CANTON – Gov. John Baldacci put his arm around Ericka Duval during a tour of the flooded town center.

“Everything I have is in there,” Duval told Baldacci when she came up to him, crying. “I have nothing left.”

Her house was in more than 5 feet of water.

Baldacci continued to talk softly to her, rubbing her shoulder.

Maine Emergency Management Agency Director Art Cleaves took notes as Duval and the governor talked.

“We’re Mainers; we stick together,” Baldacci told her.

A helicopter carrying Baldacci landed in a field next to the Highway Garage Friday morning. The governor, state and local officials, and law enforcement toured the town to inspect damage.

State Sen. Bruce Bryant, D-Oxford, whose parents live in Canton but were able to stay in their home, said he was trying to get a better handle on what could be done to help the town and its residents.

Routes 140 and 108 and a portion of Canton Point Road were closed after the Androscoggin River flooded over its banks Thursday.

The governor sat down with officials at the Canton Veterans of Foreign War Hall on Staples Hill Road to discuss the situation.

Canton Volunteer Fire Rescue Chief Wayne Dube said he wished there had been more time to notify people, but the river rose quickly.

“We did the best we could,” Dube said. “We got the word out as fast as we could.”

Firefighters went knocking door to door, telling people to evacuate, and a highway truck went through the streets sounding an emergency alert.

About 100 residents at the nursing home on Route 108 were also evacuated, Dube said.

“We had about 120 residents that had to leave their homes,” selectmen’s Vice Chairwoman Sue Gammon said. “We are going to need help providing them with temporary housing.”

There also might be a need for long-term housing as well, Gammon said, and a town the size of Canton doesn’t have the capability to handle all that needs to be done.

State agencies and representatives of the American Red Cross are scheduled to be in Canton between 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. Saturday at the VFW Hall to meet with residents. People affected by the flood who can’t make the VFW should phone 597-2767.

Cleaves said he would be working with other state departments to determine what short- and long-term help is available. He would also be talking to the Federal Emergency Management Agency to determine if federal disaster relief is warranted.

“Mainers are concerned about you folks and your neighbors,” Baldacci said.

He commended the townspeople for helping each other out.

People in Canton have reached out to those whose homes were flooded and have taken them in.

“I can’t help but feel a strong sense of pride,” Baldacci said.

Gammon thanked Baldacci for coming to the town’s aid.

“You are the first governor that has ever been here,” Gammon said of Baldacci’s tour of the flooded area.

The governor and Cleaves assured selectmen and Dube that submitted state and federal grant applications for a new fire station/evacuation center and a proposal to relocate up to 60 homes from the floodplain would receive high priority in review.

“I’m certainly going to make sure it’s a high priority on my part,” Baldacci said.

The governor and his crew took Canton Selectman Chris Wainwright up in the helicopter to tour the flood zone.

“Everybody has more or less opened their doors to help people,” Dube said.

With the governor’s visit, Dube said, he is hoping the town gets the help it needs.

After Baldacci left, Dube said he would be going around to reassess the town, to see if anyone needs cellars pumped out.

The water had started to go down, he said. Though there was still moving water in the midst of the flooding, along the edges had turned into ice.

When the water goes down, Dube expects to see some erosion in the roads. He expects about 35 homes to have serious flood damage and an additional 15 more to be affected by flood waters.

dperry@sunjournal.com

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