‘We Expect to Lose Homes’: Photos, Videos Show Flooding in Boston Area From Winter Storm Riley
The bomb cyclone nor'easter that arrived in the Northeast on Friday brought snow, inches of rain and high winds with it. By mid-day Friday, the rain was heavily coming down, and some areas along the coastline were already flooding. Officials did what they could to prepare prior to the storm but urged people in areas at risk of flooding to evacuate.
The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency tweeted a message from the agency’s director that warned those who chose not to evacuate: “Areas that receive major coastal flooding will be dangerous and rescues may not be possible.” Governor Charlie Baker called in the National Guard prior to the storm to ensure they had all the resources necessary.
In the Boston area, the wind and rain combined with the high tides of the day were bringing significant flooding. High tide Friday in Boston was the third highest recorded since records started in 1928, the Boston National Weather Service reported. An even higher tide was expected for Friday night.
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Buildings, including homes along the Boston Harbor, were flooding Friday afternoon, something the MEMA director warned of. “Homes will be subject to significant structural damage," said MEMA director Kurt Schwartz at a press conference Thursday. "We expect to lose homes during this storm.” Schwartz also said moving water is a hazard and asked that residents not try to drive through moving or standing water from the storm.
The Twitter account for the Quincy, Massachusetts, police department tweeted a photo of the flooding and pointed out that the water was almost as tall as one of their officers.
In Watertown just outside of the city, a whole road was taken out by downed power lines and electric poles.
Meanwhile in Boston, down around the harbor and the seaport districts, the water breached the walls and made its way into the streets of the city. Workers for the city tried to use sandbags to block some of the water from pouring into the Aquarium train stop down by the harbor.