NORWAY, Maine — Oxford and Franklin Counties saw significant flooding and road washouts during a massive storm that worked its way through New England Monday. Two people were killed in the storm, and many homes and cars were damaged.
For people in Norway, Monday morning was filled with power outages due to fallen power lines from trees. For Charlie Cummings, who was visiting his childhood home from his residence in California, this storm demanded their attention.
"It was exciting to see… really just watching the fireworks," Cummings said about the transformer on a power line blow out.
The fun did not last long as the power was out in their home along with reportedly 27 other homes in that neighborhood. Cummings said this storm is significant but is manageable given the spike in warm weather.
Cummings was down by the recently-thawed creek near his house to fill buckets of water, knowing it could be several days without their power.
Norway Fire Department Fire Chief David Knox said they were busy blocking roads Monday morning.
"This whole area is locked in, you just can’t stop that," Chief Knox said about how some neighborhoods are trapped in place.
While many were trapped and kept from their homes, many don’t know if they’ll have a home to go to.
Dianna Waltanen, who lives in West Paris, said she heard a massive crash, only to find it was a 40-foot tall tree that fell on her house.
"It made a big noise and everything fell off the shelves… and then I said 'Oh my God! How am I going to fix this?'"
Waltanen said she had meant to get rid of the trees in her front yard for some time, knowing they were aging. She said leading to this storm bringing them down on her house is frustrating, yet thankful she was unharmed.
"This is awful," Waltanen said. "Cut down trees when they are ready to go, don’t wait."
Governor Janet Mills urged people to shelter during the brunt of the storm, calling on people to use extreme caution and look out for emergency vehicles.
"We will continue to closely monitor the impact of the storm overnight, and we urge folks to stay vigilant and stay safe," the governor said in a statement.
Meanwhile, ski resorts such as Sugarloaf and Sunday River got a deluge of rainfall, causing culverts to fail and roads to wash out. Photos sent by NEWS CENTER Maine viewers showed the intensity of it.
Sunday River announced Monday it would be closed Tuesday, as well as Sugarloaf.
And at the base of Sunday River is Bethel, which became an island Monday, according to the local fire department. No one was allowed in or out by car, due to several feet of flood water cutting the roads off.