Puerto Rico’s Former FEMA Chief Moves to a Firm that Advises the Island’s Main Recovery Office

The former Coordinator for Disaster Recovery for Puerto Rico for the Federal Emergency Management Agency (FEMA), Michael F. Byrne, now works with one of the companies that advises the Central Office of Recovery, Reconstruction and Resiliency, known as COR3, the agency established by the government of Puerto Rico to centralize funds and efforts for the recovery process after Hurricane María. Byrne left FEMA in April and, according to his official LinkedIn account, a month later he started working with Deloitte, one of the four firms that offers services to COR3. In his new role in the private sector, Byrne said he will “support clients though the complete cycle of crisis preparedness, response, recovery and mitigation.”

Deloitte’s contract with COR3 — for $31.6 million — was granted June 7, 2018 and runs until June 30, 2021. According to the contract, Deloitte — a multinational firm that provides audit services and financial advice, among others — is involved in formulating the necessary budget for general recovery efforts, trains COR3 employees for fraud detection and prevention, and helps in the compliance with legal requirements related to disaster and recovery issues. Likewise, COR3 delegated to Deloitte the development of a strategic plan for Puerto Rico’s short-, medium-, and long-term recovery.

Exjefe de FEMA en Puerto Rico se va a empresa que asesora al COR3

Byrne salió de FEMA en abril pasado y, según su cuenta oficial en LinkedIn, un mes después comenzó a trabajar con la empresa Deloitte, una de las cuatro firmas que   ofrecen servicios al COR3. El contrato de Deloitte con el COR3 — que suma $31.6 millones — fue otorgado el 7 de junio de 2018 y se extiende hasta el 30 de junio de 2021.