Hampton Beach, Maine coastal floods: Homes evacuated in 'unprecedented' storm, high tide

HAMPTON — More than 20 people were evacuated from Hampton Beach homes as coastal flooding hit the local New Hampshire and Maine region for the second time in four days. Water levels were so high firefighters couldn't access a Rye home fire, and local leaders said the astronomical high tide's impact was the most severe they have seen in their careers.

Police and fire officials closed down roads leading into Hampton Beach Saturday. It was a similar story all along the New Hampshire coastline in towns like Rye, North Hampton and New Castle, and in Maine areas like York and Kennebunk.

In Hampton, Saturday's rainstorm and hightide, caused major flooding on local roads near Ocean Boulevard and Ashworth Avenue.

Hampton police closed the entry and exit roads to Hampton Beach as a precaution starting at 10 a.m., more than two hours ahead of high tide. The majority of the roads, according to Hampton Police Chief Alex Reno, reopened at 4 p.m. once the tides receded.

"This is the worst flooding I’ve ever seen at Hampton Beach in the 22 years I’ve worked for the Police Department,” Reno said.

Waves were already starting to splash over the seawall two hours before high tide at 12:19 p.m. The storm surge, officials said, was "2.5 to 3 feet, with inundation of 1 to 3.5 feet."

"The entire beach area is flooded," Reno said around noon. "The water is already up to the stairs at the (Brown Avenue) Police Station and the water has entered the Fire Department's beach headquarters. And seafoam is everywhere. It started blowing with the wind gusts this morning."

Reno said the blockades placed on High Street, established to close off access to the beach, floated away due to high water, but have been reestablished.

The marsh had filled up a mile inland, he said, and caused police to close off the portion of Route 1 by the Taylor River.

A wave crashed through the window of a Noreast Lane residence, filling the home with water, he said, causing emergency responders to assist and evacuate the residents. The storm caused a tree to come down on Cusack Road, he said, bringing down wires, and leading to the evacuation of those living in the area, which includes Johnson Avenue and Glade Path.

Reno said at 4 p.m. the town’s emergency responders were still responding to calls.

Unattended death not storm related, officials say

“These guys have been absolutely out straight all day,” Reno said. “The Fire Department has been answering calls about small fires – mostly electrical – smoke in buildings, people who wanted to be evacuated.”

Police, he said, responded to an unattended death of a beach resident, as well as a dog drowning.

“That death does not appear to be storm-related,” Reno said. “Nor is it suspicious. We’re still investigating.”

Reno said state police and the Rockingham County Sheriff's Office have sent equipment to assist in responding to calls.

During the worst part of the storm, more than 20 people were evacuated to the town’s emergency shelter at Hampton Academy. The shelter was not expected to be open throughout the night, Reno said. The town’s Fire Department was working with the Red Cross to find people more comfortable accommodations to spend the night.

North Hampton fire chief calls flooding 'unprecedented'

According to North Hampton Fire Chief Jason Lajoie, in 21 years, he's never seen a situation as bad as the one created by today's storm.

"We hear about the word unprecedented," Lajoie said. "This is a good time to use it. This is unprecedented."

Lajoie said North Hampton and Rye closed off Route 1A, Ocean Boulevard at 10 a.m., and at about 3 p.m. he still wasn't sure when it might reopen to safe travel.

"The state Department of Transportation is doing their best, but there's a section of road, like at Bass Beach near the Rye line, where the sea wall completely collapsed," he said.

That seawall, basically a huge stone-piled berm, washed out, he said, and was blocking Route 1A.

Lajoie said as difficult as Mother Nature made the day, onlookers made it much worse.

"These were people who had no regard for authority, who were not trying to access their beach homes, but who just wanted to see the ocean," Lajoie said. "They had children in the cars, and they were trying to drive through high water around a barrier. Don't they understand that we are just trying to keep them safe?"

In addition, Lajoie said emergency responders were busy trying to answer calls for storm-related damage. For instance, he said, at 15 Ocean Blvd., with 4 feet of standing water, a number of propane tanks ripped away from a house. North Hampton firefighters had to travel through Hampton to wade through water to access the tanks, shut them off, and secure the tanks, preventing further damage.

When a fire was reported at the 731 Ocean Blvd. home in Rye, the water surrounding the structure was so high that fire trucks couldn't get to it.

"I got a call from the Greenland chief," Lajoie said. "He told me the state DOT put three of North Hampton's firefighters in one of DOT's bucket trucks with firefighting equipment and took them through the standing water to the house to fight the fire."

Hampton police start to assess the damage

Reno said police and fire officials are starting to assess the damages. He urges anyone who sustained property damage to call 211 to report it to the state.

“That’s so the state can aggregate the total damage of the storm to see if it rises to the level of a disaster declaration,” he said.

If it does, there could be financial help coming from the federal government.

The storm took its toll on town equipment, he said. The Fire Department’s ladder truck is out of commission due to an engine failure, and a Hampton fire engine was down for a portion of the day, though it’s back in service now.

Reno said clean-up was already underway, with the DPW’s plows running up and down the roadways clearing debris. In addition, the Portsmouth Police Department’s drone unit had arrived in town. Drones are used to assess damage, including structural.

“It’s going to take a while,” Reno said. “There was already damage from Wednesday’s storm.”

