MAINE, USA — Rain and wind overnight left a mess for Mainers on Monday morning. Reports of flooding and road closures were reported across the state as stormy weather moved through.
More than three dozen roads were reported closed on New England 511 on Monday to flooding or downed power lines and trees.
As of 5:53 p.m. Monday, Central Maine Power reported roughly 8,026 customers were without power while Versant reported around 3,980. A spokesperson with Central Maine Power told NEWS CENTER Maine outages peaked at around 48,000, with the total number of outages being roughly 68,000.
Several towns across Maine were significantly impacted by flooding and outages over the weekend and on Monday.
More than a dozen roads in Franklin County were either partially or fully flooded. The Franklin County Sheriff's Office is reminding drivers not to attempt driving through flooded roads which could cause vehicles to stall.
The Carrabassett Valley Police Department shared a video on Facebook Monday morning of a road visibly cracking amid water runoff.
Travis Chandler shared with NEWS CENTER Maine images of flooding in Carrabassett Valley.
Drivers are also being advised to use caution in the area of Smalls Falls on Route 4 because of "flooding and undermining," according to Rangely Fire Rescue on Facebook.
Liv Roderick shared the below image of flooding in Avon on Valley Road. The water has reportedly since receded.
Parts of downtown Farmington also saw significant flooding.
Some were even seen kayaking at the University of Maine at Farmington soccer field.
Flooding also proved to be an issue in Oxford County, with approximately 80 roads closed as of 10:30 a.m. due to sinkholes, washouts, and flooding that has cut off access to some homes, according to Allyson Hill, director of the Oxford County Emergency Management Agency.
"If anyone's gonna flood, it's usually us," Hill added.
A NEWS CENTER Maine reporter ran into Bethel Fire Chief Mike Jodrey as he returned to the station for orange cones Monday afternoon. He had been patrolling since 5:00 a.m., making sure roads were closed when they flooded over or washed out.
He said the only thing tiring him was the amount of people trying to drive through the compromised routes. He said crews had to pull out multiple cars that morning that had been swept off or overrun by the beefed up currents.
"People are just driving around the cones and barricades nonstop, trying to get through the water," Jodrey said. "Some have made it; many have not. So, please don’t go through flood waters."
The Dixfield Fire Company said on Facebook portions of Severy Hill and Valley Road are impassable. They also reported a washout "located in the area of Averill Hill has a washout in the area of 164 & Coolidge Road has multiple washouts along the edge of the road."
Deb Coudrain shared the below video from Peru.
Knox County was also impacted by flooding.
The Rockport Police Department issued a warning for drivers on Facebook noting power outages, downed trees, and flooded lakes, basements, rivers, streams, and roads.
"Some roads in Knox County are washed out and impassable. If you don’t have to go out for a while it might be worth your wait," the police department said in the post.
Renee Hill shared the photo below from Robinson Drive in West Rockport, the only road into this neighborhood of about 30 houses.
Rockport Public Works Director Mike Young said the road was under about a foot of water around 5 a.m. Monday morning, which caused it to close Robinson Drive for eight hours from 6 a.m. to 2 p.m. Residents could not get in or out.
"It certainly is a concern for us because we've got, we have an emergency situation in the house with an elderly person in the house," neighborhood resident, Chris Christie, said.
Young said this area has been a problem after heavy rainfall for the last 1.5 years. He said Rockport Public Works has temporary culverts in place, but hopes to build a new culvert for the bridge by the fall.
On the state level, Maine's Emergency Management Agency said it's planning to scale back its operations as it monitors what's left of the storm that came in overnight.
Public Information Officer Vanessa Corson said Franklin, Androscoggin, Sagadahoc, and Cumberland counties received the worst of the damage.
She did not have a specific timeline for when all this mess could be cleaned up—nor the total cost—adding those two factors depend on the severity of the damage in each location.
With more rain coming our way, MEMA is asking people to stay alert—especially if your home or business is in a low-lying area susceptible to flooding.
"There is always the possibility that more flooding and more damage could occur, so we are posture to be ready, and we are on alert this week to be prepared for whatever might come our way," Corson said. "Repairs, honestly, are going to depend on the extent of the damage and what happens for the remainder of this week. The rain is not supposed to let up until the end of the week, so the way things are right now could change dramatically over the next, 24, 48, or 72 hours."
MEMA is reminding drivers to not drive around barriers that are blocking flooded roadways — water over the road can sweep a car away.
Images and videos were shared with NEWS CENTER Maine from across the state.
Ken Brooker shared a video of a washed-out parking lot in Skowhegan:
Russ Lunt shared this video of a stormy Maine coast near the Portland Head Light:
Barbara Mispilkin shared a video of a raging Sandy River:
TJ Sylvester shared an image of Pleasant Pond during a not-so-pleasant "high tide":
Dan Bell shared a video of a quick-moving Presumpscot River in Westbrook:
NEWS CENTER Maine chief meteorologist Todd Gutner said flash flooding would recede with the rain, while rivers won't crest until Monday night. The greatest concern for flooding is the Kennebec River, along Front and Water Streets in Augusta and Hallowell.
You can look at the latest NEW CENTER Maine radar by clicking HERE.
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