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Lowell Residents Blame Beavers For Flooded Neighborhood

LOWELL (CBS) --- The high water in Lowell is finally starting to subside but now, residents are beginning the process of cleaning up the mess.

It's spring cleaning the Cook family never expected to do.

"It's tough seeing my grandmother's stuff tossed," Lou Cook said.

Ruby Cook and her son Lou are tossing anything that was submerged in water, and that's pretty much everything in the basement including keepsakes from Lue's grandmother.

"A lot of stuff as you touch it you remember. Now there's no chance to go through it . Just got to dump it."

Heavy rain over the weekend completely flooded Wentworth Avenue in Lowell. Firefighters had to use a boat to get to Ruby's front door and make sure she was OK.

"One of the firefighters said you have lakefront property. I think I said no I moved into a boat house. It got that bad," Ruby Cook said.

Ruby blames her neighbors for the mess - beavers - living across the street in the wetlands, made several damns which contributed to the flooding.

Wentworth Avenue is now clear but Ruby's clean-up is far from over.

"A new beginning, another new beginning for Ruby," she said.

The beavers are a protected species but residents of Wentworth Avenue hope they are moved far away.

Meanwhile, the Cooks do not have flood insurance and are unsure how much all the damage is going to cost.

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