Opinion: Unfixable FEMA puts the ‘disaster’ into ‘disaster recovery’
We thought reform was possible. We were wrong.
We were brought to Puerto Rico to fix FEMA’s broken disaster recovery processes after Hurricane Maria struck in 2017. Our team of seven Lean Six Sigma experts — decorated military officers and retired executives — had more than 150 years of combined experience in process improvement across 60 organizations in more than 20 countries, including war zones.
FEMA was the only organization our team unanimously deemed unfixable — not because the mission was complex, but because of its toxic mix of incompetence, lack of accountability, and calcified dysfunction.
FEMA’s three-part mission was extremely simple: assess damage, calculate costs, release funds. Yet two years after Hurricane Maria, only 5 percent to 8 percent of cost estimates had been completed. Recovery had stalled.
And instead of admitting failure, FEMA inflated $1.5 billion in project estimates to mislead Congress.
At FEMA’s Joint Recovery Office near San Juan — with 2,000 to 3,000 staff — the public Wi-Fi password had to be changed because so many employees were streaming Netflix. Damage assessments were routinely fabricated. “It’s easier,” one staffer told us. When we reported it, investigators asked, “Did anyone take the money?” We said no. They lost interest.
It got worse. FEMA approved leasing $46 million in pumps that could have been bought for $4 million. A whistleblower who reported this later died under suspicious circumstances — his body was cremated without an autopsy, despite requests for a forensic review.
FEMA’s response? Nothing.
At the core was FEMA’s unique DEI mandate: 80 percent of positions had to be filled locally, regardless of qualifications. Only 25 percent of residents were fluent in English, and fewer than one-third held college degrees. This created a woeful mismatch between mission needs and personnel.
The federal coordinating officer had told us, “I wish I had retired execs who just want to do the right thing.” We recruited just such a team, but we were then sidelined during our time in Puerto Rico from July 2018 to June 2019, largely due to discrimination.
Merit was irrelevant. FEMA handed its critical improvement program to a young woman who epitomized quota-driven hiring. Enrolled in law school, she unabashedly prioritized classes over work, failed our Lean Six Sigma training, tried to steal test material, and colluded with the prime contractor to dilute requirements. We reported her, but she was protected.
Click here to read full article and see related video: https://www.msn.com/en-us/news/us/opinion-unfixable-fema-puts-the-disaster-into-disaster-recovery/ar-AA1GmqqN?ocid=msedgdhp&pc=DCTS&cvid=aa7cf449d07d49829cf966f85acc1d0b&ei=10