EDICIÓN ESPECIAL: A CINCO AÑOS DE MARÍA
A CONVERSATION WITH PAMELA PATENAUDE FORMER DEPUTY SECRETARY OF HUD By Ricardo Álvarez-Díaz, FAIA
AN ACCOMPLISHED REAL ESTATE, HOUSING POLICY AND DISASTER RECOVERY EXPERT WITH A SUCCESSFUL FOUR-DECADE CAREER IN GOVERNMENT, NONPROFIT AND PRIVATE SECTORS, PATENAUDE WAS THE RIGHT PERSON AT THE RIGHT TIME TO OVERSEE, COORDINATE AND ULTIMATELY DEFEND THE INTEREST OF THE PEOPLE OF PUERTO RICO. In September 2017, Puerto Rico faced two deadly Hurricanes, Irma and María. María, as a category 4 hurricane, brought large storm surges, heavy rains, and wind gusts well above 100 mph. María destroyed homes, entire neighborhoods and businesses, limited the access to clean water and food, crippled the island’s power grid, and caused thousands of Puerto Ricans to leave their homes. An estimated 2,975 fatalities and over $90 billion dollars in damages occurred as a result of the hurricane. After five years of Hurricane María made landfall on the island, we sat down with Pamela Patenaude, former United States Deputy Secretary of Housing and Urban Development (HUD) and one of the most important figures that rose to notoriety during the aftermath. An accomplished real estate, housing policy and disaster recovery expert with a successful four-decade career in government, nonprofit and private sectors, Patenaude was the right person at the right time to oversee, coordinate and ultimately defend the interest of the people of Puerto Rico. 46 TIEMPO DE CONSTRUIR / LA REVISTA
RAD: Where were you when you heard Puerto Rico was hit by Hurricane María in September 2017? Pamela: When Hurricane María made landfall in Puerto Rico, I was in Washington D.C. serving my second day as the Deputy Secretary of the U.S. Department of Housing in Urban Development. It was just days after Hurricane María, so the island had already been severely impacted by a category 4 hurricane, and a team had already been assembled in Washington, D.C. We went to work immediately; working with FEMA and other federal agencies in response to the hurricane. RAD: Had you ever been to Puerto Rico before? Pamela: Yes, I had visited the Island during the nineties while working under George H. W. Bush’s administration. RAD: You took it upon yourself to champion Puerto Rico’s