(WHDH) — Homeowners on Plum Island say more needs to be done to save the shore as flood waters cause coastal erosion during storms.
Coastal flooding accompanied a major winter storm Tuesday, leaving homes surrounded by water.
Lela Wright took cellphone video of the ocean waves knocking over 3,000-pound sandbags during high tide.
“I’m seriously concerned,” she said. “I’m watching the water wash the sand out from under my foundation.”
Wright fears that the damage coastal erosion has caused to her home may force her to find a new place to live.
“We’re at the point where we’re probably going to lose our house,” she said. “Our neighbors are probably going to lose their house. There’s nothing that can be done fast enough to save us.”
There are similar concerns in Sandwich, where houses have been repeatedly damaged during storms.
RELATED: Sandwich home buckles under force of relentless coastal flooding
Michael Pottey, who lives on Salt Marsh Road, says he’s ready to go to the state to get protections similar to Plum Island.
“I intend to talk to the state about whether we can do hard solutions like Plum Island, with a barrier beach, similar to this. But as of now, they won’t allow that,” he said.
Pottey added that any protections are solely up to the homeowners.
“This is all at the homeowners’ cost. We get no town money, no state money, no federal money. It’s all out of our pocket,” he said.
However, residents on Plum Island argue that the sandbags and barriers are still not enough to save them from the storms.
“We need the steel piles,” Wright said. “They’re the only thing that’s going to save this end of the island.”
(Copyright (c) 2024 Sunbeam Television. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)