Christine Buono’s home on Pine Road in North Attleboro was subjected to severe flooding Monday night due to heavy rains that drenched the city and Attleboro.
Bono said her home was flooded with 6 feet of water in about 30 minutes. She said she had never experienced so many floods before.
“I completely bulldozed the basement and garage,” Bono said.
The city building official issued a cease-and-desist order prohibiting the Buono family from living in the house.
The area of Sheldonville and Pine roads near Cumberland was particularly flooded, with several homes submerged and several vehicles stranded.
Overall, about 200 homes in North Attleboro were damaged by flooding, city officials said. Fire Chief Chris Coleman said it was probably the worst storm he’s seen in his 26 years with the fire department.
While about 5 inches were recorded in the city on Monday, as much as 10 inches has fallen in several days, leaving the ground saturated.
Monday’s flooding was followed by a minor tornado that touched down in the western portion of North Attleboro Wednesday night and the area is expected to feel some of the effects of Hurricane Lee Friday night into Saturday.
It’s been a week of severe weather for the city and other communities in the Sun Chronicle area, and authorities and weather experts have warned homeowners to expect more such extreme weather events due to climate change.
During a tour of flood damage in North Attleboro on Tuesday, Gov. Maura Healey painted a bleak picture of things to come.
“These are things we have never seen before,” she said. “We see them all over the state and all over the country. “It’s just devastating.”
This week’s flooding comes on the heels of other summer storms that brought heavy rains throughout the season and tornadoes in North Attleboro and Mansfield in August and part of Foxboro, Mansfield and Easton in July.
Meteorologists say that although tornadoes are relatively rare, they are not uncommon in the New England region. The National Weather Service said the region averages a few tornadoes per year. But there were five in July alone.
In Leominster, which Haley also toured on Tuesday, Mayor Dean Mazzarella said during a news conference that up to 300 people had been evacuated during the storm. This included residents of a high-rise apartment building and a nursing home. Mazzarella said the city had not witnessed such widespread devastation since the hurricane of 1936. He added that most of the buildings downtown were flooded and some collapsed. Rail service to Boston was also disrupted.
“The storm stopped above us last night. It didn’t move for about five hours. We got 11 inches of rain,” Mazzarella said.
Late Tuesday, Haley declared a state of emergency following “catastrophic flooding and property damage” in two counties and other communities. The 10 inches of rain over six hours earlier in the week was a “200-year event,” said Matthew Belk, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service.
What’s a homeowner to do?
While Public Safety, DPW and other municipal staff are doing their best to respond to emergencies, officials say homeowners also need to take the initiative to protect their homes and heed warnings from authorities and weather experts.
Public safety personnel and others can go to great lengths to respond to emergency situations when severe weather events occur and it may take time to get home.
Local fire departments will respond to calls of flooded homes, assess flooding, and ensure that facilities are safe and that there is no risk of fire. However, most of them will not pump basements.
“We refer them to a restoration company,” Coleman said. “We will investigate.”
Attleboro also saw flooded homes on Monday.
“Residents will also need to take appropriate precautions to protect themselves, their homes and their property,” Mayor Cathyne De Simone said.
That was abundantly clear this week as dozens of Attleboro and North Attleboro residents came out to fill sandbags provided at their local DPW yards.
Other steps homeowners can take include properly maintaining pumps if an area of the home is prone to flooding, making sure gutters are clear of leaves and other debris as well as snow, and having an emergency generator if the power goes out, business representatives and municipal officials say.
It is also recommended to make sure trees are properly maintained to avoid trees and limbs damaging the home and causing power outages.
DPW officials are urging residents to make sure their storm drains are clear of leaves and other debris. In the winter, snow removal is helpful, and fire officials routinely ask residents to help shovel fire hydrants during snowy winters.
Many residents are also not fully aware of what their insurance policies cover, which may not include flood damage to homes.
North Attleboro officials said anyone who experienced flood damage should contact their insurance company regardless of whether they have flood coverage, and also urged residents to check for damage and document that damage with photos for insurance claims.
It’s not just homeowners who should worry. Those who live in apartments are also affected by inclement weather.
At the 21 East Street apartment complex in North Attleboro, the parking lot was flooded again Monday into Tuesday, damaging several vehicles. This came after floods that occurred last Saturday when firefighters had to rescue some people from vehicles.
“This was worse” than previous floods, renter Laura Hagan said of Monday’s deluge, adding that her car “was a little bit submerged. It got to the tires.”
