Broken seawall puts homes at risk along coast amid second nor’easter

DUXBURY, Mass. — Along the coast in Massachusetts, flooding is once again threatening homes for the second time in a week. Residents in Duxbury are still mopping up from last week’s storm, which blasted through and broke open two sections of a 65-year-old seawall, leaving some areas under 4 feet of water and dozens of homes engulfed with seawater.

Fire Chief Kevin Nord is worried about more flooding from this week’s storm, given the high tide. He says his biggest fear is “losing this for the town.” 

“Compromising this whole area here — it would really change, you know, the landscape here. Immediately though, it’s always the residents, and making sure that we protect their homes,” Nord said. 

Huge stones and massive rocks have been placed in one area as the last line of defense to save homes. 

On Tuesday, the Duxbury Fire Department went door-to-door advising residents to evacuate. Tim Spellman didn’t need to be told twice. 

“The water is going to come over the road and we won’t be able to come out of here,” he said. “This is the first time since I’ve been here since 1999 I’ve seen the wall even move. You know, it might crack and fall into the ocean.” 

Spellman says he’s “very concerned” about losing the seawall. 

“If I lose that seawall, I’ll probably lose my house into the ocean,” he said.