Portion of Route 1A/Ocean Boulevard remains closed in Rye

The state Department of Transportation advised visitors and residents to avoid the areas of Route 1A in Rye, North Hampton, Hampton and Seabrook.

"The water is receding, but there are still sections of the road that are unpassable," Lajoie said. "There are areas where there is still standing water, and I don't know how it will drain away. And there's debris piled up across the road."

Hampton police reported that Ocean Boulevard in Hampton was reopened at 4 p.m.

“Route 101 Eastbound is open,” he said, “as are limited routes around town. Ocean Boulevard between the town lines is opened.”

High Street remained closed between Ocean Boulevard and Mill Pond Lane.

Drivers, he said, should be careful as they turn down neighborhood streets, some of which are still not passable.

Reno said they are still concerned about the midnight high tide and oncoming frigid temperatures, which will cause roads to ice over.

Rye Police Chief Kevin Walsh said a portion of Route 1A in Rye remains closed due to widespread damage caused by the storm.

Ocean Boulevard is closed to vehicle, bicycle and pedestrian travel from Route 111 in North Hampton to Brackett Road in Rye to allow for bridge and road infrastructure repairs, he said.

The state Department of Transportation crews will be working Sunday, Jan. 14, to clear the road, fix walls/barriers, and ensure bridges and roads are safe before the road is reopened.

Seabrook shut down Route 286 into the beach for several hours due to severe flooding.

According to Seabrook Lt. Tim Mone, by 2:30 p.m. seawater had drained enough for the town to reopen the road. However, Cross Beach Road and River Street were still "underwater."

Mike Tully, town administrator for North Hampton and New Castle, said Great Island Common in New Castle was closed, as well as Route 1A in North Hampton and Rye.

Watch the storm: Live cams from Hampton Beach, Rye and southern Maine beaches

Reno was advising beach residents who are still in their homes to remain there.

"The best thing they can do is shelter in place; find high ground and shelter in place," he said. "Trying to get out is dangerous."

Thousands in NH lost power

National Weather Service meteorologists in Gray, Maine, expect about 1.25 inches of rain throughout Seacoast New Hampshire and southern Maine on Saturday. Wind gusts are expected to hit 50 mph along the coastline and 35 to 40 mph inland.

As of 9 a.m., more than 12,000 customers are without power across New Hampshire, according to the state Hampshire Department of Safety’s Division of Homeland Security and Emergency Management. That number was reduced by afternoon.

“Crews are out and working hard to restore outages as they happen," Robert Buxton, director of the New Hampshire Homeland Security and Emergency Management. "Keep you and your family safe if you lose power.”

There were also power outages along Dock Square and Ocean Avenue in Kennebunkport, Maine. Central Main Power is scheduled to restart the power this evening, according to a notice sent out by the town.

Updates: View our power outage tracker

‘Quite a bit of damage’: Flooding at Wells, York, Kennebunk beaches

For the second time in days, coastal southern Maine found itself underwater on Saturday as monster waves and heavy rain engulfed homes along beaches.

Meteorologist Jon Palmer, of the National Weather Service in Gray, reported at noontime that Drakes Island in Wells was among areas experiencing coastal flooding.

Wells Police Chief Jo-Ann Putnam provided eyewitness confirmation, shortly after high tide peaked at around 12:15 p.m.

“All beach access roads are created and impassable,” Putnam said.

That would be Mile Road, Bourne Avenue, and Furbish and Eldredge roads. Each of those passages are barricaded, with officers posted at the scenes.

“There’s no going in,” Putnam said, during an interview in which she occasionally paused to take pictures of impressive waves. “It’ll be at least two hours before anything is passable... We’ve had quite a bit of damage in York County.”

Residents were heeding the police’s warnings to stay indoors during the storm and flooding, according to Putnam.

“Everyone’s been very good,” she said. “There are lots of gawkers, but they’ve been good so far.”

Putnam also said there had not been any reports of injuries or individuals stranded anywhere due to the flooding. She said the rain had stopped, but the wind had picked up a little.

“We’re having issues with floating propane tanks,” Putnam said. “Other than that, things have been very good.”

York, Kennebunk, Wells closes beach roads due to storm

York, Kennebunk and Wells, Maine have closed coastal roads due to the forecasted storm surge and coastal splash-over.

York officials closed Long Beach Avenue and Ocean Avenue. They ask you to "observe any and all road closure signs you encounter and remember that they are there for your safety."

The roads will reopen once the tide recedes, and cleanup is complete.

Kennebunk Police Department is asking residents and visitors to avoid Beach Avenue and the Lower Village area.

The following roads are closed to through traffic: Parsons Beach Road, Western Avenue at the Kennebunkport line, Western Avenue to Brown Street and Boothby Avenue.

Kennebunk Fire Department asks residents who live on the coast to not leave until the water recedes.

"First responders may not be able to help," the department stated on its Facebook page. "We already have a unit stuck trying to get to residents who requested evacuation. Do not drive around barricades, and please stop screaming at our personnel who are there blocking the roadways."

In Wells, Webhannet Road, from Folsom Lane to Eldridge Road, is closed due to the storm surge.

"Travel on the roads along the ocean could be restricted or impassable during the storm and emergency personnel may not have access," stated Wells in a press release.

Angeljean Chiaramida and Shawn P. Sullivan contributed to this report.

This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach and Maine coastal flooding: Homes evacuated