WELLS, Maine — Flooding has been threatening homes and businesses all along the coast throughout the morning and afternoon Friday.
In Wells, parts of the town were cut off because of water rushing over the roads.
At one point, a driver had to be carried to safety. That water rescue happened on Mile Road on Friday morning.
The incident highlights the importance of “turn around, don’t drown.” When the water is up over the road, you never know how deep it might be or what is below the surface.
While barricades were up, police say the driver went around them anyway.
“I don’t think she really understood the importance of the road signs,” said Wells Police Department Capt. Kevin Chabot.
Chabot was assigned to patrol part of Wells near Mile Road.
He spotted the stranded car in the middle of the flood waters just as the driver was calling 911.
“I went out and checked on her,” Chabot said.
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He was able to carry her to safety— but it could have been a lot worse. Chabot says the current was quite strong in spots. The ledge drops off quickly on the side of the road.
For some in town, there wasn’t much to see until they went out to survey the damage.
“It’s great living near the ocean! You never know what you’re gonna get,” said Rich Webster, a Wells resident.
Webster lives near Fisherman’s Cove, so he came down to the beach to see the destruction.
“It’s unbelievable. It’s just unbelievable. You know you’re here in the summer and it’s all nice,” Webster said looking at the rubble left behind. “And this— crazy.”
Webhannet Road buckled and cracked by the sheer force of the water and waves that brought with it rocks and branches. It pushed and toppled over benches with ease.
“I would say this is one of the top five—easily,” said longtime Wells resident Jim Kanak, rating the storm.
Kanak says he has lived in Wells for 25 years. Watching the forecast for days leading up to the storm, he knew this would be a big one.
“What you learn about when you live this close to the ocean is that the ocean is nothing to be trifled with,” Kanak said.
While the water was long gone on Kanak’s street, others were still in the thick of it during the early afternoon.
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About a half mile away, Jack McCarthy’s house was still surrounded by water.
“I went out I saw the waves coming over the top of the street and I said, ‘oh boy— this is a biggie,’” McCarthy said.
He says the water started coming up around 9 o’clock. But with nowhere for it to go, he watched as it started to rise.
“Just hope that everything’s going to be alright you know? Not much that you can do,” McCarthy said.
Luckily for McCarthy, he says only a little water got into his home but not much.
With all the flooding around town, the Wells Police Department says a number of people called because they were worried that they would be stuck without a way to leave.
