Hampton Beach coastal flooding: Police shut down Ocean Boulevard
HAMPTON — Police and fire officials closed down roads leading into Hampton Beach Saturday as the community braces for another round of coastal flooding. Saturday’s rainstorm and high winds, mixed with an astronomical high tide, were expected to cause major flooding on local roads near Ocean Boulevard and Ashworth Avenue.
Powerful waves crash against the sea wall overflowing onto Ocean Boulevard at Hampton Beach as cars crawl past Wednesday morning Jan.
10, 2024. Saturday’s storm was expected to cause 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 at 10 a.m. The roads, according to Hampton Police Chief Alex Reno, will reopen once the tides recede. Waves were already starting to splash over the seawall two hours before high tide set for 12:19 p.m.
Tides, officials say, are expected to be nearly one foot higher than on Wednesday. “We anticipate flooding to begin within a few hours prior to high tide. The storm surge is predicted to be 2.5 to 3 feet, with inundation of 1 to 3.5 feet.”
Watch the storm: Live cams from Hampton Beach, Rye and southern Maine beaches[1] The state Department of Transportation advises visitors and residents to avoid the areas of Route 1A in Rye, North Hampton, Hampton and Seabrook. “Ocean waves that are crashing over the walls carry dangerous debris such as large rocks, wood, traps, and other harmful items that could cause serious injury if you are struck with them,” Reno said.
Reno said the state of New Hampshire and town emergency operations centers will be open during the storm. Anyone who needs assistance should call 9-1-1. Residents are also being asked to report storm-related damage to their property by calling 211.
Thousands in NH are without 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. “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.”
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. According to the National Weather Service, York County beaches are expected to see dangerous, near-record tidal flooding with up to 3 feet of storm surges and 1-3 feet of inundation. Avoid driving through standing water, as vehicles can be swept away in moving water and roads covered by water are prone to collapse, officials said.
This article originally appeared on Portsmouth Herald: Hampton Beach coastal flooding: Police shut down Ocean Boulevard[2]
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References
- ^ Live cams from Hampton Beach, Rye and southern Maine beaches (news.yahoo.com)
- ^ Hampton Beach coastal flooding: Police shut down Ocean Boulevard (www.seacoastonline.com)