How one family climate-proofed their house after Leominster’s destructive flash floods

After the water retreated, husband and wife Carrie and Graeme Noseworthy swore they wouldn’t be caught unprepared again. The storm prompted them to create a full-blown home defense strategy for their 1,200-square-foot house. They wanted to stop feeling anxious when it rained, and they wanted to know for sure that their house was climate-proof.

It was an expensive undertaking: The cost so far has totaled $51,000, and only about $25,000 of that was picked up by a federal disaster assistance program to help replace the lower-level bathroom and a bedroom. Disaster relief money from the Federal Emergency Management Agency is limited — there’s only so much money to go around — and such programs are sometimes criticized as too backward-looking since the programs often do not cover the cost of upgrades to defend against future storms.

The Noseworthy family didn’t just want a repair, they wanted peace of mind. Water was leaking into the lower level of their home more frequently during heavy storms, and they worried that simply repairing the house to its pre-storm condition would leave it vulnerable to another flood as climate change worsens. Climate change has increased the frequency of flash floods in New England as storms now typically carry more precipitation compared to decades ago.

“It wasn’t as simple as fixing the damage,” said Graeme Noseworthy, 50. He sought out contractors who understood their vision for a waterproof home. “It was a complete rethinking because we know it’s only a matter of time before this happens again.”

Their thinking was that defending their existing home would be cheaper than purchasing a new one, especially since any other home in the area could require similar upgrades.

“Everything costs so much money,” Carrie said of the real estate market in Massachusetts, noting that they still owe $200,000 on their existing mortgage. “We’ve just done the best we can.”

The ground level of their home sits at the bottom of a slope. They were used to water creeping into the garage once a year or so, but that was nothing compared to the 2023 flash flood. The entire furnace and hot water system needed to be replaced, the cost of which was covered by a city program. So much water rushed in so quickly during the storm that the second bathroom and their elder son’s bedroom were destroyed.

Justin Noseworthy, now 21, said the experience was “an absolute nightmare.” His dad, Graeme, was out of town on a business trip, so Justin and his younger brother did the heavy lifting: Hauling belongings upstairs to salvage what they could from the putrid-smelling water.

Still, the family had to toss out a dumpster’s-worth of flood-damaged property, Justin had to move upstairs to an office, and for more than a year, the family of four shared one bathroom.

Today, the second bathroom is elevated 2-and-a-half inches from the ground. The floors in Justin’s room are waterproof, and the creases in the baseboards are sealed. New drywall and the insulation inside them are mold-resistant. The chimney has a new liner system and cap to prevent water from creeping in.

The most critical piece of the defense strategy is the pumps: There are two heavy-duty pumps — one in the basement and one in the garage — that can remove up to 2,680 gallons of water per hour. Another smaller pump was added near the water main, and there are four portable pumps for emergencies. Graeme says those can be moved around to remove water if it’s pooling up on the side of the house, for example.

The pumps, though, require power. “If we don’t have constant power when the pumps are running, the house will flood within minutes,” Graeme said.

Power outages are a risk during storms, so the family also purchased a portable gas generator. On the fridge, a printed list of instructions anticipates questions about how to operate it.

“We literally had to practice,” Graeme said. Near the emergency instructions in the kitchen are flashlights, headlamps, and a reflective jacket. “You have to be ready to go at a moment’s notice,” he added.

The kids went along with it all, he said. His wife is a veteran; the family is used to some drills.

Since all four family members have jobs, however, even the generator doesn’t provide enough peace of mind. Graeme says they might soon purchase an automatic generator that kicks on without a set-up involved. For that, he was recently quoted $11,000.

Scattered throughout the unfinished areas of their basement, small hydration sensors beep loudly and send a notification to Graeme’s cell phone if any water is detected. Two small cameras are installed on the ceiling to monitor the status of the pumps.

“What we’re doing now is trying to reduce the anxiety of living in a house [that flooded] and trying to adapt to what’s happening,” he said.

Graeme says he’s become “obsessed” with the weather; they’ve also installed an at-home weather station that measures wind speed, temperature, precipitation, and barometric pressure.

“It’s an exhausting way to live, and it’s an expensive way to live,” said Carrie of the day-to-day monitoring.

The Noseworthys initially had little hope for any financial help. Their home insurance company said the flood damage wasn’t covered, and the city of Leominster’s request for a federal emergency declaration, required for federal funding assistance, was denied. They relied on their savings and a home equity loan to pay for the repairs and upgrades.

In May of 2024, however, the federal government reversed course and approved the request. Suddenly, more than a year after the storm hit, residents’ expenses to fix their homes were eligible for reimbursement from FEMA.

At an open house, Graeme acknowledged to the guests that, yes, it might seem a bit absurd to host a ribbon-cutting for a bathroom. They were game: his father brought him a single roll of toilet paper as a bathroom-warming present. Guests were invited to “tour” the new bathroom. On the wall hung a print of the iconic Japanese painting, “The Great Wave” — a tongue-in-cheek reference to the water that once overwhelmed the space.

In some small way, though, the bathroom symbolized the end of a long journey of recovery and resilience felt not just by the Noseworthy family but throughout Leominster. “This is a big deal to us,” Graeme said.

Erin Douglas can be reached at erin.douglas@globe.com. Follow her @erinmdouglas23.