Severe floods hit Northeast USA and Eastern Canada
More than 100 homes and businesses in Maine were evacuated on Wednesday as the raging St. John River spilled into the downtown area, prompting fears that this could be the worst flooding in modern history.
At least 3 inches of rain has combined with melting snow to raise the St. John River level to 30 feet. This is approximately 5 feet above the flood stage. The previous record crest of 27.3 feet was set in 1979. Scientists described the flooding in the community as ‘greater than a 100-year event’. There was still half a foot of snow on the ground, following a winter that dumped around 200 inches of snow in the region. The melting of this snow will obviously exacerbate the situation.
Across the river in Canada up to 1300 homes in Fredericton and New Brunswick were also threatened by rising water. As the large stock of winter snow melts and spring rain falls, swelling rivers are causing floods across eastern Canada, forcing thousands of people to evacuate their homes.
The small town of St-Andre-Avellinin in Quebec province was almost completely under water on Wednesday after rising water from the nearby river inundated the area. According to officials this has been the highest water level in the area in the last 100 years.
