CONCORD, N.H. -- Torrential rain has prompted the governors of New Hampshire and Massachusetts to declare states of emergency, while Maine has declared an emergency in one county.

The weather has forced hundreds of people from their homes in parts of New England as water flowed over dams and washed out roads.

New Hampshire Gov. John Lynch called it a "very serious situation." He added that forecasters are predicting 12 to 15 inches of rain by the end of the storm in parts of southern New Hampshire.

The National Weather Service warns that a dam in Milton, N.H., is in danger of failing. People downstream are being evacuated.

In Massachusetts, cars were pulled from flooded streets in downtown Peabody, about 20 miles north of Boston. About 300 people were evacuated from an apartment complex for seniors.

"The rain continues, and I really urge the citizens of New Hampshire to stay home, and if they have to drive, please drive with extreme caution," Lynch said.

Lynch said that one of the biggest immediate concerns was the Merrimack River in Nashua. The river crests at 18 feet, but Lynch said it was expected to reach 28 feet, Manchester, N.H. station WMUR reported.

The emergency declaration allows Lynch to activate the National Guard. He said that he was considering how to deploy troops to aid in evacuations and other emergency work. The declaration also makes the state eligible for federal funds.

Despite the warnings, people were still heading out and getting caught in dangerous situations. In Manchester, a boat owner had to be rescued after his boat got caught in the Goffs Falls current.

The man's boat was wedged on shore, and when he pulled on it, the current pulled him and his boat in. The current then pulled the boat and its owner toward a dam, according to authorities.

The boat owner jumped out before the boat went over the falls.

The rains began falling steadily Saturday, and more was expected to fall through Sunday and Monday.

Massachusetts Deals With Flooding

As WCVB-TV in Boston reported, Gov. Mitt Romney enacted the state of emergency at about 10 a.m. The declaration gives him the ability to call upon the National Guard to help out in flooded communities.

"The reason is that we want to be able to draw on the resources of the National Guard to assure that where there is flooding and where people need to be evacuated from vehicles that have stalled in the roadways, the National Guard can come in with their equipment and help remove people from those vehicles," Romney said.

Guardsmen were called to Peabody, where some streets were flooded. Many neighborhoods on the North Shore were hit particularly hard.

"In Melrose, in particular, there have been some reports of sewage backing up into people's homes," Romney said. "The reason for that is that as the groundwater fills the normal sewage drainage systems in our roads, the pressure from all that groundwater begins to put real pressure on the sewage systems that go into people's homes."

State emergency management employees were working overtime at their headquarters in Framingham, monitoring weather reports, river levels and flooding hotspots. Several communities were expected to see more than 1 foot of rain before the storm passes, WCVB-TV meteorologists predicted.

"When you have that kind of water, obviously the impact on rivers can be pretty severe and the Merrimack River Valley, is expecting -- based on the water that has already been received -- to crest 6 feet above its normal flood levels," Romney said. "Now, that doesn't mean that homes are going to be swept away or anything like that, but it does mean that there's going to be a lot of water rushing down that river. Don't get too close to it."

Drivers were not heeding flood warnings in Peabody, where several cars had to be plucked out of flooded areas by firefighters.

Areas of Foster Street became more like a river than a road and several residents who tried to drive through the high water became trapped.

Barriers were set up near Center Street in Peabody to prevent more motorists from entering the area, WCVB-TV reported.

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May 12, 2006: Wet Weather Brings Flood Warnings To N.H.