‘They live in fear’

By Katherine Markello and Naana Oppong

WINTHROP — In 2000, Gerry Wardwell drove around a bend on Grand View Avenue when he caught a glimpse of the glistening waters of Boston Harbor, the city’s skyline sparkling in the distance.

The 67-year-old described the entrancing view as one he “didn’t know existed.”

It was here on Grand View Avenue that Wardwell came upon the house that he and his wife Carla have now called home for 26 years. But it did not take long before the couple learned that the lapping waters across the street are not always so serene. 

“When the water is so calm, you don’t know how bad it can get,” said Wardwell, a retired assistant news director at WCVB in Boston.

Over the years, the Wardwells have had a front-row seat to massive storms, erosion, and repeated flooding in this seaside town beside Boston.

As storms have intensified and sea levels have risen, the dangers of living so close to the ocean have heightened.

“It’s really just dealing with the extreme,” Wardwell said. “You have to put more effort into it every year, and that’s both physically and economically.”

In February, two blizzards pummeled Winthrop, resulting in power outages for nearly a quarter of households and a water main break that flooded basements throughout the town of 19,000 residents.

Weeks later, the community was still reeling from the threat of climate change on the place they call home.

The region’s sea levels could rise as much as 7.6 feet by 2100, scientists at the University of Massachusetts in Boston project. Flooding that occurs due to high tides, including king tides, will also become more frequent. 

“The two most recent storms show the compounding effects of sea level rise,” said Elisa Guerrero, community engagement manager at Stone Living Lab. The lab helps vulnerable coastal communities adapt to climate change through testing and monitoring initiatives, as well as nature-based solutions such as living sea walls. These engineered walls are built against the sea to accomodate marine life and reduce wave action from harsh hitting waves.

Wardwell has experienced the impact of climate change regularly in recent years.

Fifteen years ago, his home was protected by rocks meticulously placed and packed along the shoreline to prevent the waves from breaching. However, the barrier has lost its integrity over the years due to intense storms. 

In January and March of 2018, Winthrop suffered severe flooding that surpassed this year’s storms due to unusually high tides. Prior to that, the blizzard of 1978 made history as one of the most catastrophic storms faced by the town.

The view of the Boston Harbor from a park bench on Grand View Avenue. On the left, vegetation was planted as part of the Winthrop’s Shore Restoration Project. On the right, the coastal vegetation is flattened and weathered from years of storms. PHOTO/LEFT: GERRY WARDWELL, RIGHT: NAANA OPPONG

That year in 2018, more water seeped into their basement than ever before. Despite Wardwell piling sandbags against the walls, the basement filled to his ankles with frigid saltwater.

“It was a bathtub that just overflowed the top and just kept rising,” Wardwell said. “There was nowhere for the water to go.”

Wardwell and his family lived without power for up to 48 hours during the 2018 storms. They had to rely on their woodstove for heat or stay in an East Boston hotel.

“It changes your lifestyle,” said Wardwell, who has spent long nights trying to defend his basement from the encroaching ocean. “It just changes your big picture of what you need to plan for.”

For Wardwell, insuring his home has become a growing financial burden. He currently pays $5,000 annually under his private insurer, Lloyds of London. The home was originally covered by the National Flood Insurance Program, but after an additional unit was built at a lower elevation, the home had to be placed on the private insurance market.

Wardwell has not had to file a claim since moving into his home, but he has witnessed the economic and emotional toll flood insurance has taken on his neighbors. Many have chosen to go without insurance due to the rising costs, forcing them to choose between basic necessities and housing security. That shift alone has led to a nearly 43 percent increase in cost. 

Norman Hyett, 83, who has lived in Winthrop for 30 years and serves as co-chair of Winthrop’s Citizens Advisory Commission on Climate, said many residents worry about what rising seas and strengthening storms mean for the future of Winthrop.

Celeste Ribeiro Hewitt, another member of the Commission on Climate who has lived in Winthrop for a decade, said many residents moved here for the postcard views.

Living in a coastal community, she said, is both a privelege and a responsibility.

“That’s a scary thing to have to think about,” Ribeiro Hewitt said, reflecting on the future of Winthrop amidst the changing climate. “This is my generational wealth. I mean I love my home. My children love my home.”

The Winthrop Citizens Advisory Commission on Climate last year proposed a Climate Action Plan that identified problem areas around Winthrop especially prone to flooding, storm surge, beach erosion, and sea wall deterioration.

The commission proposed solutions that include improving the town's roadways with enhanced pumps and drainage, as well as sea walls. Nature-based solutions such as oyster reefs and stormwater parks were also proposed to treat and manage runoff.  These stormwater parks are well-suited for an urban area like Winthrop since they are green spaces designed to collect, filter, and store flood water.  

Pico’s Beach and Fishermen’s Bend were identified as locations of critical importance. Progress, however, is stalled amidst the state’s refusal to grant climate funding.

In 2025, Winthrop lost $1.2 million in climate grants as a result of local opposition to a bill that required Winthrop to build more multifamily housing. The bill sought to address the shortage of affordable housing near transit hubs. 

By refusing to zone for growth, Winthrop remains non-compliant, which jeopardizes the state aid essential to protect the town from climate change.

Ribeiro Hewitt said Winthrop will not be able to carry out much of its climate action plan without state aid.

While the political debate ensues, the financial costs are mounting as seas continue to rise.

“If the sea level keeps coming, it’s a neighborhood that’s going to be underwater,” Wardwell said.