Rain, Floods Ravage Northeast

A powerful nor’easter that pounded New England over the weekend and into Monday flooded basements and subway stations, swamped roads and broke rainfall records. Two deaths were blamed on the storm.

In Peabody, Mass., water up to 4 feet deep swirled through the streets, submerging stranded cars and flowing into stores.

Boston posted the second-highest rainfall ever during a 24-hour period, with 6.66 inches falling by 5 a.m. Monday. The record was set in August 1955, when Hurricane Diane dumped 8.4 inches on the city.

Floodwaters flowed over the top of a subway station’s escalators in Boston and lapped against an upper-level token booth.

In Quincy, a manhole cover blew out, sending sewage flooding through the streets and into some basements. Hundreds of residents were evacuated in Winchester as water flowed over the top of a dam.

Holyoke police reported one death - a woman killed in a two-car crash on a rainy street.

Gov. William F. Weld declared a state of emergency in five flooded counties, easing the way for federal aid.

In Maine, the storm washed out roads and flooded homes and businesses. Portland recorded about 8 inches of rain by midafternoon and a state of emergency was declared in three counties.

In Henniker, N.H., a 16-year-old boy was killed in a traffic accident on his way to school. Concord recorded 4.74 inches of rain and some streets in Portsmouth were swamped under 5 feet of water.