Flood of 1979

The rains of late January 1979 caused what the highway department called "record flooding problems." An emergency was declared, Civil Defense and the Red Cross were activated, and Highway Superintendent James F. Connors's crews blocked off flooded streets, sandbagged properties and repaired roads washed out by the floods; a hard freeze in February then brought a second emergency. In the early 1980s the Concord River again overflowed its banks and flooded homes in several parts of the town; the public works department handed out sand and sandbags, and Civil Defense and the American Red Cross opened an emergency shelter at the Parker School (report of Town Administrator Paul F. Talbot, 1982). Both the Concord and the Shawsheen flooded again in 1986, when some low areas had to be pumped out.

Other floods on the two rivers: 1936, 1955, 1968, 1987, 2010.

People

• James F. Connors: Highway Superintendent, whose crews closed flooded streets, sandbagged properties and repaired washouts in the January 1979 flood.
• Paul F. Talbot: Town Administrator, who reported the Concord River flooding and the emergency shelter at the Parker School in the 1982 town report.

References

1. Billerica Annual Report for 1979, pp. 83-85: late January 1979 flooding, emergency declared, Civil Defense and Red Cross activated, streets closed and sandbagged.
2. Billerica Annual Report for 1982, p. 20: Concord River overflowed its banks, sandbags from public works, emergency shelter at the Parker School with the Red Cross.