---
Julio Nazario, the Mayor of Loíza, is urging the new central government administration to officially classify the Parcelas Suárez community as an emergency zone, as 12 families face immediate danger from severe coastal erosion in the region.
Over the past weekend, a tidal event caused waves to reach heights of 13 feet along the island’s northeastern coast, resulting in the closure and damage of several roads, including PR-10. On Monday, Nazario emphasized that although part of the community benefits from a rock barrier constructed with the help of the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), there are still vulnerable areas where two homes are in critical danger.
“The section that remains unprotected …” the mayor stated. “It is evident that the ocean has moved closer, and this is an urgent issue. LUMA [Energy] had to take down an electricity pole on Saturday around two in the afternoon. Engineer Josué Colón [the island’s energy director] evaluated the situation and sanctioned the removal of that pole. However, no one is acknowledging the pressing need to safeguard the other houses — that is my priority.”
Nazario also expressed her frustration at the lack of action following her urgent requests for help over the weekend. Waldemar Quiles, appointed secretary of the Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER), did not respond adequately to her concerns, she noted.
“I can say for certain that while Josué Colón visited, and the new DNER secretary called to assure me he would dispatch [agency personnel], they never arrived,” Nazario remarked. “He told me, ‘Mayor, I live in Utuado. I can’t travel there, so someone else should come.’ I need to document this. If the government fails to declare this an emergency zone, I will lack the resources to take any action. I have no alternatives.”
Quiles did visit the site on Monday, as noted on social media and confirmed by the mayor of Loíza. Nazario also shared a terrifying incident from the weekend when a wave swept her away while she was trying to assist a family to safety. “There were approximately ten feet between us and the danger. At that moment, I naively thought the ocean was far enough away,” the mayor recounted in a radio interview. “Suddenly, I commented to my companions, ‘Wow, that wave is really tall, but it’s distant from us.’ Just after saying that, the wave surged and engulfed us to our necks. Fortunately, there was a tree close by; one person grabbed hold of it while another pulled me to safety. When the wave went back out, we managed to escape the area before another wave crashed in behind us.”
