Westport in Brief!
EverythingWestport.com
Thursday, April 01, 2010
Quick Article Index . . .
Westport under water.
Emergency meeting for
flood victims set for this Friday.
Westport under water!
EverythingWestport.com
Thursday, April 01, 2010 EXCLUSIVE - Pictures
of Westport under Water. 64
photos | Dial-up speed | Broadband/DSL speed | It’s April Fools Day, but the brutal
flooding is no joke.
Mouse Mill Road near the old dam developed
a sinkhole large enough to swallow a car, and later washed out. South Watuppa
rose five feet or more above normal levels, causing the flooding of homes on
Borden Street and Tickle Road, with three of them condemned by local safety
officials. “We pumped out more than 50 homes as
of late Wednesday afternoon, and had to condemn four homes on Drift Road,
Tickle Road, and Borden Street.” - Deputy
Fire Chief Allen Manley Quick-responding fire, police and highway
departments scrambled to reroute traffic on flooded roadways throughout
Tuesday. Route 6 was under water in two locations and the recently-paved
highway was closed throughout Tuesday night. North Watuppa Pond was 2 feet
above maximum level. And the Westport Senior Center was on-alert for possible
housing of flood evacuees. Route 6 was closed along two sections for extended periods
Tuesday and throughout the night. Earlier, cars
and trucks were hurtling into two feet of water on State Road, creating huge
plumes of water that made the Flume Ride at Disneyworld look like a kiddies’
ride. The road was quickly closed by Westport police.
Right: cars and trucks were hurtling into two feet of
water on State Road, creating huge plumes of water that made the Flume Ride
at Disneyworld look like a kiddies’ ride.
Left: Westport Highway
Department banks up Forge Pond dam to prevent breaching. 15 National Guardsmen were in Westport
Tuesday at the Briggs Road firehouse and at-the-ready to provide assistance.
They stayed at the Senior center overnight. “Whether we see something like this again
in the next 50 years, we don’t know, but people are living through history,”
said Walter Drag, a meteorologist with the National Weather Service office in
Taunton. Wednesday morning brings relief from the rain. It’s Wednesday morning and Westport has just weathered the worst
flooding in almost 60 years. It’s Wednesday morning and it’s not raining. After 40 hours of rainfall, heavy at times, flood waters on many
roadways began to recede. Potentially dangerous conditions with area dams
were averted, for now. “My father hasn’t seen flooding like this since the ’54
hurricane,” Chris Gonsalves of the Highway Department said Tuesday afternoon
at the Forge Road dam. “There is actually water cresting around the pond’s western
embankment near the dam, spilling onto Forge Road.” “Whether we see
something like this again in the next 50 years, we don’t know, but people are
living through history,” said Walter Drag, a meteorologist with the National Weather
Service office in Taunton. Gonsalves was operating the town’s frontend loader, moving sand
and fill to shore up the western embankment. Highway department barriers were
set up on the roadway’s southern edge, and throughout the early evening the
heavy earth-moving equipment was kept at-the-ready to move in and prevent a
potential breach. Lately, Forge Pond has been under scrutiny, with some area
environmental groups wanting to remove the privately-owned dam to encourage
the return of spawning herring. Fire Chief Brian Legendre, although not
taking a position on the removal of the dam, voiced his opinion that the
removal of the structure would eliminate the fire-protection water source to
the vacant Hoyt Manufacturing building, thereby creating a fire hazard. “Draining the pond would create a hardship for any prospective
business interested in moving into the Hoyt mill and as a result could keep
it vacant indefinitely, creating an eyesore and fire hazard to the
community,” Chief Legendre said.
Trout Pond, Mouse Mill Pond, and the Head Dam, dried up for
years since the old mill ponds’ stone and earthen structures were broken through
by the Army Corp of Engineers in the early 1950s, were filled to capacity, a
surreal scene as turbulent flood waters rushed through the breaches and
flooded everything in sight downstream. “The pond has been dry for as long as I can remember,” said a
Trout Pond abutter on Tuesday. Conditions were cataclysmic at Adamsville Pond. The recently
renovated dam was completely overwhelmed, spilling water over the area and
onto Adamsville Road. Intermittent rivulets turned into frenzied streams, and brooks into
furious rivers as the saturated land threw off the water onto roads and
homeowners’ properties. No road, no backyard was spared overflowing streams
and surface water backup. Home sump pumps and auxiliary pumps brought in to
handle flooded basements were working overtime throughout Westport. “We pumped out more than 50 homes as of
late Wednesday afternoon,” Deputy Fire Chief Allen Manley said. Sandbags obtained from the Briggs Road fire station were used to
keep encroaching South Watuppa waters from inundating Ralco Electric
facilities on State Road near the Fall River line. “I’ve never seen it this
bad,” said the owners as they photographed the scene. The Westport Senior Center was put on alert for possible housing
of flood evacuees, but was not used. Governor Deval Patrick declared Bristol County, among others, a
disaster area and as expected President Obama signed off on the plan March
30th. AP reported that “President Barack Obama has declared seven Massachusetts
counties, including Essex County, major disaster areas, freeing up federal
aid to people and households for damages caused severe storms and flooding
that began March 12.” “Help will be forthcoming from FEMA and MEMA,” state
representative Michael Rodrigues told EverythingWestport.com. “We have people
coming in this week, and they will begin to process requests for help from
the federal government.” Rainfall
records fall in Boston and Providence. According to Walter Drag, a meteorologist with the National
Weather Service office in Taunton, and as reported by the Fall River Herald,
the amount of rain dumped on the area in the past few weeks “is unprecedented
in the last 100 years of weather history in southeastern New England,” Drag
said. “The all-time record in Providence for any month is 15.38 inches, set
in October 2005. As of 5 p.m. Tuesday, this month has had 15.58 inches.” Sun is predicted today for Westport by the National Weather
Service, but rivers will likely reach their peak today or tomorrow and take
days before receding. “Even when rain quits, that doesn’t mean the threat of
flooding will subsist.” Drag said. “Whether we see something like this again in the next 50 years,
we don’t know, but people are living through history,” said Drag.
