NWIRP Research Study of 

Hurricane Maria (Puerto Rico)

Recovery of Social Functions Project

Project Leader: Maria Dillard

NCST Advisory Committee Meeting, June 8

-9, 2022
• The NIST Hurricane Maria Program includes a project focused on the recovery of education and 

healthcare services associated with critical buildings (schools and hospitals) in Puerto Rico.

• Education and healthcare services are an important part of understanding the impacts of Hurricane 

Maria, as well as the long term recovery of Puerto Rico.

• This project will be used to advance an empirical understanding of long term recovery, including 

measurement, identification of predictors (e.g., resources, characteristics associated with resilience), and 

exploration of interdependencies across the community. 

• Recovery is still in progress, nearly 5 years after Hurricane Maria; the Central Office for Recovery, 

Reconstruction, and Resiliency (COR3) reports that ~30% of large reconstruction projects (permanent 

work) are now in the construction phase with ~9% completed, as of Quarter 1 of Fiscal Year 2022*

*COR3 Quarterly Progress Report. https://recovery.pr/en/qpr/map All photos credited to NIST. 

Background and Motivation

2
Background: Study Areas

• This project includes 4 regions common across all NIST Hurricane Maria Program projects plus the 

municipio of Mayagüez where Hospital Bella Vista is located

• For this project, all sampling conducted using ZIP code to allow for linkages across NWIRP study

3
Sample for 

surveys 

n = 410

Sample for 

interviews

n = 30

Schools

n = 365

25 minutes avg.

Survey Wave 1

Interviews at t1

n = ~25

60 min avg. 

Survey Wave 2

Survey Wave 3

Hospitals 

n = 45

25 minutes avg.

Survey Wave 1

Interviews at t1

n = ~5

60 min avg. 

Survey Wave 2

Survey Wave 3

Project Plans: Study Design

Longitudinal Study Design with Data Collection at 3 Time Points 

(Wave 1, Wave 2, Wave 3 ) 4
Sample for 

surveys 

n = 410

Sample for 

interviews

n = 30

Schools

n = 365

25 minutes avg.

Survey Wave 1

Interviews at t1

n = ~25

60 min avg. 

Survey Wave 2

Survey Wave 3

Hospitals 

n = 45

25 minutes avg.

Survey Wave 1

Interviews at t1

n = ~5

60 min avg. 

Survey Wave 2

Survey Wave 3

Project Plans: Study Design

Data Collection for Wave 1 

5

Completed Surveys for Wave 1 (as of 05/27/22)

Schools: 116 (of 365)

Hospitals: 8 (of 45)
• Monthly and task specific meetings with survey and interview 

research services contractor since March 2020

• Completed pilot tests of Wave 1 survey (hospitals - Feb 2021 and schools - Aug 2021)

• Obtained approvals for revised Wave 1 survey instruments 

• NIST’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) (Nov 2021); Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (Sept 2021); PR Department of 

Education annual renewal (Mar 2022)

• Wave 1 survey data collection began Dec 2021

• Obtained approvals for Wave 1 interview instruments 

• NIST’s IRB (May 2022); OMB PRA (Mar 2022)

• Wave 1 interview data collection to begin Summer 2022

• Maintaining flexible data collection modes due to dynamic COVID-19 

case rates

Recent Progress 1/4

6
• Monthly and task specific meetings with survey and interview 

research services contractor since March 2020

• Completed pilot tests of Wave 1 survey (hospitals - Feb 2021 and schools - Aug 2021)

• Obtained approvals for revised Wave 1 survey instruments 

• NIST’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) (Nov 2021); Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (Sept 2021); PR Department of 

Education annual renewal (Mar 2022)

• Wave 1 survey data collection began Dec 2021

• Obtained approvals for Wave 1 interview instruments 

• NIST’s IRB (May 2022); OMB PRA (Mar 2022)

