FARMINGTON — Rescue crews were called Thursday night to the area of Davenport Hill Road in Jay for a report of flood waters 4 feet deep across the roadway as an intense thunderstorm moved through the area.
Flooding was reported across the region as the storm dumped as much as 2 inches of rain per hour in some areas. About 7 p.m., Jay fire crews were requesting help from Swift Water Rescue and several area fire departments as they dealt with flooded houses and a variety of “weather-related incidents.”
It was later reported that four people had been rescued from a vehicle trapped in flood waters. No injuries were reported.
In Chesterville, a fast moving thunderstorm knocked out the town server, prompting an early closure of the town hall.
Several roads in the area were closed due to flooding, including sections of Route 133 and Old Jay Hill Road in Jay.
Near Bean’s Corner, at the intersection of routes 133 and 156 in that town, several motorists were filmed trying to pass through flooded sections of road as the storm wrought havoc on commuter hour traffic. In that area, water was rushing down the roadway “like a river,” according to one man who recorded the scene.
Several areas along Route 156 were said to be flooded. The Department of Transportation had crews at the scene by 7 p.m.
In Jay, several road closures were reported, including all of Route 133, Old Jay Hill Road, Intervale Road and a section of Route 156 near Soules hill Road. Several people shot video of water rushing down the roadways in the area of Jay Hill. In some scenes, mailboxes were seen floating along in currents. Lawns, driveways and entire sections of the roadway were torn up by the rushing water.
One witness described traffic in that area, at Jay Hill and Route 4, as “an atrocious mess.”
Weather forecasters warned of strong thunderstorm moving from Canton northeast to Livermore Falls, Wilton, Jay and Farmington. The storm and the potential for flash flooding was expected to continue until around 8:30 p.m. Thursday.
How bad the storm hit depended largely upon where a person was: some in Livermore Falls reported driving rain and flooding while those in other parts of the town were spared.
A section of Route 4 between Livermore Falls and Turner was closed for a time due to water over the roadway.
Several people in the Farmington area reported getting flood alerts on their phones — until their internet connections went down shortly after.
In that town, Whittier Road, near the high school, was closed due to flooded as were a half dozen other locations around Franklin County. Roads were also closed in Wilton, Canton and Chesterville as the storm barreled through.
“Please stay off the roads unless absolutely necessary,” the Franklin County Emergency Management Agency posted on their Facebook page.
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