Experts are warning about the future of Puerto Rico’s coasts as sea levels rise. On October 26, atypical coastal flooding was reported across Puerto Rico. In San Juan, at the last trolley stop, the combination of higher sea levels and breaking waves of more than eight feet caused flooding.
Similar conditions were reported from La Puntilla in Cataño to the Guánica boardwalk on the south coast. The phenomenon was not limited to Puerto Rico: flooding was also documented in the Dominican Republic, Florida, California and Central American countries such as Mexico and Nicaragua. The conditions are linked to exceptionally high tides whose levels have exceeded anticipated projections.
Experts warn that the island’s coasts face multiple risks, with effects that could be comparable to the coastal flooding caused by a hurricane’s storm surge. Coastal erosion has intensified in vulnerable areas of the region. According to specialists, these episodes of exceptional astronomical tides offer a preview of scenarios the coasts could face in the future.
A recent study by the Coastal Research and Planning Institute and the U.S. Geological Survey found accelerating coastal erosion in 11 northern towns, with Hatillo and Dorado among the most affected. With sea levels continuing to rise, some vulnerable coastal zones could become permanently flooded within five to 20 years.