LAWRENCE, Mass. – Gov. Mitt Romney (search) lifted the state of emergency for Massachusetts on Sunday, deactivating the National Guard (search) and sending a signal that the worst of the weather problems is over.
Under blue skies near the banks of the swollen Merrimack River (search), Romney said by and large the state was returning to normal.
About 1,000 people were evacuated from their homes on Saturday after driving rains and flooding washed out bridges and roads, flooded basements and pressured dams.
"The all clear will be sounded on a local basis," Romney said. "Recognize we were ready for something more substantial than hit. We have to be."
Romney said the state Emergency Management Agency was still monitoring conditions as high winds were expected throughout the day.
In Connecticut, the body of a woman who fell into the rapids of the Natchaug River in Chaplin was found Sunday morning, state police said. Elizabeth Cunningham, 54, of Hampton was pronounced dead at the scene. She had lost her footing while looking at the river Saturday afternoon, authorities said. Hers was the second death in the state attributed to flooding.
The statewide state of emergency in New Jersey was lifted Saturday evening.
"The hard-hit communities throughout New Jersey are not yet back to normal, but every flooding situation is well under control," acting Gov. Richard J. Codey (search) said.
In New Hampshire, many of the 1,300 residents evacuated last weekend from Keene returned home Saturday, but a 500-foot mudslide shut down part of Route 123. The southwest part of the state around Keene had been particularly hard-hit a week ago.
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