The mop-up begins

By ELBERT AULL, Portland Press Herald Writer

Copyright © 2006 Blethen Maine Newspapers Inc.

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FLOOD WATCH Heavy rains wreaked havoc in southern Maine, damaging property and forcing people from their homes. Get coverage and share your photos and stories here. To top of story

The sun came out, evacuees returned home and relief workers on Wednesday got a better picture of the damage wrought by a week of rain that flooded several York County towns.

As preliminary estimates rolled in, county officials put the number of affected homes at 1,000, the number of people evacuated this week at 500 and the estimated damage to public structures, including roads and bridges, at more than $4 million.

Those figures may increase as more of the impact becomes apparent. On Wednesday afternoon, it appeared that the state had surpassed the threshold for a disaster declaration that would qualify the region for federal funds.

As water levels throughout the county fell, evacuees were allowed back to their homes. Most roads that were closed by flooding but not damaged were reopened. Volunteers and public safety officials cleaned flooded basements, evaluated damaged buildings and kept vigilant for signs of contaminated water.

A community cleanup in downtown York drew such a large crowd that some volunteers were left searching for tasks. "It's hard to find anybody that needs help, really," said Mark Loeffler of York, one of the more than 50 volunteers.

Fire departments and contractors fielded calls to remove water from flooded basements, and many local hardware stores sold out of wet-dry vacuums and sump pumps.

Sanford's Get It Done Construction volunteered to pump water out of about 50 local homes, said co-owner Michael Sabine.

He said the company's first job was a flooded six-house cluster in the Springvale section of Sanford that took 23 hours to complete. All told, his crews removed about 25,000 gallons of water from the six homes, he said.

Officials continued to check for water contamination. Residents reported oil spills, and sewage treatment plant operators said they would need a few more dry days before facilities were functioning normally.

A hazardous materials team responded to a 75-gallon oil spill on Bay Street in York around 2:20 p.m., and state Department of Environmental Protection crews were in Lebanon evaluating the areas near the Spaulding Dam, where water levels continued to decrease Wednesday.

The federal Environmental Protection Agency reminded relief workers throughout New England to limit contact with floodwaters, which can be dangerous because of the presence of sewage and other hazardous substances.

Robert Bohlmann, director of the York County Emergency Management Agency, said the DEP teams would continue their checks today. "We're going to be worried about a lot of places," he said.

A ban on shellfish harvesting remained in effect from Phippsburg to the New Hampshire border, as nutrients and bacteria from rainwater runoff continued to pose a contamination threat.

The ban, which does not apply to shrimp, lobsters or crabs, will be re-evaluated by the state Department of Marine Resources this morning.

The Red Cross closed its three York County shelters at around noon Tuesday when the number of evacuees in need dwindled to zero, said David Francoeur, emergency services director. Most of the 500 evacuees stayed with relatives or slept in hotels. Only about 50 sought refuge at shelters, emergency management and Red Cross officials said.

Brad Rutt of Berwick fled rising waters Sunday and stayed with relatives in New Hampshire. Rutt said he lost the washer and dryer in his basement to the flood, but he has flood insurance. He described the flooding as a "small blip."

"My family's safe and happy," Rutt said. "It's just stuff anyway - it doesn't matter."

On Friday, Federal Emergency Management Agency teams will begin damage assessments that will determine whether communities and residents receive federal aid to help with flood repairs, said Bruce Fitzgerald, spokesman for the state's emergency management agency. The assessments could be completed by Sunday, Fitzgerald said.

Early estimates of damage to public infrastructure, including roads and bridges, came in at $2.3 million in Wells, $1.3 million in York and $1 million in Ogunquit, Bohlmann said. Those numbers alone put the county well over the $1.3 million threshold in damage to public property to qualify for federal aid. It also appears the region meets the threshold to trigger aid to private individuals, which requires a minimum of 160 damaged homes.

Fitzgerald said Gov. John Baldacci could have a letter to the White House requesting a disaster declaration, which would trigger federal aid, ready to go by Sunday night.

Maine Republican Sens. Susan Collins and Olympia Snowe, along with Rep. Tom Allen, D-Maine, have asked the White House to take quick action on the state's request.

Snowe and Collins also asked the federal Small Business Administration to issue a disaster declaration, which would make businesses eligible for federal loans under the Federal Disaster Loan Program.

Although no long, steady rainfall is in the southern Maine forecast for the rest of the week, the threat of showers is expected to linger through Sunday, with rain most likely on Friday, according to the National Weather Service.

- Staff writers Seth Harkness and Josie Huang and The Associated Press contributed to this report.

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