Some Franklin County towns were relatively unscathed while others had to work tirelessly to reopen closed roads Monday during the worst flooding to strike parts of New England since Tropical Storm Irene in 2011.

Amanda Herrmann, Conway’s emergency management director, said the town had declared a state of emergency. Main Poland Road was impassable and Herrmann said a section of it had been washed out by early afternoon. Although the Highway Department was trying to make it passable by mid-afternoon, she said finalized repairs could take a week or so as “there is significant damage on one section of the road.”

“We had a significant amount of rain hit the town this morning,” Herrmann recounted, adding that some sections of Old Cricket Hill and Pine Hill roads had also been washed out.

Extreme weather events had already been a topic of state interest this week, as Gov. Maura Healey declared July 9-15 to be Hurricane Preparedness Week.

“During Hurricane Preparedness Week, I encourage residents of coastal and inland areas alike to visit MEMA’s website for preparedness information, make a plan, and stay informed about how to take care of yourself and your loved ones before, during and after a storm,” Healey said in a statement distributed by the Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency.

Kurt Seaman, captain of the South Deerfield Fire District, said shortly before 12:20 p.m. that blocked culverts had generated some water on town roadways.

“They’ve dried up nicely since it stopped raining,” he said. “But there is ... remaining water coming off the mountains.”

By 2:10 p.m., Mill Village Road was closed between Childs Cross and Lee roads.

Williamsburg Road and Westbrook Road in neighboring Whately were closed as of around 1 p.m., according to the Whately Police Department. Whately Fire Chief JP Kennedy said the heads of the Police, Fire and Highway departments were in communication with one another and had taken all necessary precautions. The low-lying areas, he said, and areas around culverts were particularly vulnerable, though the town’s concerns were mostly about roadway accessibility.

Similarly, in Buckland, Fire Chief Herb Guyette said a few secondary roads had suffered minor flooding due to culverts becoming clogged or overwhelmed by rainwater. According to Guyette, his town’s Fire, Police and Highway departments were taking turns searching for damaged roads.

While many reports of closed roads came from southern and western Franklin County, the larger communities of Greenfield and Montague were not immune to flooding problems.

Nash’s Mill Road, which connects Leyden and Colrain roads in Greenfield and passes by the Green River Swimming and Recreation Area, was temporarily closed even after the rain stopped because river gates showed signs of potential flooding, according to the Greenfield Police Department.

Todd Brunelle, fire chief in Turners Falls, said Montague City Road had been closed from Walnut Street to Turnpike Road since 8:30 a.m.

“In the heavy rain, that section of that road floods,” he said. “This is fairly common.”

He said people should stay indoors during heavy rain and always be mindful of flooded roadways when out driving.

Likewise, AAA Northeast urged motorists to avoid flooded roadways and issued pointers on Monday for safe driving in heavy rains. Drivers should turn on their headlights in rainy conditions, as Massachusetts state law requires headlights to be illuminated whenever windshield wipers are active. Also, the risk of hydroplaning and losing control increases greatly at higher speeds in rainstorms, and it takes only one-sixteenth of an inch of water.

AAA Northeast’s tips also include braking sooner and smoothly, and allowing for a larger gap between the vehicle in front of you to reduce the amount of spray that hits your windshield and accommodate increased stopping distances.

Motorists should also be aware that flooded roads can appear to be traversable when they are not.

“Never ignore road blocks, traffic cones or warning systems designed to deter traffic in flooded conditions,” AAA Northeast advises.

Sewage discharged

Meanwhile, as a result of the heavy rain, the Greenfield Department of Public Works’ Water Pollution Control Facility discovered at around noon that untreated sewage and waste was being discharged from a regulator chamber outfall behind 302 Deerfield St., located along the Green River. According to a statement from the Greenfield Mayor’s Office, the sewage was being discharged at a rate of 459 gallons per minute and was impacting the Green and Deerfield rivers, as well as the Connecticut River in Deerfield, Montague and Sunderland.

“Avoid contact with these water bodies for 48 hours after the discharge or overflow ceases due to increased health risks from bacteria and other pollutants,” the statement from the Mayor’s Office reads.

A similar issue occurred in Montague. Aquasight LLC, a Michigan-based consulting company that offers wastewater reports for the town, released three notices on Monday advising that a total of 46,273 gallons of untreated sewage and waste, combined with rainwater, was discharged into the Connecticut River.

Reach Domenic Poli at: dpoli@recorder.com or 413-930-4120.

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