Residents left frustrated after Quincy flooding

QUINCY, Mass. (WHDH) -- Flooding in Quincy was caused by rough surf and astronomically high tides, but some residents wondered whether nearby flood gates could have been shut sooner, preventing homes from getting drenched.

It wasn't all Mother Nature. People in flooded parts of Quincy say the mess was also man made.

“I’m angry. I’m very angry because that is such a simple thing that could have stopped all of this,” said Kate Timberlake.

Timberlake says her basement would have flooded inches instead of feet if the city had shut a floodgate.

“I want them to admit that they're responsible for it,” Timberlake said.

The city isn't saying that closing the floodgates would have necessarily stopped the flooding from Blacks Creek, but the Department of Public Works now says the Sunday-night tide came on stronger than expected. By then it was too late to close the gates.

“I don't know if there's a direct causal connection,” said Dan Raymondi, DPW commissioner. “By the time the city realized what was happening we didn't have the physical ability to close them.”

That's little consolation for homeowners who lost a lot along Lafayette Street.

“It's just hard to understand why that was the decision that was made,” said Caitlin Lally.

Pauline Fournier found her car floating in her garage.

“For me, plenty of tears. It’s just you know that it was avoidable and that hurts,” said Fournier.

And while Kate Timberlake has a lot to clean up, she says she's still waiting for the City of Quincy to offer her a hand.

“I think the city needs to step up and they need to compensate us in some way,” said Timberlake.

The city says it will replace its flood gates with a new set that can be lowered any time during a storm.