REGION — A massive rain and wind storm Monday, Dec. 18, into Tuesday, Dec. 19, has had many in the region comparing it to the devastation left by the April Fool’s Day flood of 1987.

About 1:30 p.m. Monday, The Franklin Journal observed flooded fields between Routes 2/4 and Main Street in Wilton. Wilson Stream near Shelly’s Hometown Market was raging and almost up to Cemetery Road. Shortly afterwards a washout was seen in Jay on Greenridge Way near the intersection with Route 4.

At 3 p.m. Monday Franklin County Emergency Management Agency [FCEMA] reported on its Facebook page that Hippach Field and Prescott Field in Farmington were fully flooded.

Other Facebook posts Monday noted Walmart lost power at about 2:30 p.m., the bottom of Porter Hill at the Town Farm Road was flooded, Route 27 was closed from Kingfield to Canada and Route 4 by Jocko-Fuel in Jay was impassible. Chesterville Fire was called out after a tree fell on a school bus carrying 15 students who were safe after the incidence, according to another post.

The Nash Stream Bridge on Route 16 towards Stratton from Rangeley was washed out and trees were across the road at the New Sharon town line and on Route 156 near Bean’s Corner in Jay, according to other Facebook posts. One lady in Phillips shared she was looking for boarding or self-care pasture lease deals for her horses after she lost all her hay, fence and round pen to the rising water. She noted the horses were safe in her trailer but her setup won’t be fixable any time soon.

Monday evening FCEMA posted that Farmington public safety officials were stating that “Farmington is essentially completely flooded and isolated.”

A map created by that agency to show roads impacted by flooding featured many red areas and was quickly outdated as more roads became impassible.

Tuesday morning, a Facebook post indicated a dozen roads in New Sharon were either closed or down to one lane due to loss of culverts or flooding.

“We understand people just want to get home or need to get to work but we beg you all, please do not attempt to cross flooded roadways or downed power lines,” New Sharon Fire and Rescue posted. “It’s just not safe. There have been multiple water rescues throughout the county, all night long.”

Another post shared a photo of a vehicle with its rear wheels hanging over a washed out section of Lambert Hill Road in Strong. Water was over the new bridge being constructed in Farmington Falls, Bigelow Station Bridge in Carrabassett Valley was down to one lane and part of the Harris’ barn in New Sharon were damaged, according to other posts.

On his Facebook page, Thomas Skolfield of Weld posted Wednesday that he recorded 5.11 inches of rain. At 27,154 gallons per inch of rainfall, that totaled 138,757 gallons per acre. “That’s a whole lotta’ wotta’!” he noted.

The rain was accompanied by high winds which felled trees and downed lines. Monday afternoon Central Maine Power was reporting 12,684 of its 24,260 customers in Franklin County were without power. Most if not all customers in Avon, Chesterville, Freeman TWP, Kingfield, Madrid TWP, Phillips, New Sharon, Salem TWP, Strong, Temple, Weld and Wilton were affected. More than a fourth of Farmington customers lacked power.

At 7 p.m. Monday, that number dropped to 9,799 with some towns seeing power restored while others had more customers without electricity. Tuesday morning 8,737 CMP customers were still in the dark and Wednesday morning the number rose to 10,449.

A boil water directive was issued in New Sharon.

On Wednesday, Gov. Janet Mills issued civil state of emergency for 14 Maine counties. Franklin County was one of those counties.

“In coordination with the Maine Emergency Management Agency and other public safety officials, the Maine Department of Transportation is working to assess and repair damage caused by yesterday’s rain and wind,” a MDOT news release noted Tuesday. “As of early this afternoon, there are nearly 100 state road closures in Maine due to downed trees and power lines, flooding, and significant infrastructure damage. Although all Maine counties have been impacted by this storm, Oxford, Franklin, Somerset, and Kennebec Counties are currently experiencing more than half of the road closures. In particular, roads and bridges near the Sandy, Swift, Carrabassett, Kennebec, and Androscoggin Rivers [and their tributaries] are seeing high water levels resulting in damage and closures.

“MaineDOT has closed almost three dozen bridges statewide due to high and fast-running water. . . . Inspections and damage assessments are dynamic and cannot be completed until the water recedes, which is expected over the next day or two. Further, many areas cannot be safely accessed by road crews until power lines have been secured. The best way the public can help is to avoid unnecessary travel in areas known to be affected.”

The Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry released the following information:

• If you are currently facing an emergency, please do not hesitate to call 911 for immediate assistance.

• In the aftermath of the storm, we recommend the following steps to access available resources:

Reach out to Local Private Businesses:

• Inquire with local private businesses to determine if they have resources available to assist you. Collaborating with local businesses can provide valuable support.

Municipal Emergency Management:

• If local private businesses cannot fulfill your needs, please get in touch with your area’s municipal emergency management office.

County Emergency Management:

• County Emergency Management Agencies will coordinate efforts and leverage additional resources to aid in your recovery. Refer to this resource to locate emergency management agencies: https://www.maine.gov/mema/ema-community/county-local/county-emergency-management-agencies.

• The Franklin County EMA website is: https://www.franklincountymaine.gov/safety-departments/emergency-management/. The telephone number is 207-778-5892.

Request Circulation to Other County EMAs:

• If your county cannot fully address your requirements, your request will be circulated to other County Emergency Management Agencies for consideration and possible assistance.

Maine Emergency Management Agency [MEMA]:

• As a final step, your resource request will be elevated to the Maine Emergency Management Agency if necessary. MEMA will coordinate efforts and leverage additional resources to aid in your recovery.

We encourage you to follow these steps to ensure a coordinated and effective response to your needs.

We are wishing everyone strength and resilience during this difficult time.

Heavy rainfall and windy conditions on Monday, Dec. 18, led to flash flooding, wires down, electrical hazards, vehicles trapped in flood water and impassable roads due to massive amounts of falling and rising water, according to the Franklin County Regional Communications Center Facebook page Tuesday evening. “In just over a 12-hour period FCRCC dispatchers entered around 340 calls for service into the public safety computer aided dispatch system,” it noted. “This is far above a normal day for out center. Calls w ere being fielded from 911, business lines and our partnered responders via radio.”

“FCRCC dispatchers did not skip a beat,” director Brad Timberlake noted in the post.

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