Coastal Massachusetts towns prepare for flooding as storm season nears

SCITUATE – As storm season gets closer, towns along the coast in Massachusetts are ready to support residents and businesses with any potential damage.

“The ocean, you can’t do anything with it,” said Stephen Hoss, who’s lived in Scituate for decades. “It is what it is.” Hoss is a pro now at preparing for stormy weather but even a seasoned storm veteran has his concerns. “One giant wave could cut right through here and up the dune and smash all the windows out.”

Flooding already starting

Hoss’ home is right along the Scituate coastline and on Friday, waves flooded his driveway.

“The road floods and sometimes you have to move your cars to a higher ground,” said Hoss. “We’re afraid it’ll get damaged.”

But despite concerns, Hoss has seen worse. It’s a sign of the storm season ahead and towns like Scituate are getting ready.

“The effects of the ocean are never far from our docks on any given day,” said Town Administrator Jim Boudreau. “It will cause some minor flooding. That pushes a lot of water ashore, gets into our business district.” Boudreau said he’s planning for the worst but hoping for the best. “What we do is make sure that we have all of our inspectors on duty, we clean it up with our DPW as quickly as we can so people can get in and out of their businesses, can get in and out of our homes. We have made some sandbags available for the business district.”

Making sandbags

And when storms roll in quick, towns like Scituate have to act fast to support residents and business owners. The DPW in Scituate is using efficient equipment, like a machine that can fill 20 sandbags at once. Anyone who needs sandbags can call DPW or head to St. Mary’s Church, where they’re periodically giving them out.

But it’s not all on them to protect homes and businesses. Boudreau has a direct line to more help from the state and federal government if he needs it.

“If we’re seeing a storm that looks like it’s going to be really problematic, we actually will talk to MEMA, FEMA beforehand, the lieutenant governor and her office,” said Boudreau. “They have a lot more money than we have, they will also send out resources, trucks, equipment to help us clean up.”

In the meantime, Boudreau encourages residents to enjoy what Scituate has to offer.

“Three hundred and sixty-five days, it’s the best place in the world to live but a couple of days of the year it gets a little hairy.”