This year, National Estuary Week coincided with an anniversary that should not go unnoticed: Hurricane Maria's passage through our islands. In addition to the tragic loss of thousands of lives, the cyclone left thousands of homes damaged, mass emigration, the collapse of the economy, electrical and communications networks, and the closure of ports (both maritime and air).
The ecosystems of the San Juan Bay estuary watershed were also severely impacted. A marked deterioration in water quality was observed due to flooding with contaminated water, massive deforestation, reduced capacity of landfill systems, and the proliferation of tens of thousands of illegal dumpsites. Four years after Hurricane Maria struck Puerto Rico, we still have a country in the process of rebuilding. The lessons learned are clear: It is imperative to plan for the long term and invest in prevention and mitigation initiatives.
It is imperative to plan for the long term and invest in prevention and mitigation initiatives.
We must work to strengthen our natural and urban infrastructure systems. This includes upstream forests, freshwater wetlands, coral reefs, mangroves, dunes, seagrass beds, and gray infrastructure.
Identifying assets, risks, and developing community capacities and strategies are key to strengthening and building resilience in our communities. Multijurisdictional Risk Mitigation Plan for the Estuary It focuses on fulfilling these purposes through participatory processes with its estuarine communities to strengthen them against natural and anthropogenic risks.
To learn more about the Estuary's Multi-Jurisdictional Risk Mitigation Plan and how you can participate, we invite you to follow the link below. https://estuario.org/centro-comunitario-virtual/ or write to us at [email protected].
