Integrating Perspectives On Social Vulnerability To Disasters And Emergency Management In Puerto Rico

As economic losses associated to disasters continue on the rise, the study of disasters continues to show that the causes of these events are fundamentally social. In a macrocosm, this dissertation explores how the practice of emergency management may impact, address, or fail to address social vulnerability to disasters at the community level. This research explored how the emergency management organization evolved, how it functions, and how their services are delivered. In addition, it presents a case study of the 2009 explosion at a fuel storage facility in Catano, Puerto Rico. This case study moves beyond inventories of indicators of social vulnerability to explore the interaction between the emergency management organization and community units during crisis and non-crisis times. Max Weber's ideal type of bureaucracy was used as a conceptual tool to guide the analysis and to explore management changes. The findings provide insights that could assist practitioners and researchers working in the areas of development, emergency management, bureaucratic change, decision-making, and policy making.