Police declare emergency after extreme flooding swamps popular beach town

High tide flooding on Wednesday morning following a drenching rainstorm that moved through overnight wreaked havoc on coastal New Hampshire, where a popular beach town declared an emergency.

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In Hampton, New Hampshire, police declared an emergency “as a result of extremely high seas and flooding.”

“Ocean Boulevard is temporarily closed down. Please avoid the area. If you live in the area we recommend you temporarily leave the area for higher ground,” Hampton police wrote on Facebook.

The department also noted that an evacuation shelter has been set up at the Hampton Academy gymnasium.

Dramatic drone video shared by Henry Swensen showed extreme flooding along Hampton Beach, where homes and roads were underwater.

In a post on X, Swensen wrote, “This is unbelievable. Major flooding at Hampton Beach, NH this morning from the storm!”

Swensen also shared a video that showed a vehicle trying to navigate thick piles of sea foam that formed in the road as agitated seawater crashed over an ocean barrier.

Tony Rocco lives near the section of Pearl Street that’s underwater.

It’s a struggle to get to his car.

“This water is so cold,” said Tony as he walked through water that was up to his knees.

Mike Roche took several pictures of the powerful surf as it slammed into the seawall.

“On a scale of one to ten, this is definitely an eight or a nine,” Roche said.

A photo shared by Rebecca Clocher showed a man navigating the Hampton floodwaters by way of a canoe.

Hampton’s Police Chief told Boston 25 News that higher-than-expected morning tides caused all these headaches.

“We expected water levels to be about 11.7 feet. And I believe the last assessment that we were probably around 13.8 feet,” said Hampton, NH Police Chief Alex Reno. “We weren’t surprised there was flooding. The amount of flooding was a bit more than we expected.”

In Hampton, they are expecting lower sea levels for the next high tide.

In the neighboring town of Seabrook, New Hampshire, police said that Cross Beach Road, River Street, Route 286, and Blackwater Bridge were experiencing “extremely high water levels.”

“If you must travel to Seabrook Beach use caution and be aware of water levels on and around the roadway. Do not attempt to travel over flooded roads,” police warned.

Many major roadways on the North Shore of Massachusetts were also flooded out and left impassable during high tide.

In Newbury, Massachusetts, police announced that the Plum Island Turnpike is temporarily closed due to excessive flooding.

“No traffic currently allowed on or off Plum Island,” the department said in a traffic advisory around 10 a.m.

A photo shared by Newbury police showed floodwaters blocking Newman Road.

In the nearby town of Salisbury, Massachusetts, police reported that Beach Road is impassable in both directions in the area of Reservation Road due to flooding from high tide.

Ferry and March roads were also flooded and impassable, according to police.

“Please do not attempt to drive around barricades or through standing water as it could be much deeper than it looks and could disable your vehicle,” Salisbury police wrote in a Facebook post.

Flood warnings remain in effect across the region through Wednesday afternoon, according to the National Weather Service.

For more updates on the storm, visit the Boston 25 Weather page.

This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.

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