Advertisement

Mass. Feels Aftereffects Of Rainstorm

05:05
Download Audio
Resume
An official surveys flooding of the Charles River by the Moody Street dam in Waltham on Monday.  (Jack Lepiarz for WBUR)
An official surveys flooding of the Charles River by the Moody Street dam in Waltham on Monday. (Jack Lepiarz for WBUR)

The storm is gone but problems caused by three days of steady rain in Massachusetts persist.

Speaking to WBUR Tuesday, Gov. Deval Patrick said he is maintaining the state of emergency he declared Monday after as much as 10 inches of rain fell on some parts of the state over a three-day period, forcing evacuations, school closures, and flooding low-lying roads.

While National Grid reports that 1,300 customers are without power as of noon Tuesday, Patrick said the worst is over for the hardest-hit cities and towns.

"We didn't have any serious injuries, fortunately," Patrick said. "We have had a couple of communities — Melrose, Lawrence, and for a period of time, Waltham — had to shelter people but most folks are either out of shelter or will be by midday (Tuesday)."

Patrick said that maintenance crews worked through the night and that most of the state's major roadways are free of water. Highway Administrator Luisa Paiewonsky says Tuesday will still be a busy day for Massachusetts Department of Transportation workers, though.

"In some areas, it requires continuing monitoring as the rivers start to subside," Paiewonsky said. "In other cases it's pumping water out of roadways where there might be puddling."

The Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority says commuting on the Green Line's D branch is being hindered by a sinkhole that has washed out a trolley track. The MBTA says it will bus passengers between the Newton Highlands and Reservoir stations and that train service will not be restored between those stations this week. Two bus lines are also being rerouted Tuesday because of flooded roads.

Gov. Patrick said the full extent of the storm's damage cannot be determined until the water fully subsides, and flood warnings remain in effect for seven counties as of late Tuesday morning.

Peter Judge, of the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency, also joined WBUR Tuesday morning to discuss the storm's damage and lingering trouble-spots. He too said state officials are keeping their eyes on swollen rivers and stressed out dams until the water recedes.

"Flooding is a slow process, and although the rain has stopped, we still expect to see some of these rivers continue to swell over the next day or so," Judge said. "We're not out of the woods even though the rain has finally stopped."

This program aired on March 16, 2010.

Advertisement

More from WBUR

Listen Live
Close