New England braces for more rain after hourslong downpour left communities flooded and dams at risk

By MICHAEL CASEY and KATHY McCORMACK
Associated Press

LEOMINSTER, Mass. (AP) — People in flooded parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island are cleaning up even as they brace for more rain Wednesday. Nearly 10 inches of rain fell in six hours Monday. Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey declared a state of emergency and officials ordered evacuations out of concern for a dam listed in poor condition. The rain created sinkholes in Leominster, Massachusetts. Cars sank into the ground at an auto dealership. The front yard collapsed at one house, resulting in a 15-foot hole that exposed the foundation. Weather officials described the rainfall as a “200-year event.” More storms were in the forecast for Wednesday and in early forecasts for the weekend.