Caribbean Area Division

Established in 1991, the Caribbean Area Division implements and coordinates all emergency management programs in the Commonwealth of Puerto Rico and the Territory of the U.S. Virgin Islands and supports preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation operations and activities. Both Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands are vulnerable to recurrent hurricanes, flooding and geographically lie in a major earthquake/tsunami risk zone.

The CAD functions as a satellite office for Region II in San Juan, Puerto Rico, providing permanent FEMA presence in an area vulnerable to recurrent hurricanes and flooding, which is also located within a major earthquake risk zone. FEMA programs and units present at the CAD, includes:

• Recovery
  • Public Assistance (Infrastructure)
  • Individual Assistance
    • Voluntary Agencies Liaison
• Mitigation
  • Hazard Mitigation Assistance (HMA)
  • Floodplain Management
• Protection and National Preparedness
  • Continuity of Operations (COOP)
• Response
• Mission Support
• Grants

The Region II CAD has responded to, recovered from and mitigated against 34 emergencies and major disaster declarations in the last 28 years. FEMA has disbursed more than six billion dollars in Mitigation and Public Assistance grant funding for projects that mitigate or reduce hazards for communities in Puerto Rico and the U.S. Virgin Islands.

Mitigation:

• PR Metropolitan Underground Loop
• PR New Secure Home Mitigation Project
• USVI Storm Sewer System Improvement
• USVI Mitigation Project

FEMA’s whole community approach has enabled partnerships with hundreds of private sector participants that include businesses of all size and type, academia, consulates, among others. Also, there is a CAD Business Emergency Operations Center plan in place that may be activated, when needed.

FEMA CAD disseminates a monthly emergency preparedness e-Newsletter to its private sector stakeholders, that provides educational information and awareness related to preparedness activities that FEMA, the PR Emergency Management and USVI Emergency Management Agencies conduct to better prepare their communities in the Caribbean.

Resources