MAINE, Maine — After Monday's devastating storm, the damage left behind is some of the worst Maine has ever seen.
Cars filled with floodwaters or struck by debris and trees have been a common scene in many towns this week, leaving hundreds of Mainers without transportation.
Lauren Massey, from Waterville, said she lost her electric Prius to flooding after leaving it in her apartment's parking lot. Massey said she knew the storm was coming and that she had lost power early on, but never imagined the river next to her apartment would rise so high— and then woke up to find her car floating in the lot.
Massey said an additional 25 cars were destroyed in her home parking lot.
"By the time the fire department got there, they were like 'there is no point really in saving a car like yours, it's electric, as soon as water touches above those tires it's in the engine, and there's not much you can do, if you turn it on you are going to flood your engine, which is even worse, it can cause more damage,'" Massey said.
Like hundreds of other cars in Maine, Massey's is a total loss, but luckily her insurance will cover it as she had opted for comprehensive coverage. This is something you need if you are leasing or slowly paying the sum of your car.
"I wasn't in the shop for a new car. I loved that car. It was the first car I ever purchased, the one I brought my son home from the hospital in; it has so much life well lived in it," she said sadly. "Literally [I] woke up, opened the curtains just to see what's the weather like what kind of day is it outside—and our car was underwater."
Massey said everything happened so quickly and everything was pitch black outside when the river overflowed that the majority of cars there were totaled.
"We only have one car, we are a family, so we rely on that vehicle quite a bit but yeah your heart just sinks into your stomach and panic, that's like the first thing we felt was panic. 'How do we get the car out?'" Massey recalled.
Julie Francis is a State Farm insurance agent in Portland, Francis said as long as you have comprehensive coverage on your car insurance, the loss is covered.
"You would just be subject to your deductible through your insurance company and then depending on the damages, your insurance company would pay out to either replace your vehicle, or total it out, or repair it," Francis said.
So far Maine State Farm has received 134 auto claims and 793 home claims. This is just an example of one insurance company and how many calls it has received from people looking for the next steps.
"Make sure you review your coverages with your insurance agent to make sure you understand what you have, [and] how it works for you. If you don't need it you can remove it, but just know your coverage," Francis suggested.
While losing a car is frustrating, Massey said she knows things could have been worse.
"The extent that it was, the depth of the water, we've never experienced that since living there, now we are just grateful because you realize you are safe and there are people who have lost their lives, [and] their homes," the Waterville resident said.