Army Capt. Benjamin Stork, a flight surgeon, cares for a patient on an HH-60 Blackhawk helicopter headed to the USNS Comfort, a hospital ship off the coast of Puerto Rico, Oct. 20, 2017, following Hurricane Maria. Capt. Tyson Friar | U.S. Army

When major disaster relief orders come down from the White House, the Department of Defense plays a key role because of its vast response capabilities, say experts. But the reliance on military resources often is more expensive in disasters than using civilian contractors. And, the use of the federal military also can put a strain on the Pentagon's other plans, as was the case after the Trump administration put more resources toward Hurricane Maria recovery efforts in Puerto Rico. "When the president wants things done, people point to the DoD," said Todd Rosenblum, a former senior official at the Pentagon and now a nonresident senior fellow with the Atlantic Council's Brent Scowcroft Center for Strategy and Security. "The military is in many ways the operational backbone of the federal assistance." The more than $200 billion in devastation from hurricanes and California wildfires this year was a clear message that domestic disasters can take a heavy economic toll and require a combination of civil-military expertise. Rosenblum said the federal military "has all the capacity and can go faster than anyone." He was quick to add that National Guard units around the country also are capable of handling emergency relief in disasters, though for large-scale events states often turn to the Pentagon for help. Overall, some 67,000 DoD and National Guard personnel responded to help civil authorities during the three hurricanes that made landfall this year, according to Army Lt. Col. Jamie Davis, a Pentagon spokesman.

Strain on military

Hurricane response

Tens of thousands of National Guardsmen, reservists and active-duty federal military personnel responded to the storms, providing search and rescue recovery assistance in the affected areas. Also, the military helped clear thousands of miles of roads, opened damaged ports and delivered emergency supplies and equipment. Army Brig. Gen. Patrick M. Hamilton, commander of the Texas National Guard's Domestic Operations Task Force, recalls that the day before Harvey hit, weather forecasters were still saying it would just be a tropical storm at most. He said the forecast was upgraded to a strong Category 4 so the number of military personnel assigned went up sharply. Record amounts of rain and flooding in Houston, the nation's fourth-largest city, eventually resulted in some 18,000 troops supporting the rescue and relief efforts. "We had helicopters and trucks and Marine Corps amphibious vehicles from all components — active duty, National Guard, Reserves of each of the branches — on the ground working in unison to support the local responders and the local communities," said Hamilton, who served as the dual status commander overseeing active and Guard military personnel supporting Harvey relief efforts in Texas. In Puerto Rico, Maria made landfall on the island Sept. 20, and the military's extended-response role continues to this day, with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers helping with infrastructure repairs, including restoring power to the U.S. territory. Puerto Rico had no major airfields available immediately after the storm struck, so that meant the military couldn't use all of its large cargo planes right away to bring in hurricane-relief supplies. Once the airfields in Puerto Rico reopened, though, large amounts of food, water and other vital supplies starting flowing to the island. Another major role initially for the military was search-and-rescue operations on the island of about 3.4 million Americans, as well as clearing the seaports and opening roads scattered with debris. Hospitals also were a problem after the storm struck since many lacked power or were damaged and struggled to provide care to residents. As a result, the Navy's Comfort hospital ship arrived in early October and ended up treating nearly 2,000 patients and providing surgeries, food and water.

Political fighting

Yet the post-Maria relief efforts haven't been without controversy, and some charge the Trump administration was slow in its response to the crisis. Also, some say local officials didn't help by getting into political fights with Washington. "One of the things that happened during Katrina also happened in Puerto Rico, and [that] was sniping by officials," said Rosenblum. After Maria struck, the mayor of Puerto Rico's capital city held a press conference and accused the Trump administration of mishandling Puerto Rico relief efforts. "We are dying here," said Carmen Yulin Cruz, the mayor of San Juan. "I cannot fathom the thought that the greatest nation in the world cannot figure out logistics for a small island of 100 miles by 35 miles long." In response, President Donald Trump tweeted back, "Such poor leadership ability by the Mayor of San Juan, and others in Puerto Rico, who are not able to get their workers to help." At the time, White House press secretary Sarah Sanders responded to Puerto Rico criticism by saying: "The federal response has been anything but slow." Puerto Rico's electrical power grid suffered extensive damage in the Category 5 hurricane and remains one of the pressing needs even today. About one-third of Puerto Rico still lacks electrical service three months after Maria hit.

Military's wildfire role

A California Air National Guard C-130J Hercules drops fire retardant over the hills above Santa Barbara, Calif., Dec. 13, 2017, while helping fight the Thomas Fire. Staff Sgt. Nieko Carzis | California Air National Guard