Just two days after several inches of rain caused flash flooding in Lewiston and Auburn, the area is under a flood watch again Thursday.
City of Lewiston spokesperson Angie Amores said the public works department has been busy cleaning up from Tuesday's storm and preparing for the next one.
"Our team is on the ready to make sure that the roads are passable and people can get to and from as best they can," she said.
The city had to close the Kennedy Park pool after heavy rainfall Tuesday dumped in landscape debris. The rain also caused so much damage to a 10-unit apartment building it was condemned. Gavin Dennison is one of the tenants.
"It sounded like someone turned a shower on really loud on the top floor and everything flooded," he said.
Dennison says he, along with many other residents, slept outside the building for the past two nights. He says the Red Cross distributed cash cards with several hundred dollars, but all the motels in the area are booked. He and fellow tenant Keri Duhamel said they don't know where they'll go to ride out the next storm.
"So we're just left to our own devices, and it's awful," said Duhamel. "It's awful."
Lewiston's Director of Planning and Code enforcement, David Hediger, said flooding at their building may have been caused by clogged roof drains. He said the building had one other code violation within the past year for a bathroom plumbing leak. But he noted that the city only responds to complaints and does not do proactive inspections.
"Whether or not other violations existed out there is not known to us necessarily unless someone brings it to our attention," he said.
Hediger says it's unclear how long it will take to repair the damage to the building.
The company that manages the property, Central Maine Property Management, said in an email that the roof is in good condition but the roof drain couldn't keep up with the downpour. They say they're working closely with the city and doing everything they can to care for the building and tenants.
