Jul 24, 2008 8:54 pm US/Eastern
Rain, Floods Cause Problems In Several Towns
SAUGUS (WBZ) ―
Ten families were evacuated from their homes on Hesper Street in Saugus Thursday night because of fears that the 40 ft. retaining wall holding back the hill behind those homes might collapse.
"There's a large section of it that's collapsed, and we're not sure wehther the rest of it's going to come down or not," Fire Department Capt. Don McQuaid said. "If you stand up here you can hear pieces of it coming down, so it's still continuing to collapse."
An engineer will be in the neighborhood Friday to take a look at that wall and determine whether it is safe for residents to return home.
The situation in Saugus came late in a day of torrential downpours and flooding that shut down roads and slowed traffic in many communities.
Some communities reported more than 4 inches of rain.
The National Weather Service issued a
Flood Watch for several counties across Massachusetts and southern New Hampshire.
The weather played a role in multiple accidents during the morning rush hour and left many streets flooded.
State Police were investigating whether the rain was a factor in a deadly crash on Route 495 in Chelmsford. Charles Butzer, 67, was killed during the morning rush hour when his pickup truck was hit head-on by a tractor-trailer.
Officials in Concord closed the Cambridge Turnpike connecting Route 2 to Concord center because of concerns about flooding.
The MBTA had 10- to-30-minute delays on the Haverhill, Lowell, Needham and Providence commuter rail lines.
During the morning commute, rain flooded the commuter rail tracks in Natick, forcing the MBTA to bus passengers.
Stay with
wbztv.com and WBZ-TV for the latest forecasts.
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