Charlie Baker

Crews Rescue at Least 100 People in Quincy During Nor'easter

A fierce nor'easter slammed New England Friday with torrential rain, heavy wind gusts, coastal flooding and snowfall. 

Communities in Massachusetts declared state of emergencies as residents across the state lost electricity. Meanwhile, first responders and National Guard members have been rescuing residents stranded by high flood waters in communities across the state, with around 200 rescued in Quincy by Saturday, they said.

The powerful storm was testing the community for the second time this year after a storm on Jan. 4.

Quincy Mayor Tom Koch said this nor'easter was hitting the city harder than the recent January storm, and was leaving an impact closer to the 1978 blizzard.

Sea Street remains closed Saturday morning, but military vehicles capable of moving through the water brought firefighters through and utility trucks have gone through to help get the power back on.

Around noon on Saturday high tide returned bringing with it more flooding to Sea Street. Waves could be seen crashing over the seawall.

Around 200 people have been rescued and thousands were without power, said emergency rescuers. Mayro Koch added that while he wasn't ordering mandatory evacuations, he was concerned what the storm would bring with the next high tide.

"We have creeks and rivers and brooks throughout the city that feed down into the basins that feed into the ocean." Koch explained. "Those basins are usually opened up once the tide goes out to release the water. We're not able to do that because the tide has not gone out far enough. We've got people in low-lying ares that should be very careful tonight."

Quincy police say if you need to be evacuated due to flooding, there are officers who can assist. If it's an emergency, you're asked to call 911.

Police say between 125 to 150 people were rescued from the Houghs Neck area after tidal flood waters took over. The National Guard joined in the effort to help bring stranded people to ground, in some cases reuniting families.

Department of Public Works crews also assisted, and a backhoe was a lifesaver for some people.

Quincy Police Chief Paul Keenan noted there were many houses that suffered wind and water damage, and said that officers rescued families on Post Island Road, including a police officer's wife and seven children.

"Adam's Shore, Post Island area, the water reached the first floor, so that's where most of the evacuations took place," Keenan said. "We used rafts, boats, and front-end loaders."

Some chose to wait out the storm at home.

One Quincy resident said, "It's frightening because it looks as though the neighbor's boat is going to crash into the window."

Resident Tina Caruso said that she saw around seven feet of water on previously dry land on Friday.

"We've lived here our whole lived and we've never seen anything like this," Caruso said.

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