Spring showers cause roadblocks for many in region
By Caitlyn Kelleher JOURNAL REPORTER

The Squannacook River rushed past the Cooperage on Tuesday morning after the worst of the rain storm was over.

A state of flooding turned into an official State of Emergency in Townsend and caused plenty of headaches throughout the region after the Monday, April 16, storm.

Many area roads and basements flooded as the major part of the storm passed through on Monday and Tuesday and as rain mixed with light snow the remainder of the week.

"(The Squannacook River) was as high as I have every seen it and I have lived here all my life," said Townsend Police Chief Erving Marshall.

The river crested in the western part of town in the late morning with water receding by the early afternoon and then cresting in the Harbor area in the late-afternoon and evening hours.

Extreme water levels were also seen in Ashby, mostly due to the water-saturated grounds, according to Highway Superintendent Bill Davis.

"I've seen water come over in locations I have never seen in my 20 years," he said.

The area got between three and five inches of rain on Sunday and Monday, which combined with the melting resulted in floo conditions.

Two streams make their way down Potato Hill Road in Westminster. The stream that has a permanent location washed away a part of the road, meanwhile the stream that occupied the road was diverted at the Donald Linnus Memorial Bridge to ensure the safety of the bridge. Potato Hill Road was one of 10 roads in Westminster that was closed due to flooding over the Patriot's Day Holiday.

"Normally we would see a storm of this magnitude in the fall," said Charlie Foley of the National Weather Service in Taunton. "It is not unheard of (in the spring) but it is uncommon."

Foley said the tropical aspect of this storm added moisture, resulting in the substantial rainfall.

Mason Road remained closed in Ashby days after the worst of the storm because a bridge had been washed out. The bridge, near the New Hampshire border, was expected to be closed through the weekend until the highway department can repair it.

"We are going to get it open and compacted as soon as possible," Davis said.

He doesn't expect repairs to be completed until April 27 because he needs material to dry out and for the weather to be drier.

Residents between Locke Road and the New Hampshire border will have to drive through New Hampshire to get to their houses.

"It adds a couple of miles on through New Hampshire," Davis said. "The fire department has made a arrangement with New Ipswich for first calls for emergency calls."

The Ashby Highway Department also had to close Harris Road on Monday because of flooding but all the other roads remained passable despite the wet conditions.

Marshall said by Tuesday afternoon all the roads in town were reopened after flooding blocked several of them.

"We had several roads closed roads yesterday," he said Tuesday afternoon.

Marshall said members of the fire department had been out straight on calls for both Monday and Tuesday. The highway department is working to fill in roads that were undermined from the flooding, he said.

Four houses were cut off in the Squannacook Terrance area of town because of the flooding and the town worked with the local Red Cross agency to open a shelter at Hawthorne Brook Middle School. Marshall said he didn't believe anyone felt the need to the use the shelter.

"I think we were able to handle it pretty well," Marshall said. "When you get a flood situation, you do what you can. You just have to wait for the water to recede." out of school and all day available for games. But the brutal rain and lingering showers have made it tough to play.

"You want to get a lot of stuff done over vacation, but we won't have ability to do that this week it looks like, with the weather forecast," Cosenza said.

The spring season schedule is three weeks old already, and the makeup games are piling up. Young said it's tough to make two teams' schedules to match up.

"You have to juggle two dates. You're talking their schedule as compared to yours," Young said. "You try to match up dates and Saturdays and Sundays."

Cosenza said some sports are easier to reschedule than others. Tennis is relatively easy, because players can go multiple days in a row. It's tougher for baseball, where pitchers can't throw too many games in a week.

Practices for the spring season begin in late March, and games start the first week in May. Young things the time frame should be adjusted to avoid the tough weather of early spring.

"I think it would help if it started a little later," Young said. "I think it would help if it was a little shorter."