The devastating wind storm that hit Maine left nearly 420,000 without power and at least two dead across the state on Monday. Several western Maine communities were hit hard by flooding, which closed roads and blocked off routes. In Bangor, some stores and restaurants in remained open Tuesday.
The Wells Jetty, pictured during storm surge on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023.
A car floats in a flooded parking lot at the Hathaway Creative Center alongside the Kennebec River in Waterville, Maine. A severe storm on Monday flooded rivers and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP
A man pauses at the edge of a flooded road near the Kennebec River, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Fairfield, Maine. A severe storm on Monday flooded rivers and knocked out power to hundreds of thousands. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
AUGUSTA, MAINE — 12/19/23 — Two men with flashlights check flooded buildings on Front Street in Augusta along the Kennebec River on December 19, 2023. Troy R. Bennett | BDN
A diner is reflected in the flood waters which surround it in Livermore Falls on December 19, 2023. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
A man who didn’t want to be identified removed belongings and pets from a flooded building on Front Street in Augusta along the Kennebec River on December 19, 2023. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
Standing on his front steps, a man who didn’t want to be identified, takes a flooded photo of his street in Augusta near the Kennebec River on December 19, 2023. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
Rev. Steve Snell of the Augusta Baptist Church stands on a flooded Front Street in Augusta along the Kennebec River on December 19, 2023. “Its amazing to see the power of God when he unleashes his rains,” Snell said. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
Two men with flashlights check flooded buildings on Front Street in Augusta along the Kennebec River on December 19, 2023. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
Wind turbines generate electricity atop a ridge in western Maine on Dec. 19, 2023. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
Heavy equipment operators scrape flood-deposited mud off a street in Farmington on Tuesday morning, Dec. 19, 2023. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
A broken utility pole dangles from its power lines in Rome on Tuesday morning, Dec. 19, 2023. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
Linemen with Central Power Line, a company from central Ontario, work to restore power on Webster Avenue in Bangor on Wednesday. Two crews drove to the Bangor to help after the storm knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of Mainers. Credit: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN
Linemen with Central Power Line, a company from central Ontario, work to restore power on Webster Avenue in Bangor on Wednesday. Two crews drove to the Bangor to help after the storm knocked out power to hundreds of thousands of Mainers. Credit: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN
Jonah Bean of Dedham puts canisters of fuel into his vehicle to run his generator at home after the storm on Monday knocked out power. Credit: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN
A driver passes under a tree on power lines on Upper Dedham Road in Dedham on Wednesday, Dec. 20, 2023. Credit: Linda Coan O’Kresik / BDN
The Androscoggion River floods Lewiston’s Heritage Park on Wednesday morning, Dec. 20, 2023. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
Flood waters from the Androscoggin River cover Newbury Street in Auburn on Wednesday morning, Dec. 20, 2023.
Because of the extensive statewide damage, it could take days for some Maine communities to get their power back. While power is slowly coming back online for some Mainers, nearly 250,000 people remained in the dark on Wednesday morning.
A sign is seen in the parking lot behind the Quarry Tap Room, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Hallowell, Maine. Waters continue to rise in the Kennebec River following Monday’s severe storm. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP
An oil tank floats behind a flooded mobile home in Dixfield on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, near the Androscoggin River. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
Propane tanks set free by flood waters discharge gas as they float on the Kennebec River through Augusta, Maine, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Waters continue to rise in the river following Monday’s severe storm. (AP Photo/Robert F. Bukaty)
Spectators watch the flooded Kennebec River flow through Augusta, Maine, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Waters continue to rise in the river following Monday’s severe storm. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP
A truck makes its way through the overflowing Androscoggin River on Route 2 in Dixfield on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. The road was closed but the driver took his chances. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
Workers from Consolidated Communications repair downed power lines on Access Highway in Caribou after a wind storm ripped through Aroostook County Monday. Credit: Melissa Lizotte / Aroostook Republican
The flooded Newton Brook covers the Canton Point Road in Dixfield on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
A man takes a photo of the Androscoggin River from a park in Auburn on Wednesday morning, Dec. 20, 2023. At 7:45 a.m., the National Weather Service reported the river was flowing at about 76,000,000 cubic feet per second. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
Flood waters from the Androscoggin River cover swamp a house and vehicle in the New Auburn neighborhood of Auburn on Wednesday morning, Dec. 20, 2023.
