Flooding destroyed homes in Massachusetts after a seawall collapsed amid the blizzard that hammered New England this week.
In seaside Marshfield, officials were still assessing the damage, but said at least four homes will likely be condemned. A dozen more sustained substantial damage after two 80-foot sections of sea wall were smashed.
Tim Mannix, who owned one of them, had lived in it since his childhood. Mannix said he lived through the Blizzard of '78 and another major blizzard in 1991, but the Blizzard of 2015 was the worst he has seen.
“I’m just devastated,” said Mannix, who injured the left side of his face in the blizzard and required stitches. “It’s in shambles. It’s a mess. All ice, furniture. I saved some pictures just now."
Next door, Cindy Graham lost almost everything. She planned to evacuate the home she rents, but it was too late and she had to ride out the storm.
"It was absolutely terrifying. The waves came over the house. That's something that we've never seen before," Graham explained.
State workers spent Wednesday assessing the damage. They determined about 500 feet of sea wall was destroyed and will have to be repaired.
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"This storm came in- a very powerful one- and the next one could be even stronger. We've got to figure out what the right solution is," said Massachusetts Lt. Gov. Karyn Polito.
In Scituate, at least five homes on Oceanside Drive were damaged and a sea wall was compromised.
Officials there also pointed to downed wires, snapped polls and a blown transformer. Six streets were declared impassable.
Utlity crews continue working to restore power to the neighborhood.
