Reflecting on a year like no other, 2021 has proven that FEMA remains committed to the
mission of
helping people through our core values of
Whether a part of field operations, or office support, FEMA prioritized the health and safety
of communities across the nation
partnership with states, territories and tribes to deliver excellence in customer service
and streamlined processes.
Many Public Assistance staff have been working virtually to support COVID-19
and non-COVID-19 projects, as some deployed onsite in limited capacities.
State, territorial and tribal partners exhibited patience and diligence in the collective effort
of putting people first.
These relationships have helped to achieve so much despite the challenges.
PA realized successful outcomes in 2020 for permanent work projects to recover from hurricanes
Harvey, Irma and Maria.
We have obligated projects in the 11 neighborhoods of our municipality.
In this same community that we are right now, Puerto Plata sector, which was completely
inaccessible,
we have carried out several projects regarding roads, asphalt, railings, and gabions.
The truth is that the people are very happy,
very satisfied and I was also happy with the work done by our people and by the FEMA team.
Considering that we had 10 inches of water above the floor level,
here in this clinic the damages were primarily to the floor and to the walls
as well as to a lot of the medical equipment including the exam tables and the audiology
equipment.
Always think that well it could happen to you and that you need to be prepared for that
by having you flood policies in place.
Thank goodness we have the program from FEMA and it helps you recover quickly and get back
into business.
This stadium is an icon of the city, it is home of the Carolina Giants of professional
baseball
but the stadium also has a social purpose.
This is the collection center of our city to respond to emergencies,
not only in Carolina, but also in Puerto Rico and any other sister or neighboring country
that needs our help.
thanks to the help of FEMA and the money we have received, we are very close to the total
restoration of this iconic structure.
In 2020, Puerto Rico suffered an earthquake that caused devastation to public roads and
school buildings.
Louisiana also sustained severe wind damage from Hurricane Laura.
As we approach this year’s hurricane season, while recovering from the pandemic, we’re
hopeful in our ability to pivot
toward stronger, resilient communities as the nation exercises safe opening and operations.
FEMA has always operated under the legal authority to do the right thing.
This is not a new concept.
It is a moral obligation to make our programs and services equitable.
We know that recovery is not a one-size-fits-all approach;
it requires expanding the reach to help communities achieve their ideal outcomes.
One way we’ve been doing that is promoting equitable vaccine distribution by identifying
socially vulnerable populations.
We’re collecting new information from PA recipients,
and we’re going to hold ourselves accountable to demonstrate fulfilling our mission of helping
people.
And we’re going to build upon these efforts to improve assistance delivery moving forward.