The relentless rain that began Saturday morning and continued throughout yesterday kept emergency crews on the North Shore scrambling to close roads, rescue stranded motorists and pump out flooded basements.
It led to 26 road closures in Peabody alone, many in and around the city's flood-weary downtown. Firefighters had to navigate Foster Street in a boat to save three people trapped in an apartment.
A storm that had many recalling the Mother's Day flood of 2006 deluged the region. Route 1 in Topsfield was closed in both directions from the Danvers line because of mudslides and a retaining wall failure. The roadway at the Topsfield Fairgrounds was washed out by the swollen Ipswich River.
In Boxford, town officials called for a voluntary evacuation on Stiles Pond Road in advance of the pond's crest.
Worried about mounting road closures and the potential damage from persistent high winds, the Masconomet School District dismissed students early, at noon from the high school and 1:30 p.m. from elementary schools.
"There's an awful lot of water out there," Superintendent Anthony Bent said. "Our football field is one huge pool."
More than eight inches of rain had fallen in Topsfield by 12:30 p.m., according to unofficial totals released by the National Weather Service. In Beverly, 7.13 inches accumulated along with 6.5 inches in Ipswich.
In Salem, where more than six inches fell, part of Canal Street near the McDonald's restaurant was flooded most of the day, as was a stretch of Bridge Street near the commuter rail station. The tip of Derby Wharf was under water, and National Park Service officials feared more erosion to a wharf that was already damaged in a storm a few weeks ago.
In addition to the problems on Canal Street, Salem State College's parking lot at the O'Keefe Sports Center was also under water.
"If we were not on spring break, we would have had to close the college down," said Karen Cady, a spokeswoman for Salem State.
Beverly Department of Public Services Director Mike Collins reported numerous flooded basements but no widespread flooding in neighborhoods. Firefighters had to ventilate a Thoreau Circle home because exhaust from a gasoline-powered pump was generating high levels of carbon monoxide.
"We're holding our own," Danvers Town Manager Wayne Marquis said. The town had two road closures, including a section of Route 62 near Summer Street and Valley Road. The roughly nine inches the town saw fell short of the 13 it absorbed in the Mother's Day storm, Marquis said.
"We're going hour-to-hour right now," said Chris Tighe, Peabody's emergency services director. He wasn't sure when the water clogging the downtown would recede.
The recorded rainfall in Peabody was 5.57 inches. That early-afternoon total, however, didn't capture the rain that continued to fall throughout the afternoon and into last night.
"There's no place for (the water) to go," Tighe said.
Several brooks and streams converge in downtown Peabody before draining through the North River. The area has suffered five major floods, including three federal disasters, since 1996.
The city has a three-phase plan to mitigate the problem but it has been impeded by the high cost and extensive regulatory hurdles that come as conditions of the work. Peabody has raised $8 million in federal and state aid to pay for a project estimated to be in excess of $30 million.
Twin underground culverts will be installed under Foster Street and through Peabody Square as part of phase one. A 1,600-foot stretch of the North River will be widened to 38 feet, from 11 to 22 feet in spots, during phase two. The final phase will widen a portion of the river that extends into Salem.
Over the summer, the city cleaned existing culverts underneath Foster Street and crews removed debris throughout the city's streams and brooks. City officials hope to get a state waiver by the end of the year to begin phase one without having to include it as part of an environmental impact study that could take a year to complete.
In the meantime, homeowners and businesses had another flood to survive and overcome.
"We're kind of used to this," said Jan Hallinan, branch manager of the Century Bank in Peabody Square. "It's what you expect."
The bank had about a foot of water in its basement yesterday morning as the rising waters outside gradually swallowed the access points for customers.
Bonfanti credited city workers, including police and firefighters, public works crews and the building inspector and health departments for their tireless response. Thirty city pumps were in use throughout Peabody, aiding homes and businesses.
"I got the easy job," Bonfanti said.
Peabody closed its schools and Bonfanti declared a state of emergency early yesterday. He was followed in the afternoon by Gov. Deval Patrick who made the same declaration for the state.
"You just ride it out," said Alan Forbes, who has owned Sports Collectibles in Peabody for 25 years. He closed yesterday because of the flood. "You say (to yourself), 'tomorrow is going to be a better day,'"
Today's forecast, mercifully, calls for sun.
Staff Writers Tom Dalton, Ethan Forman, and Paul Leighton contributed to this story.
Flood at a glance:
Peabody: Twenty-six road closures. Peabody Square flooded and impassable.
Salem: Part of Canal Street near McDonald's restaurant and stretch of Bridge Street near the commuter rail station flooded for most of the day. The tip of Derby Wharf was under water.
Beverly: Firefighters responded to 13 storm-related calls as of 5:30 p.m., primarily for flooded basements.
Danvers: Valley Road and a section of Route 62 near Summer Street were closed.
Topsfield: Route 1 closed in both directions from the Danvers line because of mudslides and a retaining wall failure.
Boxford: Emergency officials called for the voluntary evacuation on Stiles Pond Road, south of the dam, in advance of the pond's crest.
Obama Scraps Birth Control Mandate
US Airmen's Killer Sentenced to Life in Germany
Navy Names Ship for Gabrielle Giffords
Raw Video: Deadly Blasts in Syria
Romney Slams President Obama at CPAC
Gingrich: Pres. Obama 'waging War on Religion'
5 Killed in Wrong-way Crash on I-10 in La.
Uzbek Man Pleads Guilty in Plot to Kill Obama
Denver's Largest-Ever Drug Bust Nets Dozens
Marines: No Punishment for Nazi-like Flag
Vets Look to Translate Military Skills Into Jobs
Raw Video: School Bus Burst Into Flames
LA School Reopens Amid Sex Abuse Scandal
$25B Settlement Reached Over Foreclosure Abuses
Pentagon: Allow Women Closer to Front Lines
LA School in Sex Abuse Scandal Reopens
Raw Video: Italy's Mount Etna Bursts Into Life
Greeks March; Angry Despite Debt Deal
Air Force Airlines: Leaders Get Polished Service
Ga Girl Fights Off Kidnapper at Walmart
