May 14, 2006: Gov. John Baldacci declares a state of emergency for York County in the midst of a three-day deluge that drops more than 15 inches of rain and turns streets into rivers.
Across New England, rising water floods homes, forces dozens of schools to close because the buses can’t use the roads, and threatens dams and communities.
The governors of Massachusetts and New Hampshire also declare states of emergency.
The presidential disaster declaration for Maine occurs May 25. Measurements in eight streams in York County reveal peak flow rates that exceed what would be expected just once every 500 years.
Damage in the county from what sometimes is called the “Mother’s Day flood” is estimated at $7.5 million.
Joseph Owen is an author, retired newspaper editor and board member of the Kennebec Historical Society. Owen’s book, “This Day in Maine,” can be ordered at islandportpress.com. He can be contacted at: jowen@mainetoday.com.
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