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State leaders discuss flood concerns, immense damages in Northampton

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State leaders discuss flood concerns, immense damages in Northampton


NORTHAMPTON, Mass. (WGGB/WSHM) – Governor Maura Healey and others focus attention on flood damage here in western Massachusetts, one of the harder hit communities is Northampton where high floodwaters have washed out roads, closed down beaches and caused tens of thousands of dollars’ worth of damage.

Route 5 in Northampton is closed down after flood waters took over the road, but that’s not all, folks we spoke with today told Western Mass News about the damage the floods have dealt to them over the past two days. This as Governor Healey came to see the destruction for herself.

“You can see what’s happened in terms of erosion and what that has done, you can see the flooding,” said Gov. Healey. “I know we’ve had a couple days where water has receded but there’s still very high.”

In Williamsburg on Wednesday, Governor Maura Healey got a first hand look and updates from the ground after flood water raced through western Massachusetts this week.

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In neighboring Northampton, some areas are still completely underwater.

Check out Old Springfield Road. It now resembles a small stream with two feet of water from the Connecticut River invading the road.

“We’ve had flooding, but never like this since I’ve been here,” said Molly Kuseck of Northampton.

Molly Kuseck who lives on the road told Western Mass News just how high flood waters rose.

“We had about 18 inches of water in the basement at the most, we lost two big trees in the yard,” said Kuseck. “To be honest, I haven’t really gone down that way. I’m just focusing on what’s in front of me at the house. We’ve had lots of flooding, the water at one point was all through the driveway, up to the porch.”

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Also shut down parts of Route 5 due to water spilling over from the Connecticut River.

Across the city, Musante Beach is littered with no swimming signs.

The city of Northampton posted on Facebook, due to the flood waters overflowing the waterways, bacteria levels may be too high to safely swim.

State Senator Joanne Comerford told Western Mass News the destruction will cost millions of dollars to repair.

“This is the impact of a natural disaster in a community like ours, a rural community,” expressed Comerford. “Our cities and towns are responding, and our farmers and businesses are disproportionately affected.”

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The people we spoke with said as of right now, it’s a wait and see situation. With more rain in the forecast over the next couple days, they’re afraid there is still more damage to come.



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Massachusetts

Prepare for dense fog in 6 Massachusetts counties until early Sunday morning

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Prepare for dense fog in 6 Massachusetts counties until early Sunday morning


A report from the National Weather Service was issued on Sunday at 12:05 a.m. for dense fog until 5 a.m. for Norfolk, Bristol, Plymouth, Barnstable, Dukes and Nantucket counties.

“Patchy fog is developing across southern New England in areas south of I-90. Visibilities between 1-2 miles are reported, with locally dense fog of less than 1/4 mile. Potential remains for areas of fog to become widespread through early Sunday morning. If so, a Dense Fog Advisory will be considered. Fog may be a hazard to motorist. Dense fog makes it difficult to see what’s ahead, turn on your low-beam lights, drive slowly and with caution,” according to the weather service.

Fog safety: Tips from the weather service for safe travels

If you must drive in foggy conditions, keep the following safety tips in mind:

Moderate your speed:

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  • Slow down and allow extra travel time to reach your destination safely.

Visibility matters:

  • Ensure your vehicle is visible to others by using low-beam headlights, which automatically activate your taillights. Utilize fog lights if your vehicle is equipped with them.

Avoid high-beams:

  • Refrain from using high-beam headlights, as they create glare that impairs your visibility on the road.

Keep a safe distance:

  • Maintain a significant following distance to account for abrupt stops or shifts in traffic patterns.

Stay in your lane:

  • Use the road’s lane markings as a guide to staying in the correct lane.

Visibility near zero:

  • In cases of near-zero visibility due to dense fog, activate your hazard lights and seek a safe spot, like a nearby business parking lot, to pull over and stop.

Limited parking options:

  • If there is no parking lot or driveway to pull into, pull your vehicle off to the side of the road as far as possible. Once you come to a stop, turn off all lights except your hazard flashing lights, set the emergency brake, and take your foot off of the brake pedal to be sure the tail lights are not illuminated so that other drivers don’t mistakenly run into you.

By adhering to these weather service recommendations, you can navigate foggy conditions more safely, reducing the risk of accidents and ensuring your well-being.

Advance Local Weather Alerts is a service provided by United Robots, which uses machine learning to compile the latest data from the National Weather Service.



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Massachusetts State Police responds to fatal Bristol County highway crash

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Massachusetts State Police responds to fatal Bristol County highway crash


At least one person is dead after a Bristol County highway crash on Saturday.

According to Trooper Brandon Doherty, at approximately 3:15 p.m., a fatal crash occurred on Route 495 South prior to Route 24 in Bridgewater.

A single vehicle went into the tree line and crashed, emitting smoke as first responders arrived.  

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MSP CARS, CSSS, Plymouth County SPDU Assisted Troopers on scene.

According to MassDOT, in Raynham, the left lane was closed at I-495 SB exit 19 due to the crash but has since reopened.



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Is your favorite beach closed on Saturday? Here's a full list of beach closures

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Is your favorite beach closed on Saturday? Here's a full list of beach closures


With rain sometimes comes bacteria and with bacteria comes beach closures.

As of Saturday morning, 32 beaches are listed as being closed according to the Massachusetts Department of Public Health dashboard.

Closures spanned from Western Massachusetts to Eastern Massachusetts and along the coast of Cape Cod and the Islands. While Bucks Creek in Chatham was listed as closed due to excess bacteria, Red Cross at Walden Pond in Concord is closed with the reasoning being listed as “other.”

Three beaches in Salem are closed. Specifically, the back of Children’s Island and Ocean Avenue are closed because of excess bacteria, while Camp Naumkeag’s reasoning is “other.”

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Templeton also seems to have a couple of closures at Beamans Pond where both the campground and day use are closed because of too much bacteria.

Colonia Acres West and Windmill in Yarmouth are also closed because of excess bacteria, while Longnook in Truro are closed with the reasoning being “other.”

“If a beach is closed, do not swim or enter the water at that location to avoid risk of illness,” the dashboard warns.

The dashboard is updated twice a day, once in the morning and once in the afternoon, and shows the results of recent water quality tests at beaches across the state. More than 1,100 public and semi-public beaches in the state are regularly monitored.

The full list of closures is below. If you can’t see the chart, click here.

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