Hampton Beach flooding: What it looked like
High tides brought flooding and closed roads to Hampton Beach side roads and Ocean Boulevard Wednesday, Jan. 10, 2024.
HAMPTON — Emma Perry stepped through at least a foot of water in a driveway at 27 Brown Ave. in the aftermath of Wednesday’s storm.
She stood with her grandson Liam at about 2:30 p.m. as crews worked to assess the damage caused by high tides from the wind and rainstorm earlier that day. At its highest, the water was up to their porch, which stands a couple feet off the ground.
“We prepare for it,” Perry said. “We know it’s going to happen.”
Wintertime residents of Hampton Beach braced themselves for flooding they have come to expect over the years during the worst storms. Typically, the marsh floods from behind Ashworth Avenue and its side streets. Those roads saw significant flooding as authorities temporarily closed all access roads to the beach.
Hampton Police Chief Alex Reno ordered Ocean Boulevard closed from Seabrook to North Hampton at 9:30 a.m. and blocked access on roads like Route 101 and Winnacunnet Road. As huge waves crashed over the sea walls, entire neighborhoods became surrounded by deep, frigid waters. Town officials declared an emergency, opening a shelter for flooding victims in the gymnasium at Hampton Academy.
People living at the beach were unable to return home for several hours due to closed roads.
Joanne Wickson of 23 Island Path said she left the house to go shopping in the morning and came back to find no route back.
“We couldn’t come down Ocean Boulevard, Ashworth Avenue, 101 or 286,” Wickson said. “Everything was shut.”
Alicia Preston Xanthopoulos said she was in Concord when the worst of the flooding hit. By the time she was heading home, she found blocked-off roads that prevented her from accessing her home on the beach.
“Route 101 was closed off,” she said, “so I tried to head down Winnacunnet and found that was blocked, too. So, I did what beach folks around here do when this happens: I headed to the Galley Hatch and had a cup of soup.”
By 12:30 p.m., Preston Xanthopoulos returned to her home and found it was spared from the flooding.
“I live in the southwest part of the beach on a road that doesn’t usually flood,” she said. “But I’d say in the last 10 years or so, Hampton Beach has seen more frequent flooding.”
Residents on Island Path said the flooding of their road was exacerbated by cars that continued to drive through their street despite the road being closed by police. Sandy Glansberg at 24 Island Path said the vehicles were causing waves, sending water into her home. The water at its worst was over her back deck, which stands a couple feet off the ground.
While some residents say the flooding comes with living at the beach, Glansberg said it has worsened in recent years. Last year, she said she had to replace her furnace and washing machine due to flooding from high tides.
She said she has a neighbor who is a Realtor, and asked if she could borrow a sign that said “for sale – oceanfront property” as a joke.
“I don’t even know if I could sell now,” Glansberg said.
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Hampton officials assessing damage to homes, streets
After the seas receded, Hampton officials were out assessing the damage.
Reno said Hampton police are using drones supplied by the Portsmouth Police Department to assess damage to homes and other structures. The Rockingham County sheriff’s office also supplied personnel and equipment to help.
Reno said officials are trying to ascertain if there was structural damage caused to roadways due to water undermining the infrastructure.
In the meantime, as the town awaited the evening high tide, Reno said, there’s a lot of cleanup that needs to be accomplished. The flooding, he said, deposited seafoam, sand, rocks and other debris throughout the beach area.
Reno was concerned about the evening high tide, especially if it exhibits the same characteristics as the morning high tide. He said officials kept an eye on the forecast, but it didn’t warn of a tide that reached almost 14 feet high.
“We start getting concerned when we hear a 10-foot tide is expected,” Reno said. “But the forecast was for an 11.7-foot tide. This was more than 13.8-feet.”
On Battcock Avenue, Chuck Lawson was outside Wednesday afternoon assessing the damage to his home. He said flooding is expected during serious storms, but Wednesday’s storm was higher than usual.
“I haven’t gone in the shed yet,” Lawson said. “I don’t even want to know.”
Angeljean Chiaramida contributed to this report.
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