Flooding getting worser and worser

While watching out my picture window to the East to see if any part of Clinton remains above water, I got this alert from the National Weather Service:

FLOODING WILL BE AT LEAST AS WORSE AS IT WAS 2 WEEKS AGO. THIS IS GOING TO BE A PROLONGED PERIOD OF URBAN AND SMALL STREAM FLOODING FROM THIS AFTERNOON...LASTING WELL INTO TUESDAY MORNING.

Maybe we ought to start requiring our meteorologists to get an English minor English minors minors in English along with their degree degrees.

"It is already pouring over the spillway."

Today's back of the hand is delivered by State Representative Harold Naughton. An article about the flooding in Clinton and Lancaster included this exchange between Naughton and Lancaster Town Administrator Orlando Pacheco, where Naughton calls Pacheco on the obvious:

[Naughton] said the Wachusett Reservoir was full to overflowing with water pouring over its spillway and down toward the Nashua River.

Flooding problems were also being dealt with in Lancaster and Westminster. Route 117 in the Bolton Flats area, a normally flood prone area, was closed from Route 70 to Bolton. Town Administrator Orlando Pacheco said his concern is that the situation could get worse if water has to be released.

“They don't have to release it,” Mr. Naughton said. “It is already pouring over the spillway.”

Hee!

To be fair, Naughton probably didn't deliver the retort in person. If he did, then good for him for restating the obvious. If not, then kudos to Karen Nugent for arranging the story in such a way that it looks like a smackdown.

Who'll stop the rain?

The flooding in Lancaster (and in my basement!) continues to be a concern. The Telegram and Gazette reported this morning that a handful of homes near the meeting of the rivers were only accessible by boat:

A boat was needed to get to two homes off Bolton Road in Lancaster yesterday afternoon, making that part of town look more like the Louisiana bayou than New England. “One occupant has voluntarily evacuated, but the other is staying,” said Lancaster Fire Chief John T. Fleck. “That means if there’s an emergency, we can only get to them by boat.”...

In Lancaster, the rising water levels of the Nashua River forced the closing of busy Route 117 in the North Village yesterday. Chief Fleck said he expected to open the road by 5 p.m. yesterday if the water had receded.

Bolton and Center Bridge roads remain closed and under several feet of water. The rising water yesterday flooded over a 2-foot earthen berm around a Center Bridge Road home, causing water to pour into the house.

I can tell you route 117 was not open last night as of about 6 p.m. All of the traffic was still being routed through South Lancaster via route 110 and Mill Street. That area of town was near gridlock with all of the traffic heading home to Leominster.

This is the second time in a year (and third time in a little over 18 months) that significant flooding has affected town.

The Times & Courier has posted a couple of videos of the flooding at Center Bridge Road (via you tube):

Tags: Massachusetts Lancaster Flood Nashua River