• Wave 1 interview data collection to begin Summer 2022

• Maintaining flexible data collection modes due to dynamic COVID-19 

case rates

Recent Progress 1/4

7
• Monthly and task specific meetings with survey and interview 

research services contractor since March 2020

• Completed pilot tests of Wave 1 survey (hospitals - Feb 2021 and schools - Aug 2021)

• Obtained approvals for revised Wave 1 survey instruments 

• NIST’s Institutional Review Board (IRB) (Nov 2021); Office of Management and 

Budget (OMB) Paperwork Reduction Act (PRA) (Sept 2021); PR Department of 

Education annual renewal (Mar 2022)

• Wave 1 survey data collection began Dec 2021

• Obtained approvals for Wave 1 interview instruments 

• NIST’s IRB (May 2022); OMB PRA (Mar 2022)

• Wave 1 interview data collection to begin Summer 2022

• Maintaining flexible data collection modes due to dynamic COVID-19 

case rates

Recent Progress 1/4

8
Recent Progress 2/4

9

Pre-Hurricane 

Maria

Immediate 

Impacts

1 yr after 

Hurr. Maria

2 yrs after 

Hurr. Maria

3 yrs after 

Hurr. Maria

5 yrs after 

Hurr. Maria

Recovery of services, Repair completion

Organizational Resources

Receipt of disaster assistance

• Codebook for Wave 1 Survey developed and applied 

• Data analysis plan developed, including statistical and geospatial analyses

• Analyses of pilot data conducted 

• Final report sections drafted (literature review, background, methods)

Analysis Planning: Measurement by time period 9
10

Recent Progress 3/4 Preliminary analyses of pilot data only 

Recovery Progress + One year after 

Hurricane Maria

+ Two years after 

Hurricane Maria

Percentage of primary 

services restored (n=11) 94% (SD 18%) 97% (SD 6%)

Percentage of support 

services restored (n=10) 96% (SD 10%) 98% (SD 4%)

Percentage of transportation 

services restored (n=10) 58% (SD 50%) 59% (SD 51%)

Percentage of community 

services restored (n=10) 70% (SD 40%) 71% (SD 40%)

Example of pilot test results for schools and hospitals

Notes: Results of pilot test only; n = 11 organizations

• When looking at organizational types together, 

the slowest progress in restored services 

occurred with transportation. 

• This highlights an interdependency that we 

can explore through the interviews as well as 

through the data collected in the Infrastructure 

Systems Project.
11 11

Recent Progress 4/4 Preliminary analyses of pilot data only 

For any of the following, did 

your organization ... experience loss?

have

backup prior to 

Hurr. Maria?

use 

backup after 

Hurr. Maria?

Electrical power 100% 63% 54%

Water/sewer 80% 60% 80%

Land-line telephone 77% 25% 29%

Internet/IT 100% 0% 33%

Example of pilot test results for schools and hospitals

Notes: Results of pilot test only; n = 11 organizations

• When looking at organizational types 

together, only slightly more than half had 

some form of backup for power and water 

and only a quarter had a form of backup 

for landline telephone. 

• The full results will help identify how 

backup systems, when present and 

operational, supported recovery and what 

differences existed for those who had 

backups in place ahead of the event.
• Complete full survey and interview 

data collection for Wave 1

• Conduct preliminary analysis of 

Wave 1 

• Obtain approvals needed for Wave 

2 data collection

• Launch Wave 2 survey

Next Steps

12 All photos credited to NIST. Hospitals in Puerto Rico
NWIRP Research Study of 

Hurricane Maria (Puerto Rico)

Recovery of Social Functions Project

Project Leader: Maria Dillard

Project Team: Jarrod Loerzel (NIST), Kelly Jean Anderson (PREP Research 

Associate, University of Maryland)

Questions?

Please ‘raise your hand’ using the Blue Jeans 

Participant window and unmute your audio and video

NCST Advisory Committee Meeting, June 8

-9, 2022