The combination of widespread power outages, the inability of relief teams and emergency supplies to travel overland to the island, and the inability of residents to self-evacuate to nearby unaffected areas make the humanitarian disaster in Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands unprecedented in U.S. history. When local officials ask for federal help, they are not being greedy or lazy. It is what they are supposed to do.

Here are seven reasons why Puerto Rico needs an urgent and comprehensive federal response to Hurricane Maria:

1. The National Response Framework (NRF) – which applies to local, state, and federal governments (including territories like Puerto Rico) – established a tiered response system in which disasters are managed by the lowest level of government whenever possible but also provides for support from other levels when necessary.
2. By creating a tiered system in which larger, more capable entities (state and federal governments) support local governments, the NRF allowed a more efficient use of resources, as critical capabilities could be shared widely.
3. Under the NRF, neither territories (like Puerto Rico) nor municipalities (like San Juan) are expected to be self-sufficient in the wake of major disasters. The Framework anticipates that local communities and states will seek and receive assistance from neighboring communities and states before significant federal assistance can be provided. Houston, Texas, – a far larger and wealthier city than San Juan – received immediate assistance from Texas, from other states, from the federal government, and from countless private sector organizations in the wake of Hurricane Harvey. Unfortunately, Puerto Rico has no neighboring states and private sector aid cannot easily reach the island, placing a greater burden on the federal government.
4. An extended power outage is the worst-case scenario for natural disasters. Loss of power complicates every aspect of emergency management and exponentially increases the number of persons who need emergency assistance. While many critical facilities (hospitals, police stations, communications centers, major financial institutions, etc.) will have their own back-up power sources; transportation systems, commercial food storage and distribution systems, civilian communications systems, nursing homes, clinics, schools, and high-rise apartment buildings typically will not. Persons dependent on home medical equipment (oxygen concentrators, home dialysis units, etc.), elevators, and other electrically-powered devices are at serious risk and may need immediate assistance.
5. As an island, Puerto Rico is physically cut off from the the vast machinery of emergency management that exists in the continental United States. When hurricanes or tornadoes cause widespread power outages in Florida, Texas, or other U.S. states, electric utility companies from across the U.S. immediately deploy convoys of crews and equipment to the affected area to assist in restoring power as soon as possible.  Restoring power after a wind event requires repairs to thousands of individual downed lines and damaged transformers. No electric company anywhere is equipped to repair thousands of breaks without massive outside assistance.
6. The requirement for on-the-ground assistance in Puerto Rico dwarfs any other disaster in American history. More than three million people are trapped on an island with limited power, limited food, limited water, and limited medical care.  Unlike disasters in the continental U.S., no one can hop in the car and drive to a motel, or a relative’s house, or a shelter in a neighboring state. Likewise, aid workers and providers of emergency supplies are severely restricted in their ability to get to the island.  The fleets of trucks from Wal-Mart and other donor companies that are common sights at U.S. disasters aren’t bringing bottled water and other emergency supplies to Puerto Rico.
7. The NRF does not require that local communities prove their worthiness for assistance. It assumes that Americans will help Americans, regardless of political affiliation, religion, race, or any other factor. When local officials ask for federal help, they are not being greedy or lazy.  It is what they are supposed to do.

September 30,2017