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Who Is Supporting Who in Puerto Rico?

It is a "bottom-up" process, not a top-down one.

See this story about the Puerto Rico disaster response and "commander's intent" that has some interesting commentary from Brock Long. San Juan Mayor and FEMA.Official Debate Hurricane Response.

This is the quote I'd like to zero in on, [Brock Long], “Oh, I believe the Puerto Ricans are pulling their weight. I mean, I think they’re doing what they can,” Long added. “The bottom line is ... that a local mayor’s job is to push commander’s intent down to his or her troops. And in many cases, those ― that commander’s intent from a mayor down to their troops has to be aligned with what the governor’s priorities are as well as FEMA.”

Some may not be familiar with the term "commander's intent." See the link for one definition. For me and my experience, it is how the commander tells everyone what the real objective of the operation is. It is what people follow when all the plans that have been made go to "hell in a handbasket" and you have to continue to operate as best you can, understanding what the final objective is as stated by the commander's intent. This definition says "two echelons" but I'd say it is "everyone" within the line of authority of the commander.

Here's the deal. Long is saying that the mayor needs to align with the governor and FEMA. If we have a "bottom-up" disaster response system where higher authorities are responding and assisting those who have requested assistance, I think it is FEMA and the governor who have to align with the mayor — not the other way around.

Let's be real. The mayor has likely never heard of the commander's intent and if she is lucky maybe participated in a disaster exercise or two in the past. Most of the time getting elected officials to play is like pulling teeth. And, remember the devastation visited on the island and all the government officials/workers whose own personal lives were upended. I expect they were lucky to have any government functions "functioning" in the immediate aftermath of the hurricane. I was on a conference call in reference to the storm where it was said it was two days before communications off the island to the federal government were established for government-to-government communications. That is a bad situation!

If people want to point the finger at Puerto Rico for having a nonfunctional government, remember this quote from the most recent FEMA Region X administrator (now retired) who, when commenting on the functionality of his own FEMA region "right of boom" for a Cascadia Fault Earthquake: "We will be combat ineffective and someone else is going to have to come in and do our jobs for us." So much for having a continuity of operations plan for FEMA Region X!

I think people need to be there helping the mayor understand the system that exists. Help her in her decision-making as best as that can be done. I believe she is just trying to do what is right to serve her people and get them the help they need. 

 

 

Eric Holdeman is a contributing writer for Emergency Management magazine and is the former director of the King County, Wash., Office of Emergency Management.