… Aftermath …
The warmth and sunlight belied the scene before me … devastation! Twisted concrete, buckled asphalt … huge rocks strewn in odd places … tree limbs along the sides of all the roads, or hanging like limp, sodden bodies with outstretched arms, clinging without volition to those branches which were still attached to the trees. Every few feet, there was another silent testimony to the violence of nature - the stark white of a broken tree, too recently ravaged to look weathered, too recently dismembered to mourn its own death - now cut off from its sole source of nourishment.
The winter has been long, and very, very hard. Yesterday - April 22, was the first day that the temperatures rose into the 70’s. Today, amazed and befuddled people all over the area made their way out of their homes as if drawn by a piper’s flute … the temperature climbed to 85 today. Brief and fleeting … since after this tantalizing taste, we have only 60’s and 50’s in store for the foreseeable future, but still - it was a glimmer of hope for what is sure to come if we are only patient for a while longer …
Drawn to the outside and the warmth like a moth to a flame, I decided to use the opportunity to take a brief tour of the area; I wanted to assess the damage done by last week’s storm … all the while soaking today’s long awaited warmth and blue skies. I was stunned by what I saw.
Here are some photos, taken today, of the damage done by last week’s rain. You can view them as a slide show by clicking on the first photo, and running your mouse over it until you see “Next” appear near the top right, or “Prev” near the top left. You can go through the entire set of photos that way. If you’d rather, you can click on “Read the rest of this entry” at the end of this post, and see the photos inline. Clicking on them allows you to see them in a much higher resolution, with clearer details. Descriptions are beneath each photo inline, which a briefer description included in the slide show.
Both sides of the bridge over the ironically named “Little River” were completely washed out in last week’s storm. The now placid waters were raging beyond their banks in the April storm, claiming the lives of a 50 year old grandmother and her 4 year old granddaughter.
This is a shot of the entire bridge. You can see that both sides of the bridge are caved in, and washed away.
I crawled down into the caved in section on my side of the bridge, and took a photo back toward the street. You can see that the road was badly undermined by the rushing water …
Here you can see the side rails of the bridge - their bases hanging in empty air. I can’t imagine the force of the water that cleaned out the asphalt, rocks and dirt from around them.
A final shot, taken from the caved in section, looking toward the center of the bridge. My eyes were below street level.
This is the spot where the grandmother and grandbaby were lost. The cross in the foreground marks the spot where one body was recovered, while the second cross, which is outlined in red because it’s barely visible from this angle, shows where the second body was recovered. They apparently tried crossing the street in what they thought was shallow water, and were carried away. This is just a bit upriver from the broken bridge pictured above.
Here is a detail of the now wilted roses which adorned the cross closest to the road. I couldn’t get close enough to read the tag.
The second cross can be seen more clearly in this shot, which was taken just a few away from where I stood when taking the first photo. As you can see, this area isn’t quite “river,” but rather a boggy area, with a small stream that runs to the river. I don’t believe the bodies actually washed far downstream from the starting point, but the waters were so cold and fast that it was difficult to recover them in enough time to save their lives; that’s probably also why the man who jumped in to rescue them was unable to do so. Apparently, all three were alive when they were rescued … however the only one they were able to save once they’d arrived at the hospital was the fellow who’d jumped in to rescue them.
Turning around, I got this shot of the marsh on the other side of the road. Quiet. Peaceful. Deceptively so. The water rose to well above the road level, and somewhere near the spot in which I was standing to take the photo, it abruptly claimed two lives.
Here is a field not far from the above spots. We pass this area all the time on the way to and from camp at the end of the summer. I assure you that this field is normally a lovely, grassy green field … without rocks. These rocks washed down from the road and buried the field.
A closer look at the rocks in the field. Take note of the detail which I’ve outlined in red …
Here is a closeup of the previous shot - the well built stone wall surrounding the field was washed into the woods at lower end. The flood water, which washed the rocks into the field, continued out the other end - washing away a substantial, solidly built stone wall.
And here, my friends, is what it means to live in Maine: snow in the woods on an 85 degree day. Uggghhhh!
A final parting shot of snow - end of April, after a flood nearly washed the area away, in 85 degree temperatures, and there’s still snow in the woods!!! *rolls eyes!*
April 2007 Flood:
- Ark Building - Revisited
- … Aftermath …
April 23rd, 2007 at 10:56 pm
Hi moofie,
Thanks for the photos, although they are really heartbreaking. It was so sad about the grandmother and child being lost.
I hope that Spring will soon be there for you or do you go straight into summer? I don’t think it has ever been 85 degrees where I live but then it’s not as cold as Maine in the winter.
regards
jmb
April 23rd, 2007 at 11:02 pm
Moof, your beautiful photos of these scenes can hardly imagine the disaster it actually caused. Ruins and lovely snow-covered amongst trees, some damaged. Thanks you for your pictures and description of what you saw and told about it.
April 23rd, 2007 at 11:56 pm
Yeesh! Can’t believe that bridge. Thanks for sharing the pics and the stories. I’ll be interesting to see the “after” pictures when things are a little more cleaned up.
April 24th, 2007 at 2:06 pm
jmb … in all of my memory, we’ve had a long intro to summer. First we have a rather unpleasant, but usually brief, mud season, and there’s normally a gradual, but certain, warming between April and the end of May. However in the last number of years, that gradual trend has been a bit more random than usual. We’ve had several years that seemed to skip spring and go directly into summer. We’ve also had a few years when summer didn’t seem to begin until some time in July. The weather has been nothing if not strange …
Dear heart … I couldn’t live someplace that doesn’t get into the 80’s and 90’s in the summer. I live for those nice warm temperatures. I’m still in long sleeves when it’s in the 70’s …
My dream would be to live in a place that never goes below 80, and is right up against a nice little lake … :o)
—
Dr. Engel, it’s good to see you in my comment threads! Yes, there was a lot of damage caused by floods, and there were certainly an awful lot of places left in ruin. The only part I disagree with, my friend, is the word “lovely” when it comes to the snow still in the woods! *LOL* ;o)
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Dr. Anon - good to see you! I’ll endeavor to take some “after” photos to share with you, however I suspect that it’s going to be late summer before they get to that bridge. Although the towns have been working steadily - there’s still a lot damage to deal with. This bridge is going to be a very large, expensive job for a small town like Lebanon. If I remember right, they don’t even have a police force there.
April 24th, 2007 at 7:44 pm
It’s unbelievable what nature can do.
April 25th, 2007 at 12:59 pm
Moof, you should live with us. It is 80 in winter, and we even have a little lake in our campus.
April 25th, 2007 at 1:47 pm
I’ve been really off the radar lately, but thought of you when I heard the crazy weather reports on the news. I’m glad you’re alright. those pictures are amazing. Really makes me believe in global warming!
April 26th, 2007 at 7:32 pm
Sorry to read this. Do you use that bridge Moof? I hope there’s an alternative route.
Anyway, it’s good that weather’s improving.
Be well!
April 26th, 2007 at 10:11 pm
I’m glad that you and your family all are okay.
Take care!
later…
May 4th, 2007 at 5:44 am
Just checking in on you Moof. I don’t want to find there’s been any more hospitalizations or some such. Hope all is well.
May 7th, 2007 at 1:26 pm
No updates in a while? Hope you are ok…
May 7th, 2007 at 2:09 pm
Just dropping in to check in on ya.
May 9th, 2007 at 4:52 pm
Aha! Not the only one dropping by to check on you … you’re being missed Moofie dear!
*hugs*
May 11th, 2007 at 5:58 pm
Are you ok Moof? I thought I’d better check back in.