Crisis Leadership:

Hurricane Maria
Contributors: Blessin
Premy, Felicity Smith,
Gianna Lourenco, Jared
Keeman, Lidia Dias, and
Sheaffeel Gedeon
Introduction
● On September 20th, 2017 Hurricane Maria made landfall in Puerto Rico with 155 mile per hour
winds and more than 30 inches of rain fell.
● Maria hit the Caribbean just two weeks after the region was ravaged by Hurricane Irma and led to
widespread loss of healthcare, electrical power, cellular communication, clean drinking water and
access to roads.
● Hurricanes are mainly caused by the warming of water, mixed with pre-existing weather
disturbances, thunderstorm activity and low wind shear. Due to human caused climate change,
natural disasters are happening more frequently and are having more deadly effects.
● Today, we will discuss leadership structures in Puerto Rico prior to the hurricane, a more detailed
explanation of the hurricane itself, we’re also going to talk about how life in Puerto Rico changed
during and after the hurricane and finally we will connect to theories we’ve discussed in class.
Prior Leadership Structures (Pre-Crisis Overview)
● The Puerto Rico Emergency Management Administration (AEMEAD) was
responsible for creating and implementing the crisis management plans
in place
● The Catastrophic Hurricane Plan-The Operational Emergency
Management Plan, Continuity of Operations Plan, Family Reunification
Plan, Distribution Plan, and Mitigation Plan
● Approval of Distribution Plan and evaluation of facilities that would be
used as distribution centers was still pending
● AEMEAD did not fully comply with its own protocols
● Limited simulations were done to test the effectiveness of the plans
● Only 24 out of the 78 towns and cities in PR had their Operational
Emergency Plans approved
● The plans in place did help the Puerto Rican government properly
prepare for Hurricane Irma (two weeks before) but caused an
underestimation of Hurricane Maria
Description of Crisis
Hurricane Maria - strongest hurricane to hit Puerto
Rico in more than 80 years and third strongest storm
to make landfall in the US

Hurricane Maria hit less than two weeks after

Hurricane Irma and a month after Hurricane Harvey

Sept. 18 - Category 3 storm

- doubled the strength in just about 24 hours

Category 5 storm with winds of 175 mph on Sept.

19.

Hit Puerto Rico with winds of 155 mph as a result of

Category 4 storm on September 20
Life during the Crisis
● Before Hurricane Maria hit, Puerto Rico was already
struggling with declines in their economy and
infrastructure
○ Once the hurricane hit, it caused a further decline in
the economy and high levels of damage
● Many citizens lost their homes and went without power
or water for months
● Food, water, and fuel were way harder to get and come
by
○ The water wasn’t safe enough to drink and
crops were ruined and demolished
● A huge percent of businesses were also lost due to the
damage and issues that came once the hurricane hit
● Major in issues in healthcare also resulted from this
crisis
○ Many people also started to struggle with their
mental health
Life after the Crisis
● Even though it’s been a few years after the hurricane
has it, the residents of Puerto Rico are still
recovering and trying to restore the damage and
trauma that this crisis brought
○ As other natural disasters have occurred from the
time that the hurricane happened to now, it has
made it difficult for Puerto Rico to completely
recover
● Their power has been restored and there have seen
to be more clean water available
● The COVID-19 pandemic is also making it much
harder for these areas and residents
○ Mercy Corps team member Marieli Grants states
that “everyone is in a constant state of emergency”
in Puerto Rico” (Mercy Corps 2018)
After Action Reviews (AAR) - Garvin

After an important event, always ask the questions;

- What did we set out to do?
- What actually happened?
- Why did it happen?
- What are we going to do next time?
Crisis Life-Cycle Model - Braden et al
Connection to Theories
After Action Reviews (AAR) Crisis Life-Cycle Model

- What did they set out to do? - Reached the upper level of the learning
- Control the situation to the best of their ability zone, nearly crossed into the danger zone
- What actually happened?
- No power or cell service for extended period of
time
- Loss of crop value
- Damage cost was extreme
- Why did it happen?
- Were not prepared for storm
- What are they going to do next time?
- There is hope for a better response than Hurricane
Maria
Conclusion
● Along with not being able to fully recover from the devastating impacts of Hurricane Maria 3 years
later, Puerto Rico is still dealing with ongoing crises such as earthquakes, tropical storms, and
amidst through Covid-19.
● Today, we have been able to discuss the leadership prior, during, and after the crisis of Hurricane
Maria and how that connects to crisis leadership theories we have discussed in class.
● We were also able to discuss life for Puerto Ricans during and after the crisis of Hurricane Maria
and how that has affected the community years later.
● A big takeaway from this crisis is that natural disasters are going to continue to happen, and will
worsen as the climate continues to change. It is up to leaders to be actively prepared for these
scenarios in order to lessen the effects on the people in their communities

Have you noticed how climate change may affect where you live?
References
Arelis Hernández, S. (2018, August 29). Study: Hurricane Maria and its aftermath caused a spike in Puerto Rico deaths,
with nearly 3,000 more than normal. Retrieved December 09, 2020, from
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h-nearly-3000-more-than-normal/2018/08/28/57d6d2d6-aa43-11e8-b1da-ff7faa680710_story.html

Braden, V., Cooper, J., II, Klingele, M., Powell, J. P., & Robbins, M. G. (2005). Crisis - A Leadership Opportunity. Harvard
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Campbell, A. (2018, August 15). It took 11 months to restore power to Puerto Rico after Hurricane Maria. A similar crisis
could happen again. Retrieved December 09, 2020, from
https://www.vox.com/identities/2018/8/15/17692414/puerto-rico-power-electricity-restored-hurricane-maria

David A Garvin, “Learning In Action, A Guide to Putting the Learning Organization to Work” (Boston: Harvard Business
School Press, 2000), 106-116.

Huber, Chris, 2017 Hurricane Maria: Facts, FAQs, and how to help. (2018, August 1), Retrieved December 2020, from
<https://www.worldvision.org/disaster-relief-news-stories/2017-hurricane-maria-facts>
References (continued)
Impacts of Hurricane Maria. (n.d.). Retrieved December 09, 2020, from
<https://www.arcgis.com/apps/MapJournal/index.html?appid=1e00e4e583e64e81abfeda587973b97f>

Rivera, J. (2019). A Content Analysis on the Phases of Emergency Management for Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico.
University of Central Florida Undergraduate Research Journal, 11.1(8), 17th ser., 1-10.

Sullivan, L., & Schwartz, E. (2018, July 13). FEMA Report Acknowledges Failures In Puerto Rico Disaster Response.
Retrieved December 09, 2020, from
https://www.npr.org/2018/07/13/628861808/fema-report-acknowledges-failures-in-puerto-rico-disaster-response

The facts: Hurricane Maria's effect on Puerto Rico. (2020, November 03). Retrieved December 09, 2020, from
https://www.mercycorps.org/blog/quick-facts-hurricane-maria-puerto-rico

The facts: Hurricane Maria's effect on Puerto Rico. (2018, January 19). Retrieved December 09, 2020, from
<https://www.mercycorps.org/blog/quick-facts-hurricane-maria-puerto-rico>