The Adroscoggin River nearly rushed up over this bridge in Topsham following heavy rains on Monday. Credit: Courtesy of the Maine DOT
A road in Clinton was completely submerged after flooding on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. Credit: Courtesy of the Maine DOT
The Kennebec River overflows after heavy rains on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. Credit: Courtesy of the Maine DOT
The Baker Road in West Bethel was completely washed out after flooding in Maine on Monday, Dec. 18, 2023. Credit: Courtesy of the Maine DOT
The Kennebec River rushes through Augusta, murky with sediment due to intense rainfall. Credit: Courtesy of the Maine DOT
Road damage on Route 26 in Newry, which saw more than 7 inches of rain fall on Monday. Credit: Courtesy of the Maine DOT
The murky Kennebec River rushes through Norridgewock early this week. The Kennebec River overflowed on Monday, flooding area towns. Credit: Courtesy of the Maine DOT
Road damage on Route 26 in Newry, which saw more than 7 inches of rain fall on Monday. Credit: Courtesy of the Maine DOT
Sunday River Access Road, during flooding early this week. Credit: Courtesy of the Maine DOT
Some communities like Glenburn and Dedham remain mostly in the dark, while outages have fallen significantly in others like Bangor, where the number of people without power has fallen from nearly 13,000 to about 6,900.
So far, at least two deaths have been confirmed from the storm. A man was killed in Fairfield when he was hit by a tree felled by the storm as it tried to move it with a tractor. Another man died when he was hit by a tree while clearing storm debris from his home in Windham.
The statue of Paul Bunyan outside of the Cross Insurance Center in Bangor escaped Monday’s storm unharmed, as a tree branch is seen in front of the statue on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Credit: Valerie Royzman / BDN
Nathan Sennett hands furniture to Tori Grasse as they work in hip-deep water on the patio of the Quarry Tap Room, Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023, in Hallowell, Maine. Waters continue to rise in the Kennebec River following Monday’s severe storm. Credit: Robert F. Bukaty / AP
A large chunk of a 60-foot white pine tree lays across Ellen Briggs’ yard in Portland, Maine, on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Utility crews are working to restore power to hundreds of thousands of customers in Maine and some rivers continued to rise following a powerful storm that hit the northeastern U.S. Credit: Patrick Whittle / AP
A large tree by the Bangor Public Library was destroyed during the recent wind and rain storm as seen on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Credit: Marie Weidmayer / BDN
A tree rests along a powerline in Litchfield, Maine, on Dec. 18, 2023. Credit: Mike Dowd / BDN
A high-wind storm uprooted a tree along the Kenduskeag Stream in downtown Bangor on Dec. 18, 2023. Credit: Marie Weidmayer / BDN
CMP and Versant Power have shied away from giving exact restoration, stating they continue to assess damage and investigate outages. Right now, many Mainers can expect to be without power through the end of the week (or even Christmas) as the utilities work to address downed power lines, assess damage and make repairs. That includes a number of substations, which Versant Power has stated need to be repaired before addressing other outages.
The highest recorded wind gust in recent history, which reached 93 mph, was recorded in Trescott, a small unorganized territory near Lubec in Washington County, during Monday’s storm. The town of Newry saw the most rainfall on Monday, recording 7.2 inches of rain throughout the storm.
All that rain led to many roads becoming inundated and unpassable, as well as swelling rivers far beyond their banks.
Some of the worst flooding was reported in Farmington, Augusta, Hallowell, Lewiston, Fairfield, Waterville and numerous other communities.
Tray Gagnon (from left) Saber Hanington and Ted Campbell watch the Kennebec River rise over Front Street from a loading dock in Augusta on December 19, 2023. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
The Kennebec River flows through Augusta on December 19, 2023. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
A holiday sign turned sarcastic in tone as flood waters surrounded it in Livermore Falls on Tuesday, Dec. 19, 2023. Credit: Troy R. Bennett / BDN
BDN reporters Chris Burns, Marie Weidmayer, Valerie Royzman and BDN editor Paul Koenig contributed to this report.