Sea Reclaims Fronteira in Macaé

Overview

• Frequent, increasingly strong ressacas have overrun the community shoreline and damaged or demolished many houses, leaving large parts of Fronteira abandoned or in ruins.
• An old stone coastal barrier has failed to stop the surges, allowing seawater to reach streets and homes and accelerating coastal erosion that residents say worsened after 2024.
• The Prefeitura de Macaé and municipal Defesa Civil report active monitoring, interdições of unsafe properties, and targeted removals while providing emergency support to affected families.
• Municipal data show about 270 families receive emergency rental aid, roughly 30 families get other emergency assistance, and six additional families were helped in the most recent municipal action.
• Longstanding poverty and job loss have left many residents with no relocation options, driving some to remain in interdicted homes and highlighting the need for durable housing policies and continued monitoring.