Government Agencies Lack of Consistent Support to Puerto Rico Following Hurricane Maria in 2017

Submitting Student(s)

Sarah SummerallFollow

Session Title

Explorations in Social Science

Faculty Mentor

William Schulte, Ph.D.; schultew@winthrop.edu

College

College of Arts and Sciences

Department

Mass Communication

Faculty Mentor

William Schulte, Ph.D.

Abstract

Puerto Rico suffered following Hurricane Maria in Sept. 2017 due to natural consequences of the storm as well as governmental downfalls. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) along with the U.S. government were unprepared for the immense damage Maria caused. This study aims to extract the failings of FEMA and the government surrounding the relief efforts following Hurricane Maria. To gather information, several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests were filed, public documents were examined, and other journalistic sources were acquired. Reviewed literature shows that there were many areas in which FEMA and the U.S. government were underprepared to provide Puerto Rico with the relief necessary, as well as many areas where the relief they provided was proclaimed to be greater than the reality. Using these resources, it can be concluded that, although Hurricane Maria quickly became the deadliest natural disaster in the United States since 1906, FEMA and federal funding went elsewhere. Due to these factors, relief efforts following Hurricane Maria were severely impacted.

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Course Assignment

MCOM 441 - Schulte

Start Date

16-4-2021 12:30 PM

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Apr 16th, 12:30 PM

Government Agencies Lack of Consistent Support to Puerto Rico Following Hurricane Maria in 2017

Puerto Rico suffered following Hurricane Maria in Sept. 2017 due to natural consequences of the storm as well as governmental downfalls. The Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA) along with the U.S. government were unprepared for the immense damage Maria caused. This study aims to extract the failings of FEMA and the government surrounding the relief efforts following Hurricane Maria. To gather information, several Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests were filed, public documents were examined, and other journalistic sources were acquired. Reviewed literature shows that there were many areas in which FEMA and the U.S. government were underprepared to provide Puerto Rico with the relief necessary, as well as many areas where the relief they provided was proclaimed to be greater than the reality. Using these resources, it can be concluded that, although Hurricane Maria quickly became the deadliest natural disaster in the United States since 1906, FEMA and federal funding went elsewhere. Due to these factors, relief efforts following Hurricane Maria were severely impacted.