A deluge of woes for region

PEABODY -- Three New England governors declared states of emergency as torrential rains flooded parts of Massachusetts, New Hampshire, and Maine yesterday, washing out roads, flooding basements, and forcing emergency evacuations.

In Massachusetts, members of the National Guard and Red Cross and emergency workers from 20 state and local agencies worked to evacuate people in Peabody and Melrose after sewage backed up into apartment buildings. Five feet of water sloshed over downtown Peabody yesterday afternoon, rendering useless the sandbags laid out on Saturday. In Melrose, local officials requested boats in case they needed them to help rescue stranded residents, emergency officials said.

With river levels rising throughout the region, and rain expected to continue, emergency management officials predicted more flooding over the next several days, especially in Middlesex and Essex counties, the areas already hardest hit.

''This is going to get worse before it gets better," said Peter Judge, a spokesman for the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency. ''We're having a hard time anticipating how extensive the damage will be."

Governor Mitt Romney, overseeing the emergency response from a bunker in Framingham, declared a state of emergency early in the day, activating the National Guard. Governor John Lynch declared a state of emergency in New Hampshire, and Governor John Baldacci of Maine issued a similar order for York County, in the state's southern part.

''It's a very serious situation," Lynch said, adding that forecasters were predicting 12 to 15 inches of rain by the end of the storm in parts of southern New Hampshire.

The National Weather Service reported on its website last night that record rainfall fell in Boston on both Saturday and Sunday. On Saturday, 3.84 inches of rain were recorded, besting the old record of 1.56 set on May 13, 2002. A record 3.36 inches had fallen by 9 p.m. yesterday, beating the previous record for May 14 of 1 inch, set in 1882. Forecasters predicted several more inches of rain today.

Walter Drag, a meteorologist for the National Weather Service in Taunton, attributed the rainfall to coastal storms from the south that encountered another jet stream system from Canada, forcing them to hover over New England.

That has meant almost nonstop rain from Randolph to Manchester, N.H., and heavy rains throughout Eastern Massachusetts and the southern parts of New Hampshire and Maine.

''We have been stuck," Drag said.

In Boston, the MBTA bused passengers between East Boston's Maverick and Orient Heights stations in both directions because of weather-related problems on the Blue Line.

Bus routes through Cambridge and Lynn were rerouted because of the flooding.

Because the northbound lanes of McClellan Highway (Route 1A) were flooded, vehicles traveling through the Callahan Tunnel toward East Boston were diverted through Logan International Airport. Authorities said the detour would remain until the flooding was resolved.

Traffic was heavy throughout the city, but State Police Sergeant David Paine said there were no other major road closures. Officers received numerous reports of spinouts, fender-benders, and cars skidding off roads because of pools of water along roadways.

In Waltham, three people sustained serious but not life-threatening injuries when the car they were traveling in rolled over Saturday evening. Police said weather and speed contributed to the accident.

In Melrose, 140 residents had to be evacuated when sewage backed up into their homes. Manhole covers bubbled with rainwater fouled with untreated sewage.

''The system just won't take any more," said Dickie O'Donnell, the dispatcher at the city's Public Works Department. ''The water has nowhere to go. We just have to wait until it recedes."

Members of the National Guard escorted more than 300 residents out of a Peabody highrise apartment complex yesterday morning after sewage backed up into their building. Officials working at the site yesterday said high carbon monoxide levels from generators pumping water out of the building had forced the evacuation.

Beatrice Garber, 79, returned from Mother's Day dinner yesterday afternoon to learn that the building had been evacuated. Because the elevators had been shut down, her son had to walk up several flights to retrieve her medications and clothing.

Assistant building superintendent Bill Wilson predicted it would be at least a day before residents could return.

''We've had problems before, but nothing like this," he said.

The Red Cross reported last night that shelters were opened in Peabody and that about 50 people had taken refuge as of 11:30. Hugh Drummond, spokesman for the American Red Cross of Massachusetts Bay, said the organization was expecting to receive up to 40 residents from Chelsea who were affected by water and sewer problems.

Firefighters at Peabody's Lowell Street station answered calls to help residents while struggling to keep their station dry, as deep pools lapped at the back door. Pumps belched water out of the station's basement since Saturday afternoon, but they could not keep pace with the inflow. As much as a foot of water flooded the firefighters' basement gym.

''This is unbelievable," Lieutenant John Manning said as he watched people paddling canoes through downtown Peabody. ''There's nothing we can do."

Fred Laskey, executive director of the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, said the Deer Island sewage treatment plant was pumping at full capacity to handle the storm. On Saturday, the authority activated backup generators at the facility to prevent a power outage similar to the one that last November caused about 25 million gallons of untreated sewage to empty into Quincy Bay.

''The system is stressed, but we're holding our own," he said.

Emergency officials were monitoring water levels at more than 100 dams in the region. In Arlington, water trickled over the Upper Mystic Lake dam, and National Guard and local emergency workers piled more than 2,000 sandbags on top.

The Guard was also prepared to evacuate residents in special high-wheeled vehicles.

In Gloucester, the Babson Reservoir had already begun to overflow early yesterday, flooding roads and more than 100 homes, said Deputy Fire Chief Stephen Aiello.

City officials evacuated the 70 residents of an elderly housing complex, fearing a nearby dam would burst.

More than 5,000 residents were asked to evacuate their homes, and shelters were set up in the Fuller Elementary School, Aiello said. He expected schools would not open today because of road closures.

As residents of Boston and Milton frantically tried to stem water rising in their basements, sales of sump pumps surged at Home Depot in the South Bay Shopping Center yesterday.

By late afternoon, sales associate Kevin Harding said the store had sold more than 1,000 cellar-draining pumps, which cost $64 to $200.

Administrators at The Greenhouse School in Salem bought extra pumps. But they were not enough to stop the flow of water into the school's art room and preschool area.

Administrative director Daniel P. Welch said he was unsure if the water could be controlled enough for the school to open today.

''We're really just trying to keep the water at bay," he said.

Peter Schworm and Cristina Silva of the Globe staff and Jennifer Nelson, a Globe correspondent, contributed to this report. Material from the Associated Press was also used.