New Jersey ? Torrential rains and high winds pounded the Northeast for a third day Monday, taking a heavy toll on people and property in a region that only recently restored power or finished digging out from the last of several major winter storms.

The rain and accompanying wind have toppled trees, flooded roads and forced hundreds of people to evacuate their homes. At least nine people have died in storm-related accidents, and nearly a half-million people lost power at the peak of the storm in Pennsylvania, New Jersey, New York and Connecticut.

The disruption reached the nation’s capital, where high water levels caused a large barge to bump into a column supporting the 14th Street bridge, though the U.S. Coast Guard reported no damage to the bridge or barge and said the bridge was open to traffic.

The governors of Massachusetts, Connecticut and Rhode Island each declared a state of emergency as the rains closed roads and spilled rivers and streams over their banks.