June 17, 2021— New York City Emergency Management today announced that three members of the department and a member of the New York City Police Department will deploy to Puerto Rico from June 21 to June 25 to provide emergency preparedness training to senior leaders in San Juan. The deployment is part of a partnership announced in April by Mayors Bill de Blasio and Miguel Romero between the two cities. The partnership is a continuation of the relationship between New York City and Puerto Rico; New York City is home to 666,000 Puerto Ricans.  

“New York City Emergency Management is very proud to share our expertise with emergency leaders in Puerto Rico. This partnership will offer our staff and those in Puerto Rico real-time experience to implement all the changes and upgrades to our training and exercises, and help us learn from previous disasters. Sharing information, training, resources and staff among emergency management agencies strengthens the ability to better respond to disasters and improve the assistance to those impacted,” said Commissioner John Scrivani.  

“As New York City and San Juan fight back COVID-19 and build a recovery for all our residents, we’re deepening our relationship and increasing our focus on emergency preparedness,” said Mayor Bill de Blasio. “As Puerto Rico faces another hurricane season, we are happy to share information and tips on how to quickly respond to disasters and help impacted residents recover.” 

“While starting our hurricane season here in Puerto Rico, we are truly grateful to count on the assistance of our brethren in New York,” said Mayor of San Juan Miguel Romero. “Our people have proven to be strong amidst the recent challenges of nature and we need the most up-to-date strategies and tools to help them out and keep everybody safe. I am grateful to all the committed leaders of the NYC Emergency Management for stepping up to help us and for the continuous relationship of NYC with Puerto Rico and San Juan.” 

With the Atlantic hurricane season already underway, NYC Emergency Management will work with San Juan's Office of Emergency Management offering training sessions for staff on the island. The courses and discussions will provide insight on how New York City prepares for coastal storms and hurricanes, and how San Juan can better prepare for the 2021 Atlantic hurricane season. The delegation traveling to San Juan includes NYC Emergency Management First Deputy Commissioner Andrew D’Amora, Chief Operating Officer Henry Jackson, and Director of Intergovernmental Relations Yokarina Duarte. NYPD Detective Jose Otero, who is also a member of the Urban Search & Rescue New York Task Force 1, will join the team. 

NYC Emergency Management staff and other City agency staff deployed to Puerto Rico in 2017 following Hurricane Maria; more than 150 staff members were deployed to organize and coordinate response and recovery operations. City staff returned in January 2020 to assist Puerto Rico following devastating earthquakes that affected municipalities across the island. After an advance team supported the initial response and recovery operations in San Juan, the City deployed staff members from NYC Emergency Management, the NYC Department of Buildings (DOB), and the NYC Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (DOHMH) to coordinate several operations, including damage assessment and addressing mental health needs. Municipalities such as Peñuelas received assistance through a mutual aid agreement. This collaboration established a line of communication with New York City that continued after the deployment. The NYC Emergency Management team will also travel to Peñuelas to meet with the mayor and discuss how the municipality is recovering after the earthquake and any changes made to their emergency response plans.  

The partnership between the two cities also includes future collaborations with the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, the New York City Police Department and with the NYC City Cleanup Corps.  

-30-

MEDIA CONTACT:            Ines Bebea       (718) 422-4888

STAY CONNECTED: Twitter:  @NotifyNYC (emergency notifications); @nycemergencymgt (emergency preparedness info); Facebook: /NYCemergencymanagement