Lingering storm tests region hurt by '06 flood

LOWELL -- Yesterday morning, trash men picked up the packing boxes for the replacement furniture Debbie Luna bought to replace the goods she lost to last May's flood. By yesterday afternoon, Luna needed new furniture yet again, after her house was flooded for the second time in 11 months.

Standing outside her home as city workers built earthen dams to protect the still-dry houses of neighbors, she calmly contemplated her latest loss.

"I don't know if I have any tears left over from last year," said Luna, who has flood insurance, though it doesn't cover her belongings. "I'm broke from the last one, so I don't know what I am doing with this one."

As the lingering punch of a fierce northeaster continued to plague the region, Luna was among the 300 people in Lowell affected by the rain-swollen Merrimack River and its tributaries; Beaver Brook is Luna's nemesis.

Lowell declared a state of emergency, and the rising Merrimack threatened neighborhoods in Chelmsford, Lawrence, Methuen, and Nashua, the National Weather Service said.

Neal Strauss, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service in Taunton, said the Merrimack was cresting at 58.1 feet, lower than the 58.8 feet that so heavily damaged Lowell last year, after up to 15 inches of rain over three days in May. He said the river will recede slowly because of continuing rain and snowmelt from New Hampshire. Strauss said precipitation will continue through tomorrow, followed by "abundant sunshine" and temperatures in the 50s and 60s this weekend.

"We will probably see the sun come out on Friday," he said. "We do have a very pleasant weekend ahead."

Until then, residents and officials warily eyed the Merrimack, as well as low-lying spots, including areas along the Shawsheen, Spicket, Sudbury, and Charles rivers.

Rushing water during high tide yesterday closed several roads in coastal communities, including Revere and Winthrop, although most reopened once the flooding receded, officials said. Major beach erosion was reported in Salisbury, and one house on Nantucket fell into the sea, but property damage statewide was generally limited. There were no mandatory evacuations, nor were any deaths reported.

Elsewhere in New England, tens of thousands remained without power. Damaged houses, bridges, and roads were reported in Maine and New Hampshire, where Governor John Lynch called on the National Guard to help communities isolated by the destruction. They included Hampton, Rochester, Farmington, and Greenville. A mudslide closed Route 101.

In Lowell, city workers feverishly raised protective berms along the banks of the Beaver Brook in the Pawtucketville section. The Mother's Day storm last year devastated that part of the city, flooding dozens of houses, many up to the first floor.

The city opened a shelter and was accommodating eight people last night. Luna, like others who were affected, planned to stay with relatives until she and her family could return home. Dianne Ahearn was hunkered down in her home nearby, watching from the back porch as the water inched closer. Ahearn's basement flooded in May.

"This is my little oasis," she said. "It's just beautiful, especially in the summertime, especially with all the green and everything. I really don't want to move, but I don't want this every year, either."

Andrew Ryan of the Globe staff and Globe correspondent Amanda Bergeron contributed to this report.