ALLAGASH (AP) – A 77-year-old man stranded by ice and water along the St. John River is taking his situation in stride.

“This is the second time I’m cut off from the world,” said Milt Tottle, who has lived in this outpost in northernmost Maine for 23 years. “I’m safe and have no problems. The water and ice would have to come up another 16 feet to reach my basement, and I don’t believe it will go that high.”

Allagash has been living since December with a 6- to 8-mile ice jam that since last week is estimated to be 20 to 30 feet thick.

Tottle, accompanied by his cat and two dogs, has stayed in his home west of Big Rapids since Thursday and is the only Allagash resident cut off by the ice and water. Three other homes are located in the flood zone, but residents there still are able to go about their lives.

The ice has knocked down hundreds of trees along the banks, from Dickey Village to the Rapid Road where Tottle lives. Some of the trees were larger than a foot in diameter at the trunk.

Huge blocks of ice, 2 and 3 feet thick and as much as 15 feet across, cut off the road to his home.

He could walk out by heading uphill to another road, but the trip could be a chore for him.

“I just wish it would all go away,” he told the Bangor Daily News by telephone Tuesday. “The ice starts running two or three times a day, but it doesn’t last long and then it stops.”

Allagash First Selectman Roy Gardner expressed concern about his old friend. Tottle hoped Tuesday that Gardner would have time to collect his maple sap from buckets he placed on trees before the ice moved in. Tottle thought the buckets may be nearly full.

“Overall, I have no problems, and I have enough food for two weeks or more,” he said. “I hope it doesn’t last that long, but it doesn’t bother me.”

The Aroostook County Emergency Management Agency on Tuesday closed road access to Allagash to all but residents of the area.

“This is a dangerous situation, and we have to do what is necessary to protect the public,” said Vern Ouellette, the agency director. “Ice jams are very unpredictable and dangerous, and they can move quickly.

“When an ice jam releases, it acts like a dam breaching, sending massive amounts of water into downstream areas with little notice,” he said. “We are executing our emergency plan for this area.”

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