NORTHAMPTON – Communities in Western Massachusetts are still reeling from powerful flooding.
Homeowners, business owners and farmers are currently taking stock of the damage as the force of the water left devastating marks in several cities.
On the Connecticut River in South Hadley, jetties were toppled, mutilated by debris, and crushed into piles of wood.
“I’ve been boating the river for years and I feel sorry for the boaters because as you can see it’s going to take a long time to even clean this up,” said South Hadley’s Kim Schleicher.
Upstream in Hadley, the front yards turned into swimming pools.
After living on the river for 34 years, it’s not Michael Damon’s first rodeo to see flooding on his property, but it’s the worst he’s experienced since Hurricane Irene in 2011, when he was forced to raise his home .
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“It’s the first time it’s happened since Irene,” Damon said.
Roads to campgrounds along the Connecticut River were also flooded.
A group took out kayaks to see what was left of their campsite and they found the spot 6 feet underwater.
“We were lucky to pay attention to the news and saw it was going to be quite high. We left on Sunday,” said one of the kayakers.
In Northampton, the swollen Connecticut River flowed onto Route 5 and eventually closed the main road.
Officials said it was all the water from catastrophic flooding in Vermont, flowing through watersheds and making its way into western Massachusetts.
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“I’ve never seen this and I’ve lived here all my life,” said Lisa Marrero in Northampton. “I didn’t think it would come all the way here, so that’s crazy.”
Whether it’s destroyed docks or concerns about flooded crops, they’re gearing up for a long cleanup process.
“It could happen in the next year, or the year after or the year after and the year after, who knows, you have to be ready,” Damon said.
On Wednesday, Governor Maura Healy will tour the areas damaged by flooding in Western Massachusetts. Her stops include North Adams and Williamsburg to assess the damage.
