10.1080/02697459.2011.560457.
Rubin CB, Barbee DG: Disaster recovery and hazard mitigation: Bridging the intergovernmental gap. Public Adm Rev. 1985; 45: 57. DOI: 10.2307/3134998.
Delgado CM: Plans require participation: Disaster recovery plans are ineffective without people. J Emerg Med. 2007; 5(5): 25. DOI: 10.5055/jem.2007.0021.
Pearce L: Disaster management and community planning, and public participation: How to achieve sustainable hazard mitigation. Nat Hazards. 2003; 28(2-3): 211-228.
Djalante R, Holley C, Thomalla F: Adaptive governance and managing resilience to natural hazards. Int J Disaster Risk Sci. 2011; 2(4): 1-14. DOI: 10.1007/s13753-011-0015-6.
National Centers for Environmental Information: Billion-dollar weather and climate disasters: Overview. 2020. Available at https://www.ncdc.noaa.gov/billions/. Accessed December 20, 2020.
Keenan JM: Types and forms of resilience in local planning in the US: Who does what? Environ Sci Policy. 2018; 88: 116-123. DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2018.06.015.
Reece JW: In pursuit of a twenty-first century just city: The evolution of equity planning theory and practice. J Plan Lit. 2018; 33(3): 299-309. DOI: 10.1177/0885412218754519.
Yiftachel O: Planning and social control: Exploring the dark side. J Plan Lit. 1998; 12(4): 395-406. DOI: 10.1177/088541229801200401.
Cutter SL, Finch C: Temporal and spatial changes in social vulnerability to natural hazards. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2008; 105(7): 2301-2306.
Tierney K, Oliver-Smith A: Social dimensions of disaster recovery. Int J Mass Emerg Disasters. 2012; 30(2): 1-23.
Comfort LK, Birkland TA, Cigler BA, et al.: Retrospectives and prospectives on Hurricane Katrina: Five years and counting. Public Adm Rev. 2010; 70(5): 669-678. DOI: 10.1111/j.1540-6210.2010.02194.x.
Kates RW, Colten CE, Laska S, et al.: Reconstruction of New Orleans after Hurricane Katrina: A research perspective. Proc Natl Acad Sci USA. 2006; 103(40): 14653-14660. DOI: 10.1073/pnas.0605726103.
Billings SB, Gallagher EA, Ricketts L: Let the rich be flooded: The distribution of financial aid and distress after Hurricane Harvey. J Financial Econ. 2019; 59:1-48.
Howell J, Elliott JR. Damages done: The longitudinal impacts of natural hazards on wealth inequality in the United States. Soc Probl. 2019; 66(3): 448-467. DOI: 10.1093/socpro/spy016.
US Census Bureau: QuickFacts Puerto Rico. American Community Survey 2019. 2020. Available at https://www.census.gov/quickfacts/fact/table/PR/INC910219#INC910219. Accessed December 20, 2020.
Bach T: The 10 US cities with the largest income inequality gaps. US news and world report. 2020. Available at https://www.usnews.com/news/cities/articles/2020-09-21/us-cities-with-the-biggest-income-inequality-gaps. Accessed December 21, 2020.
Elliott JR, Brown PL, Loughran K: Racial inequities in the federal buyout of flood-prone homes: A nationwide assessment of environmental adaptation. Socius. 2020; 6: 237802312090543. DOI: 10.1177/2378023120905439.
Siders AR: Social justice implications of US managed retreat buyout programs. Clim Change. 2019; 152(2): 239-257. DOI: 10.1007/s10584-018-2272-5.
Muñoz C, Tate E: Unequal recovery? Federal resource distribution after a Midwest flood disaster. Int J Environ Res Public Health. 2016; 13(5): 507. DOI: 10.3390/ijerph13050507.
Willison CE, Singer PM, Creary MS, et al.: Quantifying inequities in US federal response to hurricane disaster in Texas and Florida compared with Puerto Rico. BMJ Glob Health. 2019; 4(1): E001191. DOI: 10.1136/bmjgh-2018-001191.
Basta C: From justice in planning toward planning for justice: A capability approach. Plan Theory. 2016; 15(2): 190-212.
