Massachusetts activated a state of emergency on Monday night after suffering heavy rainfall that caused flooding in several of its town and cities. One of the worst affected is Leominster. The Mayor, Dean Mazzarella, asked locals to stay in their homes:
The mayor was informing, practically on a minute by minute basis, how the situation was in Leominster. He also assured, in various publications on Facebook, the names and conditions of the streets cut, that the schools of the town would remain closed on Tuesday and what areas could be evacuated. Along with this, Mazzarella shared several videos in which he saw how the storm affected the small town of Massachusetts and where he reminded citizens not to leave their homes unless it was essential:
Everything’s flooding. Simplest thing I can tell you. It's every part of the city. It's basements, roofs, cars, it's everywhere. What I can tell you is there’s no reason to go out, unless it’s an emergency, stay home.
Danger of Barrett Park Pond Dam collapse
It all started Monday night when about 11 inches of rain fell within six to seven hours in the city of about 44,000 people. All of them have been affected by the storm but those who suffer the most from the consequences of these floods are the neighbors who live near the Barrett Park Pond Dam.
According to the Massachusetts Emergency Agency (MEMA), several people living in the vicinity of the dam were evacuated due to the risk of it overflowing:
#Leominster - Due to a potential issue at the Barrett Park Pond Dam, persons in low-lying areas of the Fall Brook tributary to Fall Brook along Central St, Fall Brook & the North Nashua River, should evacuate & safely leave the area. Shelter is available at Skyview Middle School.
— MEMA (@MassEMA) September 12, 2023
The mayor also explained the dangers of the dam. Mazzarella said Barrett Park Pond is an old dam that was about to be renovated:
This particular dam is one that we’re actually about to replace. It is very sensitive. It’s water saturated. And we’re worried about that downstream. So, we’ve put out a code red and notified everyone along that stream bank, along that river base to evacuate.
Maura Healey, pending flooding in Massachusetts
The Governor of Massachusetts, Maura Healey, wrote a publication on X (formerly Twitter) in which she assured that she was very aware of the situation in Leominster as well as the rest of the localities affected by the storm:
My heart goes out to residents and public safety officials in Leominster and other communities experiencing catastrophic flooding tonight.
I’ve spoken with Mayor Mazzarella, and @MassEMA, @MassStatePolice, and @MassDFS are on the ground with boat rescue and emergency response…
— Maura Healey (@MassGovernor) September 12, 2023
