Scituate, Massachusetts faced more flooding at noon on Saturday when a third high tide since a violent storm system moved into the region on Friday caused the ocean to once again roll into the community.
Officials in Scituate held a press conference Saturday at 9 a.m. to discuss the upcoming high tide, urging residents to stay off the roads. The message: if you don't have to be out, don't be.
"It's not safe down there this is not a time to be outside gawking," said one emergency official.
They also said there is a 72-hour restoration period before power will be turned back on.
Officials said only one family has had to be evacuated so far, and no one has been injured because residents took the warnings seriously to evacuate and were able to get out before the storm really hit.
At midnight on Friday, water could be seen flooding the streets, and NBC10 Boston meteorologist Matt Noyes expects Saturday's high tide to be more problematic.
Scituate Town Administrator Jim Boudreau briefed the media at 7:00 p.m. Friday, saying, "As of right now, effectively 100-percent of the homes and businesses in Scituate are without power. That's over 8,100 homes and businesses."
Boudreau urged town residents to stay in their homes.
"Not safe for people to be on the road in Scituate right now. You need to stay home. You need to stay off the roads," he cautioned.
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Boudreau added that restoration of power will not take place until the winds die down.
"Trees down, wires down, branches flying, wires going everywhere," Boudreau said.
Resident Patrick Kearney said, "You don’t have control over it, so don’t be stressed."
Residents who normally stick out coastal storms have decided to evacuate because of 10-foot waves, multiple high tides, and gusts of wind that can reach up to 70 miles per hour.
As of Saturday at 4:30 p.m., thousands of homes across New England are still without power. Here is a breakdown:
Massachusetts 324,535
Rhode Island 82,302
Connecticut 30,616
Maine 1,767
Vermont 1,749
New Hampshire 176
