Peabody Floods Create "Very Stressful" Day For Many
PEABODY (CBS) - Tuesday's flash floods gave many Peabody residents a rude awakening.
There were so many streets flooded in Peabody, officials were forced to cancel school Tuesday.
Flash Flooding made roads around Peabody impassable, submerged the town center and filled up basements with water.
Fire officials said more than 100 homes were affected in ten different areas of the city. One of those homes belonged to Lolly Summit.
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She stood waist deep in cold water on Pierpont Street trying desperately to clear away the debris that was blocking a sewer grate.
WBZ-TV's Lauren Leamancyzk reports from Peabody:
"They weren't out here so somebody had to come out here and do it and I guess that's me," she said.
Lolly says she's tired of waiting for help while floods destroy her home. This time, the water filled her basement and rose onto the first floor, leaving raw sewage behind.
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"Everything in my basement is gone. Everything in my first floor is gone," she told the city fire inspector and building inspector.
In Lolly's neighborhood, streets have turned into rivers and cars are stranded everywhere. Some people can barely leave their homes.
Fire Inspector Joe DiFranco says no one was prepared for this flood. "It was a big storm, we weren't quite ready for and a high tide at the same time, so that affects us greatly," he explained.
But Lolly thinks they should have been ready. She broke down when she described the damage.
"Every rain storm this happens to us, but no one cares. No one cares," she said. "It's not their child's bed that's floating in the water now and they have no place to live."
She hopes the city of Peabody can find a way to keep her neighborhood dry.
WBZ-TV's Jonathan Elias reports on the cleanup effort
Meanwhile, Christine, who lives in Peabody Square, told WBZ NewsRadio 1030 that the flooding was "a bummer."
"My car got full of water on the inside. It's a pain in the butt," said Christine. "I just bought it three months ago. It's next year's car, and there's not even 1,000 miles on it. It's all I got."
WBZ NewsRadio 1030's Carl Stevens reports.
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Also in Peabody Square, a man and his son were set to buy buy Brodie's Pub in Peabody Square on Tuesday...that is until the floods came. Tuesday morning, he couldn't even get into the place.
"We have not purchased it yet," said Votto. "We're still gonna buy it, yep. We're going forward."
WBZ-TV's Bill Shields reports on the history of flooding in Peabody
Read: What To Do If You're A Flood Victim
To actually "go forward" in Peabody on Tuesday required a boat, which is why Mayor Michael Bonfanti declared a state of emergency.
"Sometimes Mother Nature deals all of us a bad hand," said Bonfanti.
WBZ-TV's Lauren Leamanczyk contributed to this report.
