Mass. Town Begins Pumping Water

As another storm threatened to bring more heavy rain, authorities began pumping water Thursday from behind a battered wooden dam in hopes that would help it withstand the next wave of bad weather.

Officials fear another storm could overwhelm the 173-year-old Whittenton Pond Dam and send a 6-foot wall of water through downtown Taunton, about a half-mile downstream. The 12-foot-high dam dates to 1832, and is near homes and businesses about a half-mile upstream from downtown Taunton. It was built to power a textile mill, but no longer has any industrial purpose.

"The City of Taunton will be on high alert this weekend," Mayor Robert G. Nunes said.

Nunes canceled school for a third day in the city of 50,000 and told residents and business owners downstream from the dam to stay away. It was unclear when they would be allowed back.

The mayor had declared a state of emergency early this week when the dam, under pressure from more than 11 inches of rainfall this month, began buckling and breaking apart. On Wednesday, Nunes said he could not say how long the state of emergency would continue.

"We're erring on the side of caution," Nunes said. "We don't want to jump and say everything is OK, and, God forbid, have something happen."

The dam first showed signs of strain on Monday. By Tuesday, pieces of the wood structure were breaking away, and residents were told to leave, and leave fast.

"If this thing goes, we're in big trouble," said firefighter Wayne Cumbus, who owns a house on the river. "I don't know what I would do, the damage that would be there, you know? So you just hope and pray, that's all."

The mayor on Monday ordered about 2,000 residents who live near the Mill River to evacuate. The evacuees spent the night in shelters, watching and waiting, reports CBS News correspondent Kelly Cobiella.

The water upstream from the dam had dropped about 18 inches since Monday and was expected to recede much more rapidly with the pumping. But it remained several feet above normal and Nunes said the condition of the dam was still "critical."

"The process takes a long time," Nunes said at a midday news conference. "We all understand it's a sense of urgency. We're doing our best."

Officials had hoped to begin pumping water from above the dam overnight, but the effort was delayed because some parts weren't immediately available. After the water level is dropped, the damage to the dam can be assessed and repairs can start, Fire Chief Joseph Rose said.

Forecasters said a weather system coming in from the west is likely to drop 1 to 3 inches of rain on the region, starting Saturday night, and there also was a chance Hurricane Wilma could eventually affect New England.

Since the beginning of the month, Taunton has received 11½ inches of rain, including more than 7 inches from Friday through Sunday. The last time the city, 40 miles south of Boston and 20 miles east of Providence, flooded was 1968, when the same dam broke.