Three staff members from the Delaware Emergency Management Agency have embarked on a deployment to the island of Puerto Rico to aid with recovery efforts nearly four weeks after Hurricane Maria tore through the island.
“DEMA conducts training and exercises dealing with long-term recovery from disasters, but the practical knowledge our three workers will bring home as a result of working in this recovery operation is of incalculable value,” said DEMA Director A.J. Schall. “The state of Delaware’s planning and implementation will be improved, while at the same time, we continue to provide help to a population whose homes and lives were devastated by the Hurricane.”
DEMA personnel were deployed through the Emergency Management Assistance Compact, a formal agreement among the 50 states, District of Columbia and U.S. territories and approved by the general assembly. Among other particulars, EMAC sets forth policies and procedures for affected geographic areas to request assistance from other EMAC participants, while also establishing a framework for how those providing assistance are reimbursed for equipment or personnel costs.