GREENFIELD — Roads were left closed due to flooding and a voluntary evacuation was called for two Greenfield Gardens apartment buildings, as torrential rainfall swelled rivers and pounded the region Sunday night into Monday afternoon.

Greenfield called a state of emergency as police, fire and Department of Public Works crews closed roads and helped residents living in the two lower-most Greenfield Gardens buildings closest to the Green River by Riverside Drive get to dry places.

“I still put my Christmas gifts up on the couch,” said Michele Arsenault, a third-floor resident, as she got into her van with her cat Linus. “I wish they would do something about the river.”

As of 2 p.m., the National Weather Service reported Greenfield received approximately 2 inches of rain, while Conway received 3.58 inches, Ashfield had 4.8 inches and both Buckland and New Salem received about 3.2 inches. National Weather Service estimates are collected from a variety of sources with varying equipment and exposures, therefore the agency warns that not all data listed is official.

Both Arsenault and Property Manager Dedra Lewis said this wasn’t the first time the water has risen to his level. With gas service being cut, Lewis added most people had left the buildings and were heading to the complex’s community center.

“There’s no reason for anyone to be here … We’re trying to get the tenants who don’t have cars up to the community center,” Lewis said. “We’re playing it all by ear.”

On top of road flooding, the city announced there was a sanitary sewer overflow at 10:30 a.m. consisting of untreated sewage and waste. The overflow does not impact drinking water, but people should avoid contact with the Green and Deerfield rivers in Greenfield, as well as the Connecticut River in Deerfield, Montague and Sunderland for at least 48 hours after the overflow occurs.

Conway

As most of the region woke up Monday morning to torrential rainfall, but little flooding, those in Conway were probably feeling a case of déjà vu.

As in July, the hilltown was again crushed by heavy rainfall, leaving roads and basements flooded.

At the South River Farm/South River Miso Co. on Shelburne Falls Road, owner Gaella Elwell said she woke up to flooding of their field in December for the first time ever.

“I’ve been in the area for 45 years … we’ve seen fall floods, spring floods and summer floods, but not December,” Elwell said around 11:30 a.m. on Monday. “I think I am in a little bit of shock to look out and see this again looking like July.”

In July, the town was pounded by three rainstorms on July 10, 16 and 21, with a total of more than 21 inches being dropped on the town over the course of the month. That amount, the National Weather Service reported, was the highest rainfall total in all 50 U.S. states, Canada and Puerto Rico for the month.

Selectboard Chairman Philip Kantor Monday morning simply summarized what the town was going through.

“We’re getting completely hammered,” Kantor said. “There’s a lot of people kind of freaking out again.”

On top of immediate damages, Kantor said he was concerned much of the work the town has done over the summer and fall was being wiped away, less than 10 days after residents at a special Town Meeting approved up to $1.5 million in borrowing to pay off deficit spending from July’s storms.

“A lot of that work will be done for nothing,” Kantor said.

Down Route 116 in Deerfield, Selectboard Chairwoman Carolyn Shores Ness said the town avoided the brunt of the storm as of 2 p.m., however she believes Deerfield may experience some additional flooding as rivers continue to rise.

Deerfield Police Chief and Emergency Management Director John Paciorek Jr. said in a Facebook post Monday afternoon that several roads were closed and river peaks may go above what they experienced in July.

Ashfield Fire Chief Kyle Water said that town experienced a lot of localized flooding on streets, basements and river banks, as well as some trees and branches down.

In Northfield, Fire Chief Floyd “Skip” Dunnell III said there were a couple road closures, including Old Vernon Road and South Mountain Road due to trees or power lines being down.

“We did have some wind and trees and power lines down … Other than that, no flooding issues at this point,” he said, adding that he’s checked the town’s rivers, including the Connecticut, and they should avoid flooding. “They’re flowing high, but they’re still well within the banks.”

Colrain Fire Chief Nicholas Anzuoni said earlier Monday morning his team was on standby at the fire station as they awaited reports of flooding. In a similar position was Buckland, where Fire Chief Herb Guyette said they had water on the roads, but the town’s road crews were working diligently to keep streets open.

“We’re close (to closing), we’ve got water on the road,” Anzuoni said, noting that, unlike Northfield, there wasn’t a lot of wind. “I’ll take the water; wind is not good.”

Chris Larabee can be reached at clarabee@recorder.com.