As the floodwaters of the Androscoggin River subside, public safety officials say many of those who were asked to evacuate in Lewiston are allowed to return to their homes.
Jennifer Costa is a spokesperson for the Red Cross of Northern New England which set up a shelter at the Ramada Inn in Lewiston.
"My understanding is that the evacuation order was standing until noon but we just had a major turn of events in that the city of Lewiston came in with some folks from housing and said that the waters were receding and they were happy to help us move people back into their homes," Costa said.
"As far as people's living accommodations [go], we're here to assist them, but that's going to have to be evaluated on a case by case basis," Lewiston Fire Chief Mark Caron said late Wednesday morning.
He estimates anywhere from 75-to-150 people were evacuated Tuesday, though he said many people visited the emergency shelter briefly while they made plans to stay with family or friends. Costa said about 40 people ended up spending the night in the shelter. She says some were fortunate not to have had any water damage at all. Others reported water in their basements. The shelter is expected to remain open for the foreseeable future.
The city of Lewiston will begin assessing potential damage to roads, bridges and other infrastructure over the next two days. And Caron said some homes may not be habitable, if rising water damaged the electrical or heating equipment.
Conditions are also slowly improving in Rumford after Monday's storm caused widespread flooding and some evacuations.
Route 2 through town has reopened, said Rumford town manager Stacy Carter. A few other roads with washed out culverts remain closed, but Carter said many people whose businesses or homes flooded yesterday are now able to return.
"People are able to get in and assess their damage to their homes," he said late Wednesday morning. "But there's still a lot of work moving forward to take care of all the flood damage."
An emergency shelter at the high school remains open for those who had to evacuate their homes, though Carter said many residents are staying with nearby family or friends.
The Maine Department of Transportation is assessing any potential damage to the bridge connecting Rumford and Mexico, which was already scheduled to be replaced starting in the spring. Carter said he anticipates the bridge could reopen by the end of the day.
