BOSTON -- As water-weary Bay State residents pumped their way out of flooded basements and navigated swollen streets, weather forecasters kept a flood warning in effect Monday.

Massachusetts Gov. Mitt Romney called a state of emergency Sunday in order to be able to call on the National Guard to help out in flood-stricken areas, particularly the North Shore, where raging rivers were surging over their banks.

NewsCenter 5's Gail Huff reported that in Peabody, Mass., emergency workers and residents were working overtime trying to bail out. Schools and courts were closed Monday and the local high school was converted to a shelter for people who were flooded out.

Cars all over the community were submerged and state police said road closures on Route 1 were extended in a northerly direction, making it impossible for motorists to travel any further north than Route 60 and no further south than Route 128. The state police said they expected to keep the road closed all day Monday.

"There's nothing you can do. I've never seen it this bad in 20 years," Peabody firefighter Jim Lendall said.

In Lowell, Mass., Monday, the city asked residents and businesses to conserve water, saying there was the possibility the city may need to temporarily shut down the water plant.

Emerigency shelters were set up at the Lowell High School gymnasium on Father Morisette Boulevard as well as at the Lowell Senior Center on Broadway.

Officials said major roadways along the Merrimack River were impassable Monday.

The National Guard helped with sandbags while Romney toured Peabody Sunday night after 10 inches of rain fell. It was one of 10 North Shore communities to open temporary shelters.

"Fortunately we don't have heavy winds and lightning and the kinds of tide problems you'd have in a hurricane," Romney said, trying to focus on the positive side of the storm.

It wasn't the kind of Mother's Day that many residents had envisioned.

"This is the first time that the seniors in the center tonight have ever been evacuated from their homes," Romney said. "They haven't seen quite this much rain."

Besides flooded basements and cracking streets, there were concerns that flood waters may contain raw sewage.

"We're seeing forecasts for another 3 to 6 inches, so the worst isn't over yet. And our rivers have really not begun to crest," Romney said.

There is an emergency hotline set up for residents to call at 1-800-293-4031.

The flooding has closed several roads north of Boston, including portions of busy Route 1. That, in turn, is causing virtual gridlock on other highways, including Route 128.

NewsCenter 5's Shiba Russell reported that in Winchester, many of the roads that were closed Sunday were reopened by Monday, but police said it appeared the swollen Aberjona River had subsided slightly, which was good news.

The pond in front of Winchester High School had overflowed, covering Skillins Road and turning it into a river. Crews were working to pump water out of the high school basement. All public schools in Winchester were closed Monday.

On Lakeshore Drive in Arlington, there was a major sandbag operation in effect, firefighters trying prevent water from the upper Mystic Lake Dam from submerging the area.

In Melrose, an estimated 500 to 1,000 residents had to be evacuated Sunday. Many said it was the worst flooding they had ever seen. It could be several weeks before things are back to normal, the mayor said.