Four to eight inches of rain fell across Bristol County resulting in several small streams rising above flood stage, including the Mill River in Taunton, the Canoe River at Norton, the Wading River at Norton, and the Segregansett River at Dighton, all of which set records.
Basements flooded in Taunton, North Attleboro, Attleboro, Norton, Mansfield, and Acushnet. Numerous streets were closed due to flooding in Taunton, Fall River, Dartmouth, Norton, Dighton, Raynham, Somerset, North Attleboro, Attleboro, Freetown, Westport, Berkley, Mansfield, Rehoboth, and Swansea, including Route 6 in Westport, Interstate 195 at Exit 3 in Swansea, Route 24 in Dartmouth, and Route 140 in Freetown (exit 8). The North Attleboro Town Hall sustained $350,000 worth of damage from flooding and Richards Memorial Library was closed for several weeks after the basement was flooded with water and sewage. A pond at Capron Park Zoo in Attleboro overflowed, threatening zoo buildings. It was able to be pumped out, keeping water out of most of the buildings. One building was flooded with two feet of water, damaging boxes of gift shop items and supplies.
Route 44 on the Taunton/Raynham line was closed for the second time in a month due to flooding from the Taunton River. An amphibious vehicle from the Boston Duck Tours was called into service to ferry residents from isolated neighborhoods to nearby supermarkets and pharmacies.
One bridge (Wheeler Street) was destroyed and three others damaged in Rehoboth when the Palmer River flooded. Portions of two of the damaged bridges (Danforth and Elm Streets) were undermined and washed away and the Summer Street bridge sustained structural damage. Two people were rescued when they fell into the Palmer River while trying to rescue their dog. They were transported to Rhode Island Hospital.
Sixteen year round residents at the Canoe River Camp Ground in Mansfield were evacuated. Three apartment buildings on Riverbank Road in Attleboro were completely surrounded by water overflowing from the Ten Mile River. The Seven Mile River in South Attleboro overflowed its banks, flooding Pitas Avenue, isolating twenty homes. Six structures in North Attleboro were evacuated because of flooding.
In hard-hit Fall River: Numerous roads were flooded, including Columbia Street and Mount Hope Avenue. Storm water overwhelmed storm drains, blowing out of the manholes with such force that it ripped up pavement, gravel, and utilities. Twenty nine homes lost power and gas service when the utilities were ripped up. Bricks from sidewalks along Columbia Street floated down Canal and Columbia Streets, collecting in piles on Broadway and Anawan Street. Doran Elementary School was flooded and the sewage treatment plant became overwhelmed with flood waters. A vehicle became stuck in floodwaters, trapping the occupants. Railroad tracks were under water at Interstate 195 and at Route 6. The southbound lanes of Route 24 were closed from President Avenue to Route 195. A 25 foot wide sinkhole developed on Jackson Street. At least 300 people were evacuated from their homes. The mayor declared a state of emergency.
In Freetown: 85 school-children were taken to a shelter after flooding made it impossible for buses to take them home. The Assonet Bay Shores neighborhood (home to about 1000 people) was cutoff to regular traffic by floodwaters and the collapse of a Narrows Road/Causeway Road bridge. Eleven students at the Crystal Springs School (a learning center for children and adults with learning disabilities) were stuck at the school for an evening after the bridge collapsed. They were able to be transported back to the main part of the city when two mountain rescue vehicles owned by the state police were dispatched. The vehicles remained in place for several days to transport residents between the neighborhood and the rest of the city. A bridge 20 yards downstream from the Forge Pond Dam crumbled, leaving a four foot gap in Forge Road. Fifteen households in Assonet Village were evacuated as Forge Pond continued to rise. Schools were closed early Tuesday, March 30 and for the day Wednesday, March 31 due to flooding.
There were three minor house fires in Mansfield that were the result of floodwaters reaching burners and electrical panels in basements.