Left: Plymouth Avenue shore-side residences
under water. Right: Ralco Electric deployed sandbags to shore up its defenses
against South Watuppa Pond. Few basements and backyards were spared flooding, and several
properties experienced flash flooding as the drenching rainwater flowed over
saturated ground toward the branches of the Westport River. The
Hurricane of 1954 dumped more rain in a single day than Westport experienced
at the first part of this week, and flash flooding back then was severe in
certain areas. However, the record amounts of accumulated rainfall in March
of this year caused extreme runoff due to saturated ground that affected
every stream, brook, pond, and river in the area. No property was spared, no
roadway not under water.
Country Store at the Head of Westport is a victim of
the East Branch as the river crests its banks at Old County Road.
Left: Ozzie the Ostrich is looking for its mate to board the
ark as its roaming space off Gifford Road is flooded. Right:
Angelina Brook shows her angry side as a torrent of white water races across
Cornell Road towards the West Branch.
Left: Forge Pond dam.
Right: Route 6 under water.
Left: Jack Sisson and his highway crew ponder over how to
best handle the sinkhole on Mouse Mill Road.
Right: Normally placid
brooks were raging rivers as runoff overwhelmed the countryside. Emergency meeting for flood victims set for this Friday. EverythingWestport.com
Thursday, April 01, 2010 State Representative Michael J. Rodrigues, D–Westport, together
with Mayor Will Flanagan, have announced an emergency public meeting
with Federal Emergency Management Agency and Massachusetts Emergency
Management Agency personnel in order to provide information to property
owners and residents affected by recent flooding.
EverythingWestport.com
Thursday, April 01,
2010
Selectman candidates - left: Liz Collins, and right:
Richard Spirlet. Upcoming Selectman's
race is all about Prop 2 1/2 override. Question
1 in the upcoming April 13 annual election to override Proposition 2 1/2
was a central issue of a contentious exchange between proponents and
opponents of the ballot question at the recent Candidates' Night at the
Westport High School. Westport
residents will get another chance to question the candidates April 7 at the
Westport Senior Center. In
a race where there are 13, possibly 14, uncontested seats, only the race to
fill the spot being vacated by current selectman Gary Mauk, who decided
not to run, is providing a modicum of interest as evidenced by less
than 50 residents who showed up in the high school auditorium. Meet the candidates
at the Westport Senior Center on April 7th Former
Westport selectwoman Liz Collins and newcomer Richard Spirlet are set to
square off again at a candidates' afternoon at the Westport Senior Center on
Reed Road Wednesday, April 7 at 1:00 p.m. But the proposition 2 1/2 question
is bound to again take center stage. With
a little over a week before the election on April 13 voters will have to
discern the pros and cons to an override, and what impact it may or may not
have for the school system and other town boards. "No
matter what your position on this question," selectman candidate Richard
Spirlet said at Candidates' Night, "you need to vote your mind on April
13." Liz
Collins, a public service advocate, supports a 2/ 1/2
override. Attend
Candidates' Afternoon this Wednesday April 7 at 1:00 p.m.and learn more about
the issues facing Westport's financial future, and meet the candidates
who may determine it.
Above, from the left:
Steven Fors, Moderator; Sean Leach, Board of Health; Russell T. Kleber,
3-year School Committee; and Eric Larrivee, 3-year School Committee.
Above, from the left: Jason
C. Powell, Fish Commissioner; Robert J. Gormley, Trustees of Free Public
Library; Veronica “Ronnie” Beaulieu; and Elaine Ostroff, Planning Board.
Above, from the left:
Charles “Wally” Nichols III, Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds; and Elizabeth A. “Liz” Collins,
Housing Authority. The only other
contested position among the 15 on the ballot is Board of Commissioners of Trust Funds with Ronald C. Costa
squaring off against Charles W. Nichols III. Running unopposed for town office are: Moderator – Steven W. Fors,
uncontested Assessor – Stephen Medeiros,
uncontested Board of Health – Sean M. Leach, uncontested School Committee, 3-years – Russell T.
Kleber, uncontested School Committee, 3-years – Eric Larrivee,
uncontested School Committee, 2-year unexpired term –
James A. Bernard, uncontested Fish Commissioner – Jason C. Powell,
uncontested Trustees Of Free Public
Library – Robert J.
Gormley, uncontested Trustees Of Free Public
Library – Majorie T.
Sandborg, uncontested Landing Commissioner – Maxwell F. Turner, uncontested Housing Authority – Elizabeth A. Collins,
uncontested Planning Board – Elaine Ostroff, uncontested - - - - - End - - -
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