Leominster Public Schools will open on Thursday on a 2-hour delay, the mayor and schools superintendent said.
“We’re OK with opening the schools on a delay tomorrow,” Mazzarella said. “The safest place right now is for kids to be in schools. We’re opening school tomorrow on a delay.”
Mazzarella, who called Monday’s weather event “catastrophic” on Tuesday, said emergency crews evacuated people overnight with hovercrafts and boats. The storm stalled out over the city as it delivered a “life-threatening” amount of rain and flooding between 4 p.m. and 10 p.m. Monday, he said.
“Everyone is safe and we’re happy for that, there are a number of rescues that were made,” he said Wednesday.
The mayor said people who sought shelter at a local school will be relocated to hotels.
Residents who were rescued from a local trailer park also have returned to their homes, he said.
Severe Weather-New England Crews work on a section of Pleasant Street in Leominster, Mass., which was washed out Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, after heavy rain fall in the town overnight. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds) (JOSH REYNOLDS/AP)
Severe Weather-New England Road crews assess a sinkhole on Chestnut Street in Leominster, Mass., Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island were flooded by heavy rain Monday night. (AP Photo/Michael Casey) (Michael Casey/AP)
Severe Weather-New England A man surveys damage to a house on Hamilton Street in Leominster, Mass. after heavy rain fall in the town overnight. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds) (Josh Reynolds/AP)
Severe Weather New England A brook in Leominster, Mass. overflows into the garage of a home following heavy rains overnight, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Casey) (Michael Casey/AP)
Severe Weather-New England Workers survey the damage to a Commuter Rail train line which was washed out Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, in Leominster, Mass. after heavy rain fall in the town overnight. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds) (Josh Reynolds/AP)
Severe Weather New England Home owner John Schuller assesses flood damage to the road leading to his house in Leominster, Mass., Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Casey) (Michael Casey/AP)
Severe Weather New England A brook in Leominster, Mass. overflows into the garage of a home following heavy rains overnight, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Casey) (Michael Casey/AP)
Severe Weather-New England Workers survey the damage to a Commuter Rail train line which was washed out Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, in Leominster, Mass. after heavy rain fall in the town overnight. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds) (Josh Reynolds/AP)
Severe Weather-New England Yellow caution tape surrounds a sinkhole in Leominster, Mass., Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. Parts of Massachusetts and Rhode Island were flooded by heavy rain Monday night. (AP Photo/Michael Casey) (Michael Casey/AP)
Severe Weather-New England Roads and sidewalks are damaged following heavy rain in Leominster, Mass., Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. The deluge flooded other parts of Massachusetts as well as Rhode Island. (AP Photo/Michael Casey) (Michael Casey/AP)
Severe Weather-New England Homeowner John Schiller assesses damage to the his driveway after heavy rainfall in Leominster, Mass. and other parts of Massachusetts, Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. (AP Photo/Michael Casey) (Michael Casey/AP)
Severe Weather-New England From left, car dealership owner Rick Durand Owner of Durand Cadillac and controller Michelle Bettez react beside three vehicles that fell into a sinkhole that was washed out of his car dealership Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, in Leominster, Mass. after more than 9 inches of rain fell overnight. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds) (Josh Reynolds/AP)
Severe Weather-New England From left, car dealership owner Rick Durand Owner of Durand Cadillac and controller Michelle Bettez react beside three vehicles that fell into a sinkhole that was washed out of his car dealership Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023, in Leominster, Mass. after more than 9 inches of rain fell overnight. (AP Photo/Josh Reynolds) (JOSH REYNOLDS/AP)
Severe Weather-New England Roads and sidewalks are damaged following heavy rain in Leominster, Mass., Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. The deluge flooded other parts of Massachusetts as well as Rhode Island. (AP Photo/Michael Casey) (Michael Casey/AP)
Severe Weather-New England Roads and sidewalks are damaged following heavy rain in Leominster, Mass., Tuesday, Sept. 12, 2023. The deluge flooded other parts of Massachusetts as well as Rhode Island. (AP Photo/Michael Casey) (Michael Casey/AP)
Massachusetts Weather Firefighters use boats and a military truck to evacuate residents and pets as floodwaters rise in the Meadowbrook Acres neighborhood of Leominster, Mass., Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. (Rick Cinclair/Worcester Telegram & Gazette via AP) (Rick Cinclair/AP)
Massachusetts Weather Vehicles make their way through a flooded Lancaster Street during heavy rain in Leominster, Mass., Monday, Sept. 11, 2023. (Rick Cinclair/Worcester Telegram & Gazette via AP) (Rick Cinclair/AP)
Leominster flooding
Rt. 2 flooding in Leominster/ Fitchburg
Rt. 2 flooding in Leominster/ Fitchburg
Rt. 2 flooding in Leominster/ Fitchburg
Rt. 2 flooding in Leominster/ Fitchburg
An elderly high-rise at 100 Main St. has generators to operate elevators and common areas of the building, Mazzarella said.
“We had a number of city agencies bringing food, the tenants there are happy,” he said.
Sump pumps are working across the city as part of cleanup efforts. The city also plans extra trash pickups to dispose of debris in residential areas.
Restorations of some city areas “will take not days but weeks,” the mayor said.
Some streets are opening up to one lane but others, “It could be weeks before we could get those areas open. It’s just not safe enough,” Mazzarella said.
“It’s a whole bunch of pieces, it’s a multitude of things. So we’re trying our hardest to get most of the roads open at least to one lane,” he said.
The mayor said crews are working to address the major infrastructure that has been damaged by the flooding.
“Our goal is to get everybody cleaned up and get things back to normal as fast as we can,” he said.
As for the additional rainfall that is forecasted in the region, Mazzarella said crews are ready to deal with whatever happens.
“The ground is saturated, it can’t take any more. But we’re on high alert and certainly have the resources now, and the ability to call in mutual aid,” he said. “We’ll watch the weather and again, we’re preparing sandbags and we have a 24-hour operation here with the assistance of so many other agencies. We’re ready.”
This is a developing story. Check back for updates as more information becomes available.