Officials have evacuated the fire department and the school library.
By Terry Karkos
Staff Writer

CANTON – By Wednesday morning, the ingredients for a significant flood were here.

Lake Anasagunticook is full. Whitney Brook, which flows into the Androscoggin River from the lake, is packed with hard ice, and the Androscoggin itself is 90 percent jammed with ice.

Much of the town, including the fire department, school and town office, rest in the middle of the river’s flood plain.

“It’s like the domino effect if they let water out of the lake,” said Dan Schorr, director of the Oxford County Emergency Management Agency in Paris. “Traditionally, when Whitney Brook floods, they lose it.”

The stacked deck, coupled with a forecast for torrential rains and warm temperatures through Wednesday night and into Thursday morning, prompted the evacuation of the fire department.

Canton Elementary School officials evacuated the library in the school’s basement, which is prone to flood damage. The basement and part of the first floor were submerged in a flood in 1987 as well as in some earlier floods.

“The Canton folks are keeping a good eye on their situation. Other towns have been alerted and we’re still trying to alert people. The worst is yet to come,” Schorr said.

He urged people to call the Oxford County regional communications center in Paris at 743-9554 or 800-733-1421 if they notice water coming into their basements. Help can be dispatched, he said, and emergency shelters can be opened if needed.

National Weather Service hydrologist Tom Hawley in Gray said western Maine – away from the mountains – could expect heavy rain between 6 p.m. and midnight Wednesday. The rain wasn’t expected to end until 2 a.m. Thursday.

“Some places are going to see two inches of rain or more,” Hawley said.

A flash flood watch issued by the weather service on Tuesday for western Maine and southern New Hampshire, remains in effect through Thursday.

The Alder River at Hastings Island in the Androscoggin at Bethel was the first to flood its banks, and that happened before the rains came, Schorr said.

“The Alder’s over its banks now, and while it’s no problem now, we’re worried about what it will be like after the rain,” he added.

At the same time, a winter weather advisory for freezing rain remained in effect Wednesday afternoon for isolated valleys where temperatures were at or below freezing.

“The freezing rain had been making driving and walking conditions pretty dire in parts of both states,” the weather service noted.

The icy roads spawned hordes of wrecks and fender benders.

On the flip side, Schorr said the freezing rain might limit runoff.

“Things haven’t improved from last week, but this is a new snow pack and the weather service is thinking that it will absorb the initial moisture,” Schorr added.

However, a forecaster said Wednesday afternoon that the storm’s warm temperatures were going to cause significant snow melt.

Aside from icy roads and flooded cellars, Schorr said ice jams on the Androscoggin River could isolate Rumford Thursday if flooding closes Route 108 and Route 140 in Canton and Route 2 in Bethel.

“It’s gonna be a long night. We’re going to see the worst problems this evening and tomorrow morning, and we’re just going to have to ride it out,” Schorr added.

tkarkos@sunjournal.com

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