Flooding In Quincy Neighborhood Could Have Been Prevented
QUINCY (CBS) - People are angry in Quincy. It turns out the flooding that affected one neighborhood this week could have been prevented.
Sunday night's high tide flooded Lafayette and Armory Streets, but other roads, closer to the water, remained largely dry.
Neighbors are learning a floodgate, that should have protected them, was never closed.
"We've never had anything like this," says resident Bill Driscoll, "there's a lady on the next street that's been here 65 years, she's never had this."
Dozens of houses were flooded due to the lunar high tide and strong northeasterly winds that pushed the water inland. But the real problem may have been that floodgates were left open.
"When all that came together, we did not have time to close the gates, because of the type of gate that is there," says DPW Commissioner Dan Raymondi.
The gates were closed on Tuesday, but Sunday night they were left open. Water rushed into Black's Creek and then into homes that seldom see flooding.
"Ninety percent of our stuff is gone," says resident Jim Cipriani. "I just want them to do the right thing and man up."
The city has money to put in new floodgates and dredge Black's Creek, but they are waiting for approval. Residents want assurance that this will never happen again.
