Held in the grip: Political status, governing institutions, and emergency management procedural arrangements in the cases of Florida and Puerto Rico

Abstract

To what extent do institutions governing the relationship of the U.S. Federal government with U.S. states and U.S. territories affect their emergency preparedness and response operations? States retain more legislative autonomy and representation than territories in the U.S. Congress, which is responsible for the emergency management budget. The advocacy capabilities of territories may be limited, and greater budget constraints are expected to affect the capability of territories to implement federal emergency management plans and perform effective response operations. This work focuses on a comparative case study between responses to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico and Hurricane Michael in Florida. The multi-technique qualitative approach combines content analysis and interviews. Findings suggest that neither Florida nor Puerto Rico was prepared to respond to hurricanes of such magnitude, but the procedural arrangements of the Florida emergency management system resulted in a more effective response to Hurricane Michael if compared to Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.

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