By The Star Staff
Carolina Mayor José Carlos Aponte Dalmau on Monday firmly rejected the idea that a failure in municipal operations caused the flooding reported last Saturday in the city.
Aponte said that, according to data from the National Meteorological Service, the amount of rain Carolina received in a short period was not only atypical but also exceeded the capacity of the city’s stormwater system.
“The problem we observed on Saturday was due to a stationary weather system that resulted in five inches of rain falling in the city’s urban area,” the mayor stated. “To suggest that this situation is due to a lack of attention is simply not true.”
As reported by the STAR, Senate Vice President Marissa “Marissita” Jiménez Santoni had announced plans to introduce legislation Monday to examine the operations of the Carolina municipal administration regarding the storm drainage system, as well as those of the island Aqueduct and Sewer Authority, following the floods.
“What happened on Saturday in our municipality of Carolina is completely unacceptable,” the Carolina District senator said. “While many areas experienced significant rainfall, the levels were not high enough to account for the reported damage. We’re talking about locations such as Roberto Clemente Avenue, Jesús M. Fragoso Avenue in front of the Plaza Carolina shopping center, and sections of state highway PR-860, all of which suffered major flooding.”
Aponte said the municipality follows a responsible weekly maintenance and cleaning schedule for its main avenues and is actively working on flood mitigation with an $86.5 million investment. That funding will support the construction of new stormwater systems, the reconstruction of bridges, and the development of gutters and new stormwater management systems.
“Carolina received 3.48 billion gallons of water in a short period,” the mayor said. “This incident is not a result of poor maintenance; every drainage system has a limited capacity to handle stormwater. This includes culverts, drains and canals. If the intensity or duration of the rain exceeds what the system can manage, an overflow will occur.”
He noted that in recent years, Carolina has completed flood mitigation projects in the Río Grande de Loíza, Sabana Abajo Sur, San Antón, Vistamar, Villamar, Palmar Sur, and Los Ángeles, with an investment of nearly $14 million.
Aponte also noted that, recognizing the flood control challenges Puerto Rico faces, the island government has included Carolina in various flood mitigation infrastructure projects. That includes the allocation of $23.7 million for stormwater infrastructure in the urban center, $44 million for the reconstruction of Sánchez Osorio and Galicia Avenues, and an additional $15 million for Baldorioty de Castro Avenue, all aimed at addressing flood mitigation.
“Those who question the flooding as a result of a lack of maintenance demonstrate a lack of understanding of how a stormwater system manages water discharges in a city, as well as the significant investment we have made to modernize Carolina’s infrastructure,” the mayor said.