Welsh MG, Esnard A-M: Closing gaps in local housing recovery planning for disadvantaged displaced households. Cityscape. 2009; 11(3): 19.
McEntire DA: Tenets of vulnerability: An assessment of a fundamental disaster concept. J Emerg Med. 2004; 2(2): 23. DOI: 10.5055/jem.2004.0020.
Sotolongo M, Kuhl L, Baker SH: Using environmental justice to inform disaster recovery: Vulnerability and electricity restoration in Puerto Rico. Environ Sci Policy. 2021; 122: 59-71. DOI: 10.1016/j.envsci.2021.04.004.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): National Disaster Recovery Framework. 2nd ed. Washington, DC: FEMA, 2016.
Santiago L, Flores D, Hong C-Y: The impact of extreme weather events on community risk planning and management: The case of San Juan, Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. Urbe Rev Bras Gest Urbana. 2020; 12: E20190062. DOI: 10.1590/2175-3369.012.e20190062.
Neal DM: Transition from response to recovery after the Lancaster, TX, tornado: An empirical description. J Emerg Med. 2004; 2(1): 47. DOI: 10.5055/jem.2004.0011.
Gonzalez B, Jr, Weygan-Hildebrand C, Winchester C, et al.: Island community resilience initiative report: Incorporating lessons from Hurricane Maria into Oahu’s resilience strategy. 2018.
Sandler D, Smith G: Assessing the quality of state disaster recovery plans: Implications for policy and practice. J Emerg Med. 2017; 11(4): 281. DOI: 10.5055/jem.2013.0144.
Government Accountability Office: Puerto Rico hurricanes: Status of FEMA funding, oversight and recovery challenges. 2019. Available at http://cedd.pr.gov/Mitigacion/. Accessed December 29, 2020.
Burger N, Cook CR, Finucane ML, et al.: Developing Recovery Options for Puerto Rico’s Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan: Process and Methodology. Geneva: UNDRR, 2020: 81.
Kennedy M, Metz D, Dezenski E, et al.: Assessing the Cost of Disaster Recovery and Identifying Funding Sources in the HSOAC Puerto Rico Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan Project. Geneva: RAND Corporation, 2020. DOI: 10.7249/RR2861.
Nunez-Neto B, Lauland A, Aguirre J, et al.: Municipalities on the Front Lines of Puerto Rico’s Recovery: Assessing Damage, Needs, and Opportunities for Recovery after Hurricane Maria. Geneva: RAND Corporation, 2020. DOI: 10.7249/RR2604.
Puerto Rico Department of Housing: Municipal recovery planning program. Municipal Recovery-CDBG. 2020. Available at https://cdbg-dr.pr.gov/en/municipal-recovery/. Accessed December 27, 2020.
Junta de Planificacion de Puerto Rico: Planes de mitigacion contra peligros Naturales-Inicio. Planes de mitigación contra peligros naturales. Available at http://cedd.pr.gov/Mitigacion/. Accessed December 2020.
Chaparro R: Ponencia del Programa Sea Grant de la Universidad de Puerto Rico sobre el propuesto Reglamento Conjunto 2020 para la Evaluacion y Expedicion de Permisos Relacionados al Desarrollo, Uso de Terrenos y Operacion de Negocios (RC 2020). 2020.
Schwab J, Topping K, Eadie C, et al.: Planning for Post-Disaster Recovery and Reconstruction. Chicago, IL: American Planning Association, 1998.
Anguelovski I, Shi L, Chu E, et al.: Equity impacts of urban land use planning for climate adaptation: Critical perspectives from the global North and South. J Plan Educ Res. 2016; 36(3): 333-348. DOI: 10.1177/0739456X16645166.
Rittel HWJ, Webber MM: Dilemmas in a general theory of planning. Policy Sci. 1973; 4(2): 155-169.
Miller S: Greenspace after a disaster: The need to close the gap with recovery for greater resilience. J Am Plann Assoc. 2020; 86(3): 339-348. DOI: 10.1080/01944363.2020.1730223.
Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA): Mitigation Assessment Team Report: Hurricanes Irma and Maria in Puerto Rico. 2018.
Downloads
How to Cite
Issue
Section
License
Copyright 2007-2023, Weston Medical Publishing, LLC and Journal of Emergency Management. All Rights Reserved
