Catastrophic MA Floods: Daylight Photos Reveal Crushing Deluge Damage

LEOMINSTER, MA — Hours of torrential rain and a dark night of rapidly rising waters gave way to the sobering daylight aftermath on Tuesday of a maze of washed-out roads, flooded intersections, uninhabitable homes, closed streets and sinkholes across Leominster and surrounding communities in North Central Massachusetts.

The National Weather Service officially had Leominster getting hit with 11 inches of rain from late Monday afternoon until early evening in a deluge that left drivers submerged on Route 2 and turned short evening commutes into hours-long ordeals for area residents.

Schools in Leominster were closed on both Tuesday and Wednesday, the MBTA Commuter Rail imposed shuttle service from the Shirley stop through Wachusett indefinitely because portions of the foundation below the elevated tracks were washed out and Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency while pledging to seek federal funding for the cleanup.

"Here in the North Central region and the Leominster region there was real devastation," Healey said in a news conference on Tuesday after earlier touring storm damage in North Attleboro. "I want to express my sincere sympathy to all of the residents who were so hurt by this event. Unfortunately, we have seen way too many people with absolute devastation right now.

"I was just with a woman in North Attleboro whose house was condemned right before my eyes. She had six feet of water in her basement in no time. And I know here in Leominster, and around the region, people experienced the same. So my heart goes out to folks with what they are dealing with."

A stationary warm front set up across the region early Monday night and dumped an unrelenting stream of water that lasted into the mid-evening. By then, Route 2 was closed to traffic at Route 12 and Exit 99 because of water that reached the top of SUVs, sinkholes swallowed cars across Leominster, there were dozens of boat rescues at a mobile home park in the city and hundreds of homes and businesses were damaged or destroyed.

The parking lot of a Cadillac dealership by the Route 2 on-ramp and Whitney Field mall entrance was washed with three of the luxury cars — valued at $65,000 each — swallowed up within the ground, while temporary shelters were set up in two city schools for residents whose homes were damaged or who could not get to their homes because of blocked roads.

Leominster Mayor Dean Mazzarella said in a news conference Tuesday morning that it was "a miracle" there were no fatalities given the sudden rise of water with virtually no warning.

Residents near the Barrett Pond Dam in Leominster were asked to evacuate Tuesday morning out of fears the dam could breach but were allowed back in their homes that afternoon.

A special relief fund has been set up through the Leominster Mayor's Fund. Those wishing to donate can send payments c/o the Mayor's Office at 25 West Street in Leominster or by dropping off cash or check at City Hall.

Forecasts calling for up to two inches of additional rain on Wednesday had officials worried a terrible situation could soon get worse.

"We continue to be vigilant about the weather," Healey said. "We do expect more rain in the coming days. We're going to watch closely Hurricane (Lee) activity and how that will affect things.

"We're going to continue to stay in close coordination with local, state and federal officials. I've reached out to the Biden Administration and to our Congressional delegation, and I know we've been in touch with FEMA, to request all the assistance that we can get to help get us through this time."

Here are some of the town-by-town rain totals for Massachusetts and Rhode Island on Monday, according to the National Weather Service:

Leominster: 11 inches
Attleboro: 6.98
Princeton: 6.33
Sterling: 6.17
Shirley: 5.98
Westminster: 5.90
Central Falls, RI: 5.63
Cumberland, RI: 4.95
North Attleboro: 4.89
Groton: 4.77
Norton: 4.08
Lincoln, RI: 4.07
Wareham: 3.94
Fall River: 3.34
Newport, RI: 3.22
West Bridgewater: 3.22
Westport: 3.15

(Scott Souza is a Patch field editor covering Beverly, Danvers, Marblehead, Peabody, Salem and Swampscott. He can be reached at [email protected]. X/Twitter: @Scott_Souza.)