BOSTON -- Massachusetts Gov. Deval Patrick declared a state of emergency Monday as thousands of Bay State residents struggled to keep flood waters at bay after two days of relentless wind and rain dumped at least 6-7 inches of precipitation on a water-weary New England, leaving scores of neighborhoods, homes, basements and streets flooded.

"There are people now in shelter in Waltham, in Lawrence, in Melrose as well. So far, no one's been hurt, everyone's been safe, but the conditions are continuing to evolve," Patrick said.

The situation was serious enough that Boston Mayor Thomas Menino convened a special team to monitor flooding after more than 10 inches of rain fell in Boston within 72 hours.

“We are closely monitoring areas of concern across the city and making areas that are particularly vulnerable to flooding a priority,” said Menino. “The high tide today presents a potential flooding threat which we are watching closely."

The city said, so far, storm water runoff and catch basins were holding up, but engineers were worried about sewer systems as rainwater floods the region, triggering backflows.

The nasty nor'easter that pinwheeled its way up the Eastern Seaboard over the weekend was expected to hang over the area for the day, as Massachusetts residents continued to keep sump pumps humming, bailing out as best they can.

Fifteen counties were under flood watches or warnings until 2:30 p.m. and 17 schools reported closings or delays even as another half-inch to 1 inch of rain was forecast.

In Winchester, officials reported that the reservoir was overflowing, forcing road closures, and in Topsfield, Route 1 South was closed because of Ipswich River flooding and mudslides. The swollen Aberjona River left nearby neighborhoods flooded.

In every community across the commonwealth, the heavy rain and flooding made for a nightmarish morning commute. On Norton Street in Boston's Jamaica Plain neighborhood, water was so high it gushed over the median strip between lanes.

Amy Little's Saab didn't make it and had to be towed out.

"I saw the huge puddle. My car's not very good with water, so I had a feeling it was going to stall," she said.

Many of the state's rivers were in flood stage, including the Neponset, Assabet, Spicket, Sudbury, Concord, Charles and Shawsheen rivers. By midmorning Monday, forecasters said, the Shawsheen, near Wilmington, was at 10.2 feet. Flood stage is 7.0 feet.

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In Waltham, a community west of Boston, 85 residents had to be evacuated from two flooded Linden Street apartment complexes by a front-end loader Sunday when firefighters became concerned about flooded utilities. They were given temporary shelter in the local high school.

Monday, at the Gardencrest Apartments around the corner on Middlesex Circle, residents propped up furniture on buckets and wooden blocks as 24 ground-level units became saturated, their tenants stuck, and no mandatory calls for evacuation.

"You can see the top of a 3-foot chain-link fence, that used to show totally, and the water was 2 feet below that. And now, the water's got no place to go," resident Gary Currie said.

"I'm very angry. I'm very angry that we have to start all over again," said resident Karen Ariale.

"I have recovery crews ready to come in. They just can't do anything until the pond has gone down," said frazzled property manager Tammy January.

In Quincy, south of Boston, more roads were closed. On Furnace Avenue, cars were submerged and all across the region, motorists had to be rescued when their vehicles became stuck on flooded roadways.

In Woburn Sunday, one motorist used a plastic cup to try to bail water out of his car. Fire officials there said they received hundreds of calls for help from drivers in flooded cars and had to rescue nine of them.

"People just drive in the water. I have no idea why you'd go through something like that. You know, it happens all the time. They see the (saw)horses up and they just go around them," said a local DPW worker as a tow truck dragged a car out of the water.

The heavy rain also forced Massachusetts Bay Transportation Authority workers to use sandbags to keep water out of the Green Line's Kenmore Square station when the nearby Muddy River swelled to more than 15 feet.

Regular Green Line service resumed at 5 a.m., MBTA officials said, but commuters had to be bused between Ashmont and Fields Corner on the Red Line in Dorchester because of water over the tracks near Shawmut Station.

A large sinkhole under the tracks between Chestnut Hill and Newton Center Station on the D branch of the Green Line forced the 'T' to use buses to replace train service between Riverside and Reservoir Stations in both directions.

Countless homeowners spent the weekend using sump pumps and wet vacs to try to remove water from flooded basements. In Newton, one homeowner found 2 feet of water in her basement. She said everything in the cellar was destroyed.

It was the same story in Boston's Roslindale neighborhood, where Yolanda Poma's basement was flooded with 3 feet of water. It was the second time in as many weeks it flooded. The hot water tank, freezer and washer and dryer were gone. The fire department was forced to cut power to the house.

"Fire Department came here twice, so we have no heat, electricity or hot water," the owner said.

Poma was not alone. Boston received more than 2,000 calls over the weekend from residents reporting storm-related problems or from homeowners with flooded basements.

On the South Shore, one Quincy resident tried to stack sandbags between his garage, flooded with 5 feet of water, and his basement, as Furnace Brook overflowed and flooded nearby neighborhoods.

"I feel stranded and a little bit hopeless," said one resident who was trapped on her apartment complex stoop as she surveyed a parking lot transformed into a small lake, the tenants' cars half submerged.

Flooding even caused the city of Boston to shut down one of its buildings that houses city agencies such as the Department of Public Health and the building department.

The city said massive amounts of rain also caused issues with traffic lights at about 15 intersections throughout the city.

Boston officials urged residents in need of help to call the Mayor’s hot line (617-635-4500) or visit Citizens Connect online at www.cityofboston.gov.

The Massachusetts Emergency Management Agency recommends for anyone impacted by the storm and flooding should call 211 with any questions or issues. Mass211 serves as the commonwealth’s primary telephone information call center during times of emergency.