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JAMaine Flooding
Recent rains and melting snow along the St John River forced the evacuation of 100 homes in Fort Kent, Maine today as floodwaters continued to rise. The river rose more than 30 feet and spilled into the town, leaving stores and homes on Main Street under seven to eight feet of water. Yesterday, about 600 people were forced to leave the town when the river threatened to rise above a 30-foot dike built to protect the area. Luckily, the water level seems to have subsided before inundating the entire area. There were no reports of injuries due to the flooding.
The flood levels were the highest on record, state officials reported. St. John River is the longest free-flowing river east of the Mississippi and totals about 400 miles in length. The river in Maine forms the border with Canada in one section and continues through New Brunswick.
Other rivers in the area are being monitored for flood conditions as well. Across the river in Canada, officials issued warnings to residents in low-lying areas around Fredericton, New Brunswick, about 200 miles from Fort Kent. Up to 1,300 homes there are threatened by rising water. The Fort Kent and Van Buren border crossings between the United States and Canada were closed after fears that the 78-year-old steel truss Clair-Fort Kent border bridge spanning the St. John River would be submerged by the river.
