| Situation Update No. 1 Ref.no.: FA-20100330-25525-USA
Situation Update No. 1
On 2010-03-30 at 18:02:08 [UTC]
Event: Flood Warning
Location: USA State of Rhode Island Rhode Island-wide Situation: Hundreds of residents are being evacuated from their homes today in Fall River and Cranston, R.I., as record rainfall in southern New England pushes swollen streams past their limits, causing potentially dangerous flooding. "We've had two 50-year storms in the course of two to three weeks,'' Governor Deval Patrick told reporters today at the state highway barn in Lexington, where Massachusetts National Guard members were filling sandbags to be used to ward off the water. "This is unheard-of. This is a little different, a little bit more dangerous due to the saturation from the previous storm. This could cause floodwaters to rise very, very fast.'' Guardsmen have been deployed to Fall River where they are assisting in the evacuation of about 100 people and to Clinton where they are standing by in case the town needs to build sandbag walls near the Wachusett Reservoir and the Nashua River. Guardsmen overnight also delivered thousands of sandbags to other locations around eastern Massachusetts. State officials said they are closely watching water levels in rivers, especially those in the Merrimack Valley, and water levels behind 39 dams across the state. The top priority for dam watchers is the troubled Forge Pond Dam in Freetown, which was a focus of concern in another mammoth rainstorm earlier this month, said Rick Sullivan, head of the Department of Conservation and Recreation. "We are obviously being very vigilant,'' said Sullivan, who added that 30 inspectors are keeping an eye on 39 dams. Cranston Police said this morning that about 135 homes were being evacuated. That number is expected to increase during the day as the rain continues and the Pawtuxet River surges above record levels. Antonio Barone was one of the residents evacuated from a Fordson Avenue condominium complex by raft, after flooding from a nearby aqueduct dumped several feet of water into the first-floor units.
He said he and his girlfriend had to leave their cat behind. "The poor thing's probably freaking out right now," he said. In Fall River, Mayor William A. Flanagan has declared a state of emergency, and members of the Massachusetts National Guard and deputies from the Bristol County sheriff's department are using Humvees and prisoner transport vans to evacuate about 100 people. "Mother Nature has not been kind to the city of Fall River this morning,'' Flanagan said in a telephone interview. "There is massive flooding of our major roads and residents are being evacuated.'' Flanagan said the areas most affected this morning are along the shores of both North and South Watuppa Ponds. He also said that rain has scoured out Mount Hope Avenue, one of the city's main arteries. Major General Joseph Carter, commander of the Massachusetts National Guard, said he is sending a second group of guardsmen to Fall River to strengthen evacuation efforts. He said he has assigned more than 30 soldiers to the city and is also sending trucks built to deal high water levels to better reach those stranded by the rising waters. He said upwards of 200 people are in need of evacuation. "I've never seen it this bad," said Sarah Robinson, 23, a Judge Street resident. "We have about 5 feet of water under the house, and it's getting deeper." Fall River is the only place currently using Guardsmen, but Carter said more 750 are deployed in strategic spots around the state, ready to jump into action. He also said that since Patrick activated the Guard on Monday, they have pepared 8,500 sandbags and delivered some of those to Bridgewater, Tewksbury, Millbury and Clinton.
"Our Guardsmen have dropped what they were doing, whether they were in a college classroom, or running a business, or working for a business, and they've come into duty to assist,'' Carter said. Heavy rain is expected this afternoon, hampering the evening commute, said Kim Buttrick, a meteorologist at the National Weather Service in Taunton. By the time the storm ends Wednesday morning, 3 to 6 inches of rain will have fallen in the greater Boston area, with 6 to 8 inches in portions of southeastern Massachusetts, Buttrick said. Boston received 1.96 inches of rain Monday and could receive 2 to 4 inches more today, she said. Flooding is expected to be worse – and more dangerous – than it was earlier this month. “What makes this [storm] have a greater impact is because it’s coming on the heels of a significant event,” Buttrick said. “The water table is high, and in many communities, the water has no place to go. … The communities of Massachusetts are waterlogged.” Flood warnings have been extended for the Merrimack River at Lowell, Nashua River at East Pepperell, North Nashua River at Fitchburg, Spicket River near Methuen, Squannacook River at West Groton, Shawsheen River near Wilmington, and Blackstone River at Northbridge. The warning continues for the Assabet River at Maynard, Sudbury River at Saxonville, Concord River at Lowell, Charles River at Dover, and Neponset River at Norwood. A coastal flood advisory is in effect from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. today, with minor coastal flooding expected along the east coast during the midday high tide cycle and minor splashover expected during the midnight high tide tonight. Major highways in greater Boston were not seriously impacted by the rain this morning, said Colin Durrant, spokesman for the Massachusetts Department of Transportation. Some smaller state highways were being closed around the region, he said. Speed restrictions on parts of the MBTA commuter rail system slowed the morning commute, he said.
"Everything is generally in good shape, from a roadway perspective,'' Durrant said. "We are beginning to see some scattered closures on local roads, but no major impacts on highways." He said massive pumps are now operating in Littleton where a culvert collapsed on Monday, causing concerns about water levels in Spectacle Pond. At the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, the agency has a twofold strategy for this week's storm – help its member communities drain away the water from the flood and protect its equipment to be ready for the next storm. "We've got our hands full so far,'' said Fred Laskey, executive director of the MWRA. "But we are holding.'' Laskey said the MWRA is joining with Clinton officials and keeping a wary eye on the Wachusett Reservoir, which is part of the MWRA system. He also said that this month's heavy rainfall does have an upside – there will be plenty of green lawns this summer. "There will be plenty of water to water your lawns.We are filled beyond capacity. There is plenty of water. In fact, there is too much water,'' he said. "Even the water guys are saying, 'No mas.' '' Patrick on Monday declared a state of emergency as Boston faced the third large rainstorm of the month. With 12.84 inches of rainfall recorded so far this month, Boston has already broken its record for the wettest March – 11 inches of rainfall in March 1953, according to the National Weather Service, where archives go back to 1872. This March has also become the fourth wettest month overall in the history of Boston, and is creeping toward the record-setting 17.09 inches of rainfall in August 1955. With an additional 1.5 to 2.5 inches of rainfall expected between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. today, this March could become the second wettest month ever recorded, the weather service said. |
