MAINE, Maine — Mainers, particularly in the southern part of the state, who just dug themselves out from significant snowfall in Sunday’s storm, might be facing flooding come Wednesday.
NEWS CENTER Maine meteorologists expect precipitation to turn to rain overnight into Wednesday, dropping multiple inches of rain in parts, and melting snowbanks across many cities and towns that received 6-12" over the weekend.
That combination could produce flooding in basements; not near swollen rivers and streams as in recent storms, but those that just happen to have received snow.
Nate Nelson, owner of Back Bay Builders in Portland, explained how water could come in from the bottom up, so to speak.
"The water has no place to go," he said, standing in a Yarmouth home's basement. "So, it’s gonna come down the outside wall, and it’s gonna start seeping and coming in through [the] cracks."
How a homeowner deals with the intrusion, he said, depends on its severity.
"Say you had leakage in an area that’s just utility like this," he continued, scanning the unfinished basement, clear of furniture. "And, say, it’s leakage—maybe an eighth of an inch of water down here—you could actually get a fan going, get a dehumidifier, make sure the dehumidifier’s running out to a drain or you’re emptying it. And you could actually, technically, as a homeowner, dry an area like this yourself."
For more significant standing water, or in finished basements with wood flooring or carpets, Nelson encouraged homeowners to call an expert, including an electrician.
He added, Mainers should try to be patient, as he and many other tradesworkers have been booked solid since the COVID-19 pandemic.
He also urged homeowners, who walk downstairs to standing water in their basement, to turn and go back upstairs, as they risked serious electric shock while trying to wade through.