LYNN — A police officer marched through a flooded street and carried a young girl on his back during the worst of the storm on Thursday.
Officer Ron Diaz helped little Alexis Garcia and her parents, Derek and Marie Garcia, escape their car, which was caught in a flood on Summer Street. The family braved the wild weather to attend a funeral for a family member.
The Garcias jumped out of their car as soon as it became stuck and rushed to a dry and covered area in order to ensure the safety of their daughter.
“It looked like we could get through because we thought we could see parts of the street being clear,” said the father. “We didn’t realize it was a flood until we were in too deep.”
After a Lynn firefighter walked by and saw them stranded, locals closeby ran to grab one of the officers guiding cars at the beginning of Summer Street. Diaz rushed to get to there and guided them by foot, with young Alexis on the officer’s back, to his patrol car to keep them warm and offer them a ride.
The high tide crashed over sea walls and onto streets around the city of Lynn, engulfing cars with river-like floods. Local authorities asked that anyone in need of getting out or believe they are in danger to call Lynn Fire, Lynn Police, or the Mayor’s office.
Flooding was acute in the Summer Street area, where cars were stuck all along the roadway as well as the side streets surrounding it.
Mayor Thomas McGee and City Councilor Buzzy Barton were on scene at Summer Street, helping warn cars of the flood and guide the traffic.
“River street, Heath Court are right at the high tide where the water is coming in and as you can see it’s almost coming in like a river and we are hoping it will start to recede,” McGee said. “Down by Beach Road and Surfside Road and down on Washington Street by Sagamore Street, there is about three feet of water.”
The high tide started at 11 feet and reached 15 feet, according to McGee.
“We need to make sure if people think they have, with water in particular, flooding in their basement or electrical issues that they should make the call and we will do everything we can,” said the Mayor. “We are going to make it through this together as a city.”
More storm coverage
Photos: The first major storm of 2018 lashes the North Shore
Videos: Floodwater pours into Lynn as storm bears down on the coast