Homeowners Scramble To Save Beachfront Properties

SANDWICH (CBS) - Homes along the water in Sandwich were hit hard by the last storm, victims of the combination of rain, wind, and high tides.

In some areas the sand is gone and that kind of erosion makes Wednesday's storm an even bigger concern.

They are hauling in the sand in Sandwich and dumping it near Salt Marsh Road to replenish the beach and hoping to protect homes already heavily damaged from the last storm.

READ: Nor'easter To Dump Heavy Snow Wednesday

David Marcus has had his beach home for 20 years and is now extending the pilings on his stairs and deck, which have been undermined by the sea.

"You just keep digging holes. You just keep driving the posts deeper and deeper into the sand hoping it survives the next onslaught of waves," Marcus said.

Friday's nor'easter crushed some beachfront homes in Sandwich, cracking foundations and washing out even more sand.

"The sand is washing out from underneath the homes, which is a big problem because once that washes out it causes a void space and then it collapses and causes structural damage to the property," Sandwich Fire Chief William Carrico said.

"When we first came out here the sand dune itself extended out maybe 20 yards into the ocean I mean we almost lost our deck in this last storm," Marcus said.

Even though Wednesday's storm isn't expected to be anything close to the severity of the last nor'easter, many beachfront homes have already been undermined, so they will be watching this one with their fingers crossed.

The South Shore is also worried about Thursday's high tide, which will come in at about 3 a.m.