Flooding Closes Roads, Schools In Southwest NH
KEENE, N.H. (AP) — Heavy rain has flooded and damaged some roads in southwest New Hampshire, forcing two elementary schools to close Wednesday.
Fire officials in Keene said the city got about seven to eight inches of rain on Tuesday, flooding some neighborhoods and basements.
Communities such as Keene, Alstead, Westmoreland, Sullivan and Gilsum closed some roads due to Tuesday's storms. There are closures or blockages on New Hampshire routes 9, 10, 12A and 12.
Routes 9, 10 and 12 are roads to Gilsum Elementary School and Sullivan Elementary School. The superintendent's office said those schools have been closed Wednesday because of the flooding.
State Transportation Department spokesman Bill Boynton said a main concern is Route 9, a major east-west road. He said inspectors are waiting for the water to recede. The route was closed east from Keene to the Sullivan town line and from Keene to Route 10 to the Gilsum town line.
Boynton said inspectors also were examining a bridge on Route 9 in Sullivan and were assessing damage to a secondary road, Sullivan Center Road.
The Red Cross set up a shelter in Keene. No injuries or major evacuations were reported.
Two tornado warnings were issued in Cheshire County in the Alstead area on Tuesday, but both expired with no reports of serious damage.
Calmer weather is in store for the state for the next few days, with the next chance of rain expected Saturday.
Copyright 2012 The Associated Press.
