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On August  8, 2018, the government of Puerto Rico submitted its economic and disaster-recovery plan to Congress, as required by the Bipartisan Budget Act of 2018 (Pub. L. 115-123). Under contract with the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the Ä¢¹½´«Ã½land Security Operational Analysis Center (HSOAC) provided substantial support in developing and drafting the plan by soliciting and integrating inputs from a wide variety of stakeholders, contributing analysis where needed. The plan includes an overview of damage and needs, courses of action to meet those needs, costs of the courses of action, and potential ways of paying for those costs.

To support federal agencies evaluating and funding recovery actions, HSOAC is releasing this detailed report that focuses on the impact that Hurricanes Irma and Maria had on the ability of Puerto Rico’s municipalities to govern and deliver services to their constituents. The purpose of this report is to provide decisionmakers greater detail on the conditions in Puerto Rico’s 78 municipalities prior to the 2017 hurricane season, the damage caused by Hurricanes Irma and Maria, what municipalities might need to help the recovery process, the courses of action included in the recovery plan to address these needs in a resilient manner, and considerations for implementers as they move forward. HSOAC developed supporting analysis for each sector engaged as part of recovery planning: energy, water, transportation, telecommunications, health, education, natural and cultural resources, housing, public buildings, community planning and capacity building, municipalities, and economics. For more information about HSOAC’s contribution to planning for recovery in Puerto Rico, along with links to other reports being published as part of this series, see RAND Corporation, undated.

This report will likely also be of interest to other stakeholders funding or implementing recovery activities in Puerto Rico. This includes the government of Puerto Rico, Puerto Rico’s 78 municipal governments and their citizens, nongovernmental organizations that provide technical and other assistance to local governments, academic institutions that analyze public policy in Puerto Rico, and the private sector. Furthermore, this body of material contributes to the larger literature about disaster recovery and resilience at the municipal government level and might be of interest to other communities planning for or recovering from similar disasters.