By The Star Staff
Loíza Mayor Julio Nazario is demanding that the new central government administration declare the Parcelas Suárez community an emergency zone, as 12 families are in imminent danger due to severe coastal erosion in the area.
This past weekend, a tidal event generated waves reaching heights of up to 13 feet on the island’s northeastern coast, resulting in the closure and loss of roads, including PR-10. Nazario on Monday stressed that while part of the community benefits from a rock barrier built with the assistance of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), there are still unprotected sections where two houses are critically at risk.
“The area that is not protected …” the mayor said. “It is clear that the sea has encroached, and this is a pressing concern. [Grid operator] LUMA [Energy] had to remove an electricity pole on Saturday around two in the afternoon. Engineer Josué Colón [the island’s energy czar] assessed the situation and approved the removal of that pole. However, no one is considering the urgent need to protect the remaining houses -- that’s my main focus.”
Nazario also criticized the lack of response to her urgent plea for assistance this past weekend. Waldemar Quiles, the designated secretary of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER), failed to address her concerns, she said.
“I can state unequivocally that while Josué Colón came by and the new DNER secretary called to say he would send [agency personnel], they never showed up,” Nazario said. “He informed me, ‘Mayor, I live in Utuado. I can’t make it there, so someone else should come.’ I need to document this. If the government does not declare this an emergency zone, I am left without funds to take any action. I have nowhere else to go.”
Quiles did visit the area on Monday, as mentioned on social media and as confirmed by the Loíza mayor. Nazario also recounted a harrowing experience from the weekend when she was swept away by a wave while trying to guide a family to safety. “There were about ten feet between us and the danger. At that moment, I mistakenly thought the sea was far away,” the mayor recounted during a radio interview. “Suddenly, I remarked to my companions, ‘Wow, that wave is really high, but it’s far from us.’ As soon as I said that, the wave surged and engulfed us up to our necks. Thankfully, there was a tree nearby; one person grabbed it while another pulled me to safety. When the wave receded, we managed to escape the area before another wave came crashing in behind us.”
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