Entire neighborhoods were underwater in Hampton Beach, New Hampshire, on Wednesday, a day after a major storm swept through New England, causing widespread flooding.
The beach town was among the communities hardest hit by the extreme weather. Local authorities declared an emergency and urged residents to shelter in place; for those who evacuated, a local gym was being used to house people.
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All of Ocean Boulevard was closed to traffic, local firefighters said.
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Images on social media showed waves crashing ashore. Aerial footage showed streets that turned into rivers in Hampton's Back Bay about 10 a.m., around high tide.
The storm brought several threats overnight. It dropped heavy rain on its own; that rainfall and mild temperatures combined to melt snow dropped from a winter storm that hit over the weekend. As the storm left New England, it churned up waves that led to the coastal flooding being seen up and down the Northeast.
River flooding was expected to continue to be a problem into Thursday, and a dam break in Connecticut prompted local evacuations.