Massachusetts’ coastline is getting absolutely hammered as a rare September nor’easter grinds across the Northeast.
Video from Brant Rock, in Marshfield, shows what the uploader described as “massive waves pummeling a neighborhood,” with walls of Atlantic whitewater exploding over the seawall and directly into oceanfront homes. The footage is almost surreal: one set detonates against the coast, spray engulfs entire houses, and water pours back toward the ocean through yards and streets.
See the devastating footage below:
At least one home suffered major structural damage. Resident Thompson told CNN he heard “this big crash, a bang” before the house shook. Moments later, he realized the force of the surf had torn away part of the building. “There’s no wall,” he said. “The back wall.”
The National Weather Service had warned of exactly this kind of coastal punishment, issuing a Coastal Flood Warning and High Surf Advisory for eastern Massachusetts, with breaking waves of 6 to 15 feet expected in the surf zone and flooding in low-lying shoreline areas.
Scituate Town Administrator Jim Boudreau said officials were already receiving calls about downed wires and power outages as waves began spilling over seawalls. “We got water coming over the walls!” he exclaimed, urging people to stay away from the coast.
Related: Nor’easter Pummels Outer Banks With 18-Foot Waves and Road-Eating Floods (Video)
And Massachusetts is only one piece of the damage. The slow-moving storm has battered the East Coast from North Carolina to New England with flooding, beach erosion, downed trees, travel disruptions and widespread outages. Nearly 150,000 customers lost power at some point, while at least one person was killed in New York City by a falling tree.
The storm has also been remarkable for its timing. Longtime Humarock resident Bob Jones told the Boston Globe that nor’easters “come and go here … all the time,” but added: “In September, it is” unusual.
For communities like Brant Rock and Scituate, the problem isn’t simply one giant wave.
It’s hours — and multiple high tides — of the Atlantic hitting the same houses again and again.
Related: Watch: Cruise Ship Takes on 20-Foot Waves During Brutal Nor’easter
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