Winthrop Couple Rescued By Front End Loader After Icy Water Floods Home

WINTHROP (CBS) - Many residents in Winthrop are spending another night in the cold as the storm wreaked havoc on seaside neighborhoods.

Winthrop Fire Captain Scott Wiley says crews have responded to at least 150 calls in the last 24 hours for flooded basements, problems with smoke alarms and odors and heating issues.

They've been pumping basements around the clock in neighborhoods like Pico Avenue where Sean Driscoll's basement flooded and three cars were damaged. He managed to get his family to a hotel but now has no heat, electricity or water. "I was a kid during the blizzard of 78 and this was definitely close to that," he said.

Steve Esposito called it a "life and death" situation at his home on Banks Street. "When I saw my cellar door off the hinges and couldn't control the water I knew we were in big trouble," he said.

He says fifteen minutes after high tide water came rushing down the street right into his basement which quickly filled almost to the ceiling. As it all froze around his house he says there was no way out and a front end loader had to be brought in to rescue Esposito, his wife and dog.

"If I didn't get out of the basement when I did, when water passed the electrical panel, I could have been electrocuted," Esposito said. "I'm lucky I got out before that."

He says the bucket rescue was a hair-raising experience, but he was grateful for the lift. "The only bad thing was the metal blade was so slippery with and snow it was hard to keep yourself steady," he said.

Lt. Governor Karyn Polito met with Winthrop town officials to tour the hard hit area and assess the damage. She is hoping for some federal disaster relief. "We will evaluate all the estimates and then determine what next steps can be taken," Polito said.