She said one of the tenants had water on the hood of her car.
“It was a complete loss,” Hagan said. “This whole street is sinking.”
Becky Tanguay, another renter, said she was in Maine when it rained.
“We are back in this chaos,” Tanguay said, noting that the elevators in the apartment building were not working on Tuesday. “This is crazy. The worst I’ve ever seen.”
The area is located near the Ten Mile River and is prone to flooding.
“It’s an ongoing problem,” Town Manager Michael Burg said, adding that the town is working to address it with state and federal aid.
Currently, the condo management company has a parking contingency plan whereby vehicles are moved to another nearby parking lot when flooding is expected.
“In areas where development is prevalent along rivers and streams like Ten Mile, we have unfortunately seen the damage that can occur during storm events due to flooding and stormwater runoff,” said Shannon Palmer, North Attleboro Conservation Director.
North Attleboro passed a stormwater bylaw in 2020, and the Conservation Commission hopes to pursue adoption of a wetlands bylaw in the near future, she said.
“The increased frequency and duration of storms we are seeing with climate change exemplifies the need for municipalities to establish robust wetland and stormwater bylaws,” Palmer said. “It is clearer than ever that protecting our adjacent waterways and wetlands is essential to dealing with the impacts of climate change and creating resilient communities.
“Wetlands and adjacent floodplains provide flood storage and prevent storm damage as well as other community benefits. By limiting development in these areas, reducing impervious coverage, and maintaining drainage patterns, wetlands will continue to function as intended and provide these important benefits.”
“During unprecedented storm events like we have seen recently, flood and flood damage are inevitable, but the commission is striving to better protect the city’s wetland resources and help North Attleboro work toward building stronger climate resilience.”
Nicholas Wylie, an Attleboro conservationist/environmental planner, said there are a range of things homeowners can do to protect their property.
“Homeowners need to start thinking about where rainwater goes once it gets to their property,” he said, referring to gutters and sewage. “If it is not directed properly, the water can cause flooding in other places.”
To capture water, Willie suggests building a rain garden, a shallow depression containing native plants that can handle large amounts of water.
“These rain gardens help rainwater seep into the ground and help filter out pollutants,” Wiley said. “Planting more trees and shrubs on the property can help absorb more water and stabilize the soil to prevent erosion.”
Also, a shallow grass ditch known as a sump can be created to help carry rainwater into the rain garden.
“When managing stormwater, you want to slow the flow of water and spread it out as much as possible,” Wylie said. “Unfortunately, some inner-city properties, especially downtown, are limited in space, so these options will not suit everyone.”
Businesses are responding
Businesses such as roofing and basement waterproofing were right in the area this week responding to flooding and leaks and preparing homes for potential more rain from Hurricane Lee.
Wingman Plumbing and Mechanical in North Attleboro has been very busy as well.
“Our business has increased dramatically this week in replacing hot water tanks, repairing submersible pumps due to failure and improper installation, installing a new submersible pump for future flooding issues, and repairing boilers due to this unprecedented amount of flooding in the area.” said owner/operator Alfred Vanacore. “We’ve had a lot of rain recently, which surprised a lot of people.”
Vanacore has several tips for homeowners to try to avoid costly damage.
“If you know you get water occasionally in your basement, you should check your sump pump periodically to make sure it’s working properly,” Vanacore said. “You may also want to make sure there is nothing nearby that could fall into the pump sump that could affect its proper operation.”
Another tip is to install inexpensive, battery-operated water alarms that can be placed in various locations in the basement to alert that water is rising quickly. “This may give you enough time to make sure the submersible pump is working properly,” he said.
To ensure water is diverted away from the home, make sure gutters are free of debris and downspouts should have no clogs and be angled in an open area so they can carry water away from the foundation, Vanacore said.
“Also, walk your street to make sure the rainwater drainage grates are clean,” he said.
If water starts getting into your basement, your employer said you may want to cut power to equipment to prevent power outages and avoid getting electrocuted. Any submerged equipment should be inspected by a qualified technician before being returned to service, Vanakur added.
Joshua Campbell of Mr. Gutter in Smithfield, Rhode Island, which serves southeastern Massachusetts including Attleboro and North Attleboro, Rhode Island, said he has received calls from people trying to get their gutters back to their best because of the crazy weather.
He said his work has already been affected by climate change and he is always busy.
