‘Parcelas Suárez is being devoured by the sea’: Action urged to stem coastal erosion in Loíza

Over the past few years, Parcelas Suárez in Loíza has witnessed accelerated coastal erosion that has destroyed properties and compromised critical infrastructure.

By THE STAR STAFF

Faced with the alarming acceleration of coastal erosion threatening the safety, property and lives of the residents of the Parcelas Suárez neighborhood in Loíza, community leader Alexis Correa Allende made an urgent call to the Gov. Jenniffer González Colón, the United States Army Corps of Engineers and the island Department of Natural and Environmental Resources (DNER) to take immediate and coordinated action.

“Parcelas Suárez is being devoured by the sea,” Correa Allende said Monday in a written statement. “Every day that passes without intervention is one day closer to collapse for our families and our homes. This situation cannot continue to be ignored.”

Over the past few years, the community has witnessed accelerated coastal retreat that has destroyed properties and compromised critical infrastructure. There has been no plan to prevent the displacement of residents, Correa Allende noted. Storm surges, exacerbated by climate change, have surpassed historic levels, eroding the area, with no permanent solutions in place.

Correa Allende urgently requested that the:

1. governor declare the area an environmental emergency zone;

2. Corps of Engineers conduct studies and propose immediate mitigation measures;

3. DNER expedite the permits and resources necessary to implement coastal protection projects.

“This is not just a fight for land; it’s a fight for the dignity, history, and future of a community that has given so much to Puerto Rico,” Correa Allende said. “We need the government to act with the same urgency that the sea is demanding of us.”

He added that the Parcelas Suárez community remains on alert and will continue to raise its voice until concrete actions are taken to address the environmental and humanitarian emergency.