Heavy rains caused flooding and general havoc today in North Shore towns like Peabody, Lynn, Swampscott, Marblehead, Salem, and Beverly. The morning commute was a mess, flood advisories were in effect until 2:45 p.m. in Essex County, and Peabody's Mayor Michael Bonfanti declared a state of emergency until 6 p.m. that closed many slips.

Peabody was hit hard with 4.55 inches of rain and almost 100 homes ware flooded, but Swampscott got even more rain with 5.73 inches during a heavy overnight storm. One Swampscott business owner said the flooding could have been mitigated. "The city should be concerned about that," said Down Town Pizza proprietor Nabil Elfakas. "They should clean around the sewage area."

Initially, the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency said cities and towns had the situation under control and didn't seek state help. "We’ve talked to the communities, but at this point they are dealing with it," said spokesman Peter Judge.

Filed in News and tagged Essex County, Mayor Michael Bonfanti, Mayor Michael Bonfanti, Peabody,, Peabody

Comments [rss]