This site hosts a curated collection of papers, research, and analytical tools created by the Economic Recovery Support Function in support of the Government of Puerto Rico’s economic and disaster recovery efforts to “…implement innovative solutions that can make Puerto Rico a showcase for the world with a modern and more resilient infrastructure, … and a more vibrant and competitive economy.”*
*Reference: Transformation and Innovation in the Wake of Devastation: An Economic and Disaster Recovery Plan for Puerto Rico, COR3, August 2018.
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The mission of the Economic Recovery Support Function is to integrate the expertise of the Federal Government to help local, State and Tribal governments and the private sector sustain and/or rebuild businesses and employment, and develop economic opportunities that result in sustainable and economically resilient communities after large-scale and catastrophic incidents.
On September 7, 2017, Northeastern Puerto Rico was struck by Hurricane Irma, a Category 5 storm, which led to the declaration of DR-4336-PR. Nine municipios (townships) were determined to be eligible for Individual Assistance by the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA). Thirteen days later, Hurricane Maria made a direct hit on Puerto Rico, taking a path that bisected the island from the southeast to the northwest. DR-4339-PR was declared three days after the Category 4 storm made landfall.
Under DR-4339-PR, every one of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipios (townships) was declared eligible for either Individual Assistance or Public Assistance. Hurricanes Irma and Maria were the strongest storms to strike Puerto Rico in nearly a century, and they brought devastation to an island that was already struggling with a deep economic and debt crisis.
Puerto Rico poses an unprecedented set of circumstances in Economic RSF activations. Since the implementation of the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF), there has never been a situation where the impacted economy had been in a long-term and severe recession for more than a decade prior to the disaster, or where the state-level government had declared (a form of) bankruptcy, which was the case with Puerto Rico. There are many challenging circumstances influencing Puerto Rico’s economic recovery, such as: the loss of 90,000 manufacturing jobs since 1996, high poverty and unemployment rates, out-migration, low labor force participation, poor infrastructure, and expensive and unreliable energy. Insurance coverage was also sparse, and many home and business owners have been plagued by non-payment, slow-payment, and under-payment by the insurance carriers.
The Economic Recovery Support Function (“RSF” or “ERSF”) team was launched remotely in Washington, D.C. in late September 2017, soon after the Hurricane Maria disaster declaration and a full team arrived in Puerto Rico in December 2017.
Under DR-4339-PR, every one of Puerto Rico’s 78 municipios (townships) was declared eligible for either Individual Assistance or Public Assistance. Hurricanes Irma and Maria were the strongest storms to strike Puerto Rico in nearly a century, and they brought devastation to an island that was already struggling with a deep economic and debt crisis.
Puerto Rico poses an unprecedented set of circumstances in Economic RSF activations. Since the implementation of the National Disaster Recovery Framework (NDRF), there has never been a situation where the impacted economy had been in a long-term and severe recession for more than a decade prior to the disaster, or where the state-level government had declared (a form of) bankruptcy, which was the case with Puerto Rico. There are many challenging circumstances influencing Puerto Rico’s economic recovery, such as: the loss of 90,000 manufacturing jobs since 1996, high poverty and unemployment rates, out-migration, low labor force participation, poor infrastructure, and expensive and unreliable energy. Insurance coverage was also sparse, and many home and business owners have been plagued by non-payment, slow-payment, and under-payment by the insurance carriers.
The Economic Recovery Support Function (“RSF” or “ERSF”) team was launched remotely in Washington, D.C. in late September 2017, soon after the Hurricane Maria disaster declaration and a full team arrived in Puerto Rico in December 2017.