LEWISTON — Flooded streets, backed-up sewers, water pouring into basements. That’s what happens when it drizzles all day and pours all night.

Fire, police and public works crews were scrambling Wednesday night after an evening downpour caused a variety of problems.

Lewiston Public Works began calling in manpower at about 10 p.m. after their headquarters on Adams Avenue began to take on water. The regular on-duty crew was too busy handling other matters to deal with it.

A section of Maple Street began to flood shortly before 10 p.m. As workers responded to that emergency, other streets were reported washed over, mostly in the downtown area. Officials said in some areas, water flowed so heavily, it blew manhole covers right off the street.

At the same time, several people were calling for help as their basements began to flood. In Auburn, a section near the parking garage next to the police station was under water. A few miles away, near the overpass on Riverside Drive, one lane of travel was under water.

It was a wet day from beginning to end. In the Twin Cities area, rain began to fall in earnest at about 6 p.m. and it didn’t let up. By 10 p.m., it was still pouring, with bright flares of lightning and booming cracks of thunder joining in.

By 11 p.m., crews in both cities were setting up barricades and cones in trouble spots. Fortunately, the rains began to subside just enough by then for the water in most spots to recede.

According to the National Weather Service in Gray, nearly 4 inches of rain had fallen in the area by 10:30 p.m.

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