DOVER-FOXCROFT, Maine — As a powerful storm moved out of Maine Monday, another threat greeted towns in the state’s Central Highlands: dangerous flooding.
Water levels in the Piscataquis River rose by roughly 12 feet in just hours near Dover-Foxcroft, inundating roads, basements, and parks sitting on the riverbank.
Conditions deteriorated overnight Monday, until the Piscataquis crested at its highest point early Tuesday morning, drawing locals like Robert Williams to help neighbors in distress.
"You could not walk across the road," Williams said Tuesday, "I mean it was completely underwater."
He added, "Everything [was] completely engulfed in water, across the road, into the houses, across the street."
This slowed down travel in the area, with Dover-Foxcroft Police Chief Seth Burnes reporting several road closures.
Dover-Foxcroft and the surrounding areas have seen their fair share of flooding, mostly coming in the springtime when the snow melts and water comes thundering down from the mountains. The worst of these events happened in March and April of 1987, when the Piscataquis River rose to its all-time peak of 22 feet, according to data from the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration.
While this week’s storm was less extreme, the impacts reminded locals of that historic flood.
"It's not quite as bad, but it's pretty close," Jeanette Hughes, who works for the local paper, the Piscataquis Observer, said on Tuesday.
While the damage and flooding is widespread—Hughes is one of many in the area without power—some area officials say it could have been even more severe.
"We’re very fortunate that we didn’t have a lot of snowpack on the ground, or this would’ve been much, much worse," Jeffrey Libby, the road commissioner for the town of Guilford and former fire chief added, "Probably getting close to the '87-level flood."
As of early afternoon Tuesday, large areas of standing water were still present, especially in Guilford. However, the water levels in the Piscataquis River had started to recede.