Flooding in New England

NYT

KEENE, N.H. (AP) -- Hundreds of people were forced to evacuate their homes Sunday after more than a day and a half of drenching rain washed out roads and flooded homes across the state.

Gov. John Lynch declared a state of emergency and called in 500 National Guard members to assist in flood relief. At least one person was killed when a car went off a washed-out bridge, said Pam Walsh, the governor's spokeswoman.

''This is classic river flooding,'' said Jim Van Dongen, spokesman for the state Emergency Management office. ''It's been raining since Friday night and there is nowhere for the water to go.''

The most severe flooding was in Keene, where some major roads were under as much as four to six feet of water, according to fire officials. About 500 people were evacuated to the city's recreation center, officials said.

In neighboring Stoddard, the National Weather Service issued a flash flood watch and residents also were told to leave.

Emergency officials were carefully watching the Highland Lake damn in Stoddard. The Weather Service said if the earthen dam fails, a six-food wave of water could hit Mill Village, South Stoddard and other areas in the southwestern part of the state.

At times, rain fell at a rate of two inches per hour, forecasters said.

Clearly, the only logical response is to abandon New Hampshire. Why should people live where they are in such danger?