Massachusetts

Massachusetts Coastal Communities Prepare for Evacuations Ahead of Storm

Residents in Scituate and Duxbury asked to Evacuate

A major storm heading into New England is expected to impact coastal communities in Massachusetts where officials in some towns have asked residents to evacuate by Friday morning.

As rain changes to snow for some areas, communities along the shore are expected to see coastal flooding, wave heights up to 35 feet, and sustained winds over 50 miles per hour.

Officials in Marshfield issued a state of emergency the night before the storm.

"If they are able to evacuate, evacuate tonight or early tomorrow morning," Marshfield Police Lt. Arthur Shaw urged Thursday.

"It's going to be a nasty storm," said Pete Howard, a retired fisherman in Marshfield. "Even the wind, they're talking up to 75 mph. It's going to be something."

Scituate town officials are asking residents along the shoreline to evacuate the area by 9 a.m. Friday calling the incoming storm a "significant event."

Scituate Resident Bill Winslow expressed his concern about the storm to NBC10 Boston on Thursday.

"I think for the most part I am a little bit concerned only because we often do get a fair amount of damage here," said Winslow.

Authorities say they expect the storm to rival the no-name storm of 1991 that caused significant damage.

For Scituate residents, Friday's storm recalls a more recent memory: a nor'easter that struck the region in January of 2018.

Humarock resident Steve Pizzuto remembers when January's storm caused extensive damage to his peninsula property. "The surge was 3 feet plus.That was the biggest tide I've ever seen in the 27 years I've been down here," said Pizzuto.

Friday's storm is expected to be more severe than the one that struck the area in January.

For Don Watt, co-owner of The Coffee Corner in Scituate, that is a cause for concern.

"the fact that it was so close to us last time and this is supposedly worse gives us a bit of pause," Don Watt told NBC10 Boston.

For those that do not evacuate, Scituate Town Administrator Jim Boudreau says military rescue vehicles are in place to assist.

Officials with the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency (MEMA) and town administrators plan to provide residents with an update at 1 p.m. Thursday.

Further down the coast in Duxbury, officials were also asking residents in low-lying and flood prone areas to voluntarily evacuate starting at 11:30 a.m. Friday. Duxbury Fire tweeted that in anticipation of 3 high tide cycles during the storm, the town's senior center would be open starting Friday for anyone needing a place to stay.

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