Submerged New England Declares Emergency
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CONCORD, N.H. – Torrential rain forced hundreds of people from their homes in parts of New England yesterday, as water flowed over dams and washed out roads.
The governors of New Hampshire and Massachusetts declared states of emergency, activating the National Guard to help communities respond to the storm. Maine’s governor also declared a state of emergency for one county.
“It’s a very serious situation,” said New Hampshire’s governor, John Lynch, adding that forecasters were predicting 12 to 15 inches of rain by the end of the storm in parts of southern New Hampshire. “It continues to change and the situation continues to worsen.”
A dam in Milton, N.H., was in danger of failing, which could send a 10-foot wall of water downstream, the National Weather Service said in a bulletin. People downstream were being evacuated in the town.
The state Office of Emergency Management said at least a dozen dams were being closely watched.
In Massachusetts, cars were pulled from flooded streets in downtown Peabody, about 20 miles north of Boston, and about 300 people were evacuated from an apartment complex for seniors.
About 150 residents in Melrose, Mass., had to leave their homes after sewage lines were overwhelmed, backing up into houses, said Massachusetts Governor Mitt Romney.
Some parts of New Hampshire had seen 7 inches of rain by midday yesterday and forecasters said up to 5 more inches might come during the day.
About 100 residents were evacuated from their homes in Wakefield, N.H., because of concerns about two dams in the area.
Officials also reported a railroad culvert and embankment washed out in Milton, with train tracks suspended in midair. And the local emergency management office in Hooksett said the town essentially was closed because so many roads were flooded.
Tom Johnson said water was flowing yesterday into the basement of his Salem home, where a pump that handles 1,500 gallons of water an hour was not keeping up.
“There are areas in my backyard that are probably 3 feet deep and climbing as we speak,” Mr. Johnson said.
