WASHINGTON -- A new after-action report from the federal agency slams its response to Puerto Rico saying it was not prepared.

  • FEMA report says the agency wasn't prepared for storms during the previous hurricane season
  • Agency struggled to track supplies and underestimated how much supplies were needed
  • Report says the agency is working to improve its preparations

This report is a rather blistering critique of the agency which tasked with helping people at what is often the lowest point of their life. It shows an agency not ready for what was one of the busiest hurricane seasons in memory as three major storms slammed the U.S.

Much of the criticism is centered on the agency’s handling of the aftermath of Hurricane Maria in Puerto Rico. It portrayed an agency ill-prepared, underestimating how much food and supplies were needed.

The report says they took days to get supplies to the island. Once they arrived, distribution became an issue as many truck drivers were themselves working on dealing with their own storm damage.

It says the agency then struggled to track the supplies. They did not have enough generators according to the report. Many families on the island still do not have electricity to this day.

In a note included in the report, FEMA administrator Brock Long shifted some of the focus on local and state governments saying they need to step up to the plate.

“While FEMA has and will continue to work with all levels of government to get much needed commodities to survivors, the hurricanes also showed that governments need to be better prepared with their own supplies, to have pre-positioned contracts with enforcement mechanisms and to be ready for the financial implications of a disaster,” he said.

From the outset of the hurricane season, the report says FEMA was not fully staffed up and was thousands of workers short. The agency quickly became stretched thin as the season wore on.

The report says FEMA is taking steps to improve its preparations. It’s working on better training and preparing staff.

It indicates FEMA is increasing its meal and water supplies six-fold in th Caribbean. It’s also adding hundreds of generators to its